First Impressions Last – 5 Reasons You Need A Great Landing Page

Reasons You Need A Great Landing Page

You’ve probably heard that you only have one chance to make a first impression. You’ve been told that first impressions last, so make them count.

Do they really matter? Consider the book, Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. He cites numerous studies that show our first impressions are fairly accurate, and that they do indeed stand the test of time.

According to an article by ABCNews, first impressions are the most important. They indicate the future course of a relationship with someone.

Just what does this have to do with your landing page?

The BBC tells us that Internet users make up their minds about the quality of your website and the information on it in the blink of an eye. That’s just a 20th of a second.

Because of the importance and value of the first impression, we’re going to look at five reasons you need a great landing page.

Your first impressions and future relationships with your customer depend on it.

Let’s first define the landing page. Continue reading “First Impressions Last – 5 Reasons You Need A Great Landing Page”

7 Questions You Must Answer Before Choosing a Website Design Company

Choosing a company to design your website has long-lasting ramifications for your business.

While many people choose a website design company based on word of mouth, location, or simply a nice looking website, there’s much more involved.

Before choosing the person or company to design your website, you want to interview them. Get a sense for the feel of the company and the personality of your design team.

In this article, we look at seven questions you must answer before choosing a website design company.

#1: Do you understand web conversion?

With this question, what you really want to know is if they understand how to convert visitors to customers. You want to know if they are capable of creating lead-generating landing pages.

In other words, what results are they willing to provide? If they’re just promising you a pretty site, they aren’t worth your time.

Your website is pivotal to your brand and your marketing strategy. As such, the development of your website must include a plan for generating leads, increasing brand awareness and converting site visitors.

Listen for the following words as they will tell you whether or not the website design company is concerned with the beauty of your site or the lead-generation capabilities of your website.

  • Bounce Rates
  • Repeat Traffic
  • Conversions
  • Lead Generation
  • Google Rankings
  • Keywords
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Calls to Action
  • Lead Generating Forms

Your website is your main marketing channel. You are using it to build your business. So, you want to know that your chosen design company has actually increased the market value of previous websites. Ask for this information and review it carefully.

#2: How can you help me with my marketing strategy?

If they tell you that your site has nothing to do with your marketing strategy, run.

Continue reading “7 Questions You Must Answer Before Choosing a Website Design Company”

5 Design Principles Nearly 95% of Websites Screw Up. Are You?

5 Design Principles Nearly 95% of Websites Screw Up

Your website is the face of your brand.

Whether you’re advertising online or in traditional media like print and television, nearly everyone visits your website before choosing to do business with you.  One study shows that more than 81% of people conduct online research before buying.

Because your website is so pivotal to the success of your business, we’re going to look at five design principles nearly 95% of websites screw up. Then, we invite you to ponder the question, “Are you?”

#1: Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is one of the most important principles of good web design, and one that many businesses routinely mess up.

Every website should have a noticeable visual hierarchy. If it doesn’t, it’s hard for your website visitors to know what’s important.

Let’s define the term: visual hierarchy is the arrangement or presentation of elements in a way that implies importance.

Continue reading “5 Design Principles Nearly 95% of Websites Screw Up. Are You?”

8 Things that are Making Your Bounce Rates Sky-Rocket

Are visitors fleeing your website in droves with zero engagement or interaction? Here are eight things that are making your bounce rates sky-rocket. Fix them, or you’re sunk.

Content Not Satisfying Searcher Intent

unsatisfying content

Image via Flickr from Mdanys

People visit your website to find information search results have led them to believe your pages contain. Serving them content riddled with sales language, lacking in-depth information, or is boring to read will cause searchers to leave your site. Sentences stuffed with search engine optimization keywords won’t address user concerns either — and may trigger a Google algorithm penalty. Continue reading “8 Things that are Making Your Bounce Rates Sky-Rocket”

Do’s and Don’t of Grabbing an Audience’s Attention

Trying to keep your audience’s attention can feel like trying to herd cats. There are a lot of distractions to compete with, and they can keep your visitors from doing what you’ve set out to accomplish on your landing page. Fortunately, there are a few tried and true ways to not only keep all eyes on you, but also convey the message you’re looking to share.

Do Give Your Audience Something For Free


Image via Flickr by randomduck

This may be a difficult pill to swallow, but it’s a powerful tactic. What and how much you give away is your decision, but if your audience doesn’t know what they’re getting in to, they probably won’t be willing to stick around and gather more information, or more importantly, they probably won’t be willing to purchase anything. Continue reading “Do’s and Don’t of Grabbing an Audience’s Attention”