Does Your Website Make a Great First Impression?

by Infinity Concepts | Oct 2, 2020 | Branding, Digital, Media

As the old saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.” Whether you’re donning a new suit for a job interview or making conversation when you meet your significant other’s parents, those first few moments matter. A lot.

Can you guess how long it takes for a visitor to form an impression of your website? It’s a shockingly short amount of time. You have a whopping 50 milliseconds…that’s .05 seconds to convince someone to stay on your website. And that first impression is almost entirely tied to the design and layout of your website.

But why do first impressions matter on a website?

Simple. The way people perceive your website is the way that they will perceive your organization. Read that again. To most people, you are your website. Once a first impression is made, it usually sticks. And it takes significant effort (time and $$$) to undo a poor first impression. A Stanford University study shows that 75% of consumers judge an organization’s credibility based on their website design.

You may have the best content, or sell a useful, much-needed product, or do incredible, life-changing work, but if your website doesn’t make a good first impression, you may lose that potential customer, donor, or ministry partner.

The vast majority of people who interact with your business, nonprofit or ministry will visit your website before they make a purchase or a donation. They may be looking for information. They may want to contact you. But regardless of the reason, when people visit for the first time, they’re asking themselves a number of questions:

- Is this organization credible?
- Is it trustworthy?
- Is this organization professional and stable?
- Can I relate to this company, ministry or nonprofit?

What they see in those first moments has the potential to make or break all of your other marketing efforts. For better or worse, the design of your website forms a lasting impression with your target audience. Several things to consider when evaluating the first impression potential of your website:

- Does it load quickly?
- Is it mobile friendly? (Mobile views now account for over half of all website traffic!)
- Is the layout simple and easy to read?
- Is your navigation intuitive and easy to use?
- Is your mission or value proposition front and center?
- Does your site look cluttered and dated?
- Are your visuals engaging and well designed?
- Does the overall look and feel of your website make your visitors want to stay or leave?

Your website represents who you are and what you do. No matter how good your ministry or products are, you need a website that looks professional and inspires confidence. That’s how you get a user to stay on your website long enough to make a sale, give a donation, or engage with your content.

People implicitly trust organizations that have invested in good design—whether they realize it or not. Good design tells your users that you care about them. It makes your website (and your organization) feel trustworthy and encourages visitors to stay and become customers, donors or partners.

How does your website stack up?

Is it time to reevaluate your website? A fresh set of eyes may be just what you need.
Click here or call us today at 724.733.1200.