The 10-second window for your website

Research has found most people searching for products or services on the Internet will make a decision within about 10 seconds of landing on the site, whether they like it enough to stick around.

In this brief time, it’s possible to get a “feel” for a website. People will either feel they are in the “right place” or they will feel a sense of anxiety or unease about the website and quickly click away.

Much of this initial impression is based on the website’s graphic design and colour scheme. If you have doubts about the way your current website looks and “feels” to your visitors, the simplest way to find out is to ask friends and colleagues for their honest opinion. Ask them to look at your site and also some of your competitors’ sites and be brutally frank about what they think.

The basics of good graphic design

Here’s what you should expect a good graphic designer to accomplish:

• select a colour scheme which is harmonious and creates the right impression for your business;
• include attractive photographs of your products, which are large enough to show important details;
• design a navigation system for your website which makes it easy for people to find the pages they are looking for;
  put the most important ‘calls to action’ in the right place to attract visitors’ eyes.

Good graphic design is too important to your website’s success to risk an amateur look and feel.

Good graphic designers may charge up to $100 per hour (a decent plumber can also charge that much). When you understand how great graphics can boost your sales, it’s worth it. Make the investment.

Keep your colour scheme clean and simple

Research has proven beyond doubt that black text on a white background is best for reading online. If your aim is to get your message read, then don’t deviate from this tried and true combination.

Ask yourself this. What colour is a newspaper page? White. And what colour is the text? Black. Okay, it may not be very “creative” but there’s a reason for it. It’s the easiest to read.