{"id":11420,"date":"2018-06-04T08:37:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-04T13:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=11420"},"modified":"2018-06-04T08:37:50","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T13:37:50","slug":"website-first-impression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/website-first-impression\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Effective Tactics To Improve First Impression Of Your Website"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 8<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

One of the most important factors to think about for your website is how to enhance Trust<\/a> and Confidence in the initial seconds a visitor lands on your site. You can be certain that if a visitor mistrusts your site or your brand, they will be gone.<\/p>\n

But nowadays, it\u2019s less common that you find a site that is so extremely untrustworthy that upon first glance a visitor will leave (they do exist, but they\u2019re less common than they used to be).<\/p>\n

According to Katie Sherwin:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe 5-second test is a simple usability technique to help designers gauge the audience\u2019s first impressions of a webpage.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, notice I said: Trust AND Confidence. They need to know that they made it to the right place. That\u2019s where your value proposition needs to shine. The UVP needs to let them know that whatever source of traffic they are coming from, at whatever buying stage, you have what they need.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s no easy feat.<\/p>\n

According to Tomy Mester<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cFive-second testing is not rocket science at all. So, if you want to optimize your online surfaces \u2013 or you want to release a new product or website, please just use it! Combined with analytics, usability testing, A\/B testing and other methods this will be a powerful weapon in your research arsenal!\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One metric that many companies look at is their bounce rate. A high bounce rate on landing and homepages generally indicates that visitors coming to the site aren\u2019t find what they are looking for, thus leaving (or bouncing). The bounce doesn\u2019t happen immediately. They may actually read the page before deciding it isn\u2019t for them (that\u2019s why you need to also measure the time visitors spend on the page as well).<\/p>\n

So if visitors are coming to your site, spending less than a minute on your landing or homepage, then bouncing \u2013 what can you do?<\/p>\n

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There are a few tactics you can deploy to at least gain a better understanding of what exactly is happening to cause visitors to have such distrust (or is it distrust at all?):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

1.Understand visitor intent<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every visitor, coming from various sources of traffic, will have a different intent.<\/p>\n

Google search console allows you to look at keywords that drove organic visitors to the site. That keyword holds a lot of hidden information: like what they intended to see, buy, learn when they conducted the search, and what your site is delivering. Keywords can also give you hints on where they are in the buying funnel.<\/p>\n

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For example:<\/strong> Take someone who searched for custom Airpods price vs. airpods quality vs. best iPhone headphone. The person is now at a decision buying stage. The person that is looking for quality is aware of the product but wants more information. Finally, the person that searched for best iPhone headphone still isn\u2019t aware of airpods. The messaging for each of these visitors should vary \u2013 and the landing page must address them all in order to gain their trust and confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAirpods price\u201d keyword search results:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAirpods quality\u201d keyword search results:<\/p>\n

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\u201cBest iPhone headphone\u201d keyword search results:<\/p>\n

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But it\u2019s not only organic traffic. Visitors are coming to your site from all kinds of different sources. Paid traffic should be easy to gauge: you know what keywords drove them to your ad, but then did your landing page deliver on that search?\"\"<\/p>\n

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Visitors coming from a source like a video may have different intent. IT\u2019s important to understand what videos or content pieces are directing visitors to your site because understanding the content they saw and how they arrived at your site will give you a lot of information on how ready they are to buy, and what content and information you need to be delivering to them.<\/p>\n

2. You understood the intent, but do you understand who?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As much information as you have about your visitors can really help you design your website copy and layout to meet visitor varying needs. For example, if I know that my visitors fall into three categories; male millennials, female baby boomers, and female\/male executives; I have the very difficult task of trying to address each of these very different types of people.<\/p>\n

How do I know that that is my site make up? There are tools that allow you to gauge demographics, even GA offers a rough view. But it\u2019s not enough. I would suggest contacting a segment of visitors to understand more about the general make up of visitors. It may be worthwhile to see who makes up the majority of your \u201creturn visitors\u201d and why do they come back and buy from you.<\/p>\n

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Qualitative research, especially customer interviews, is an underutilized method of gathering quality information about visitors and their motivations. But what\u2019s worse than even when it is utilized it\u2019s conducted incorrectly. I highlight some great tips on research in my latest article. \u00a0(9 Tips to Conducting Accurate Qualitative Research<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3. Talk a stroll<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve uncovered the \u201cwho\u201d and more on visitor intent and what buying staging they\u2019re at, put yourself in a visitor\u2019s shoes, conduct a search and land on your site. What is the experience like? Considering who the visitor is and what stage they\u2019re at, you should have an idea of what they\u2019re looking for \u2013 well is it visible? What would be the next course of action that they should take? Is it obvious?<\/p>\n

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A lot of companies underestimate the power of doing walk-throughs as a team, considering these different scenarios. But the amount of information that it can lead to, in terms of missed considerations and information, can have a tremendous impact on bottom line. Do it separately for mobile and desktop (and several times depending on how many paths and customer profiles you\u2019ve identified).<\/p>\n

4. 5-second test<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sometimes getting a fresh perspective is worth a million words. 5-second usability tests allow you to have visitors that fit the profile of your own website visitors give you a fresh perspective on what they think your value proposition is? If they can find specific information about XYZ? If the site clearly identifies what it offers, etc.<\/p>\n

WHY JUST 5 SECONDS?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s simple really. Researchers have found that 5 seconds is sufficient time, considering how visitors browse between the pages,\u00a0 to decide if a website is good enough. Within 3 \u2013 5 seconds a visitor should understand what the site sells, what\u2019s its value, and whether they would want to continue based on that first impression. It\u2019s those initial 5 seconds that site visitors are going to judge the website and make a decision about giving it a chance or not. According to Tomy Mester<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe perfect sample size for a five-second test is somewhere between 20 and 50 people. Don\u2019t forget, this is a qualitative method \u2013 so you are not looking for significant results here, but for an educated guess.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Gif source: 5seconds<\/a><\/p>\n

According to many researchers, visitors take need even less time to judge the quality of the website. We have become so adept that we need a second or less to make our initial decision about sticking around on a site.\u00a0 5 seconds, however, will allow users to tell you whether they can gauge the value proposition of the site. If they can\u2019t, you have a problem.<\/p>\n

FOCUS POINTS BEFORE AND DURING THE TESTING<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What are we testing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Whenever you begin any type of testing, you need to first know the purpose behind the test as well as formulate some sort of hypothesis to validate with the testing.<\/p>\n

In the case of the 5-second test, the purpose is mostly clear, but it also depends on the page. We tend to test landing pages for the products clients are selling. For SaaS companies, we test the homepage to gauge whether or not the visitor can understand what the service is all about. But it isn\u2019t limited to that. 5-second testing can be helpful when prototyping a new design or concept to see how people react to it, if they know how to interact with it, etc.<\/p>\n

What questions should be asked?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Image source: open-ended-questions<\/a><\/p>\n

We typically will ask open-ended rather than closed-ended questions (yes and no rarely help answer questions or solve problems).<\/p>\n

By asking open-ended questions<\/a>, we will be able to get their full insight. Some useful questions can be:<\/p>\n