The Power of First Impressions
I’m a book lover and I never judge a book by its cover, but a lot of people do. Whether or not you want to admit it, your website gets the same treatment. Prospects won’t give your business a fair chance with a poorly-designed or outdated website.
Being an agency, we hardly ever get time to work on our own website but this summer I thought, “No way I’d compromise on my company’s first impression at any cost.” We took advantage of the UAE’s slow summer time and built a brand new website for our studio.
Here are a few principles of good website design that we followed for our website redesign:
A good appearance
- Create a visually appealing design. Visitors will stay longer.
- Make good use of colour but not too many.
- Choose easy-to-read fonts, not flashy.
- Follow basic principles of design, such as proportion, breathing space, consistency etc.
- Use high quality photographs. They catch the eye and build credibility.
Simplicity
- Keep it simple.
- Simple designs allow readers to focus on the message and not feel overwhelmed.
Content
- Use concise, organised and current content.
- A page should contain all information relevant to one idea.
- Make text easy to skim: use subheadings, bullet points and shorter paragraphs.
- Proof-read the content. Typos decrease credibility.
Functionality
- Make sure, everything “works,” including links, videos, contact and signup forms.
- Contact information is correct.
Usability
- Keep main navigation to a minimum with more sub-navigation.
- Use descriptive links to help the reader, and with SEO.
- Place call-to-actions in the right place.
- Go responsive/mobile-friendly.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Use relevant keywords, titles, and headings.
- Don’t put text inside images.
- Get reviews, it helps search engines to find you.
- Start a blog.
All of these factors create an experience for your viewers. What experience does your site create? What kind of a first impression does your website give to your potential customers? If not sure, let me take a look and I’ll guide you. Let’s talk: 0558454926
In the meantime, check out our work of websites that win at first sight.
