Do you have difficulty getting visitors to come to your website?
The first thought that may go through your mind is that you’re not marketing enough, but you may be overlooking a common problem. Most people who do a search on Google.com don’t spend very much time deciding whether the website they clicked on is where they want to be. Typically, the decision to stay or go will happen within 7 seconds, which is commonly known as the 7 second rule. To ensure visitors are staying on your website after those first 7 seconds your website needs to have:
1. Easily accessible information
2. A user-friendy layout (clear and concise navigation)
3. An attractive design
Here are some examples of websites that DO NOT provide users with these three important design concepts:
This website has so many design no-nos, I don’t even know where to begin! First off, all of the extra graphics, such as the butterflies, really distract you from what the website is really about. Secondly, the design does not look professional at all, giving it the impression that it was made by a 10 year old. You definitely don’t want that if you’re going to run a professional business. Also, the page loads very slowly because of the plethora of images and moving graphics that are completely unnecessary.
ChesterTourist.com
This website suffers from what I call “information overload.” The user doesn’t know where to click. There are just way too many links that are placed everywhere and not organized. This website would be a lot easier to navigate if the designer had grouped the links into categories and displayed them in one menu (e.g., a drop down menu).
Those were examples of BAD website design. Here are some examples of GOOD website design:
First Church of the Living God
This website is one of our own (created by the Design Theory team) and highlights some very good aspects of design. Unlike ChesterTourist.com, the navigation is very clear and concise. If you hover over the links on the navigation bar near the top you will see how much easier the website is to navigate with the links grouped into categories and displayed in a drop-down menu, which is what ChesterTourist.com should have done with their links. As you can see, the website is clearly about a church and the information (our services, media, events, etc.) is easily accessible and presented in an attractive, easy-to-read format.
This is another website that we (the Design Theory team) have designed. Again, the navigation is very clear and concise, and easy-to-read. If you want to find out more about what services Preston Dental Care offers, the link for “Services” is right in front of you in large letters.
A very simple, easy-to-read layout is very important for getting more users to come to your website. I think the worst thing you can do is confuse the user. Your business may have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t present it in a way that is easily accessible on your website, you will have a lot of trouble getting new customers.
Check out our design portfolio if you want to see more examples of GOOD designs 🙂
What about you? Have you seen any websites recently that you loved, or maybe some you wish you hadn’t seen?
Nice article but recent stats show a 4 second cut-off point when users leave a hanging website; this has probably been influenced by the surge in mobile access.
Thanks for the clarification, I didn’t realize it was only 4 seconds now. Well, that’s even more reason to make your website stand out and ensure the information is easy to access.