"You never get a second chance to make a
first impression."
Sure, it's a hackneyed phrase. It's also true.
Have you looked at your site lately? No, I mean
really looked at your site - in particular your home page - and tried to
envision it the way it appears to a first time visitor?
Stealing a phrase from "Men in Black",
your front page is sometimes your "first, last, and ONLY" chance to
make a good impression.
Remember the blind dates you've had? Your first
impression probably played a large part in how well you and that person got
along later and it more than likely was a major factor in the decision whether
or not to see the person again.
It's a stretch; it's corny, but I'm going to use
the first date analogy to help you determine what kind of impression you may be
making on your new visitors.
So, grab a pack of Dentyne, practice your
"winning smile" in the mirror a few times, and let's get started.
Looks aren't
Everything...
Sorry to burst your bubble Skippy. Online, looks
may not be everything, but your site's appearance plays a HUGE factor in your
visitor's overall perception of your company.
You open the door to find some mammal that has
almost mastered walking erect and has multiple body piercings. In a language
strikingly similar to your own, he manages to communicate that he is your date
for the evening.
You tell me - do you overlook his appearance?
After all, when you asked if he was cute, your best friend did say he had a
*great* personality. (Of course that was right after she said "define
'cute.'") Or do you feign an epiphany that the cause of your hamster's
recurrent hairballs is the fact that you've neglected brushing his coat and must
get on that right away?
Your site's appearance, especially the front
page, can have the same effect on your visitors.
You may have the best content on the planet, but
if something causes your visitors to mouse away before the front page finishes
loading, it means nothing.
What are some things you can do to make a good
first impression appearance-wise?
Professional appearance is a *must* for business
sites. Choose your background and text colors wisely! I've said it before, but
it bears repeating: I think, as a general rule, patterned background tiles
belong on personal pages, not business sites.
Never sacrifice readability for a
"look". Make sure your text, LINKs, and VLINKs are visible against
your background color or image. This seems self-explanatory, but it is an all
too common problem.
Try to keep image and file size to a minimum in
order to speed download time. For every tick of the clock over a certain point,
you're losing a segment of your potential visitors. You might know it's
"worth it" to wait, your visitors don't - and they usually don't care.
I shoot for 10-15 second download times on a 28.8. If you can do better and
still have an aesthetically pleasing page, you've done a great job!
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