This is not new news to most but recently Digital Media reported that the first 7 seconds are critical. This is when web users decide whether or not your website is what they are looking for.

A sophisticated and complex website does not necessarily equal a good impression on site visitors.

There are six main points to remember when trying to capture – and hold your audiences’ attention:

* Your website should communicate clearly what you are trying to say so visitors can determine whether this meets their needs or not.

* Optimising your home page creates several advantages. It will ensure first-time visitors stay and browse, increase the likelihood of their return, and increase the number of areas people interact with on your site.

* Your product, service or feature should be easily visible, either from the home page or menu navigation. Otherwise, visitors will quickly leave if what they are looking isn’t easily accessible. By not displaying the products and services your business offers in a straight forward manner, you may be losing potential customers.

* Your site should regularly present new and up-to-date information. This ensures you are constantly engaging with your audience and encouraging them to return. It also portrays a lively and active site, not one that is dull and uninteresting. A good way to do this is through regular blog posts and updates of a section of your home page.

* The second part of the 7 second rule is to then apply it to all other pages of the site. Lead the visitor towards taking a desired action (making an inquiry, subscription, purchase etc).

* There are usually several people involved in the creation of a website – designers, copywriters etc. They are all contributing different ideas and opinions which can become entangled if not managed properly. Ensure every-one’s input is communicated thoroughly and managed with proper instructions. If the development process has been a long one, consider refreshing content before making live – particularly on the home page.

Connecting Images takes all these factors and much more into consideration when designing or re-designing its clients’ websites. If you are feeling lost in all there is to consider with a new or redeveloped website and want to find out more about our website services, call Cal on (03) 9819 2566 to arrange to come in for a coffee and a chat.

However, as they say it is a jungle out there, and there are a wide variety of options and price tags attached when it comes to website development and re-development.

Even with low cost solutions, building a quality website that is easy to navigate, contains concise and persuasive copy, and most importantly has been designed for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which allows your website to be easily found by your target audiences on search engines such as Google, you’ll need the knowledge and expertise of a good developer with an understanding of marketing.

We thrive on building sites that drive traffic and engage users with brands. We recently partnered with Optalert to build their online presence and also create a secondary site for the founder to manage his intellectual property and research papers.

We recently launched EpworthSleepinessScale.com. The brief was to create a site with an academic, yet friendly feel to appeal to a diverse range of users including, corporations (pharmaceutical companies), governments and academics.

Connecting Images are experienced at website developments and re-developments and will be able to evaluate your business’ needs and simplify the tech talk to make it a pain free process. To find out more or discuss your business’ web needs, contact Cal on (03) 9819 2566.