How to Capture Attention and Convert Visitors

When a visitor comes to you website you have roughly 0.05 seconds to make an impression.

50 milliseconds to convert a visitor and make them stay.

This all happens before they have read a word of text so you have to capture their attention with non verbal signs.

You need to understand online human behaviour and just by having super content won’t be enough to convert the user.  By using Visual Clues you can create a killer first impression.

Here are some tricks and techniques to help you along the way.

1)      Understand the Users Eye Patterns
People read your website in an “F” pattern.   Eye tracking research has shown that typically people start reading in the top left corner and read across, and then down the left hand side, and then across the middle.   You need to make sure you have your important messages in the right positions.

2)      Trust Indicators
When converting users, its all about Trust & Credibility.  You have to prove to the user that you are trustworthy of their business.  Here are a couple of pointers to show you can be trusted online.

— Show Your Hands
Body language research tells us that people will trust you more if they can see your hands.  When choosing images and video for your website make sure you can see your hands as much as possible.

— Facial Expressions
Understanding facial expressions is important so that you make sure you are portraying the right message.  Make sure that your photo doesn’t have you smirking as this portrays contempt, or unhappiness as some people believe.

3)      Nonverbal Call to Action
This is the art of guiding people to a call to action without using words.  Photos with hand or eye gestures pointing to what you want people to do is one example.   Once a person reaches your website you want to be able to guide them to where you want them.

4)     Focus Points
Scientists have used infrared eye tracking software to monitor where people look when they are viewing websites.  They found that curtain features drew more attention than others:

a)      Logo

b)      Main Navigation

c)       Search Box

d)      Social Media Icons

e)      Primary Image (Banner image or Feature Image)

f)       Text Content

g)      Footer

5)      Website Colour Psychology
Colour will have a huge effect on how much people trusted a site.  Leo Wildrich at the Buffer Blog has an interesting post on the psychology of colour and what each colour represents for branding.

Here are some top colours and what subconscious messages they send to users:

Blue: loyalty, stability, tranquillity
Yellow: happiness, optimism, youth
Green: healing, success, hope
Black: power, mystery, professionalism
White: purity, cleanliness, innocence
Red: passion, sexuality, intensity
Purple: royalty, spirituality, luxury
Orange: energy, fun, warmth

6)      Keep it Simple
Use plenty of white space
Don’t overcook it by having too many widgets
Keep it Simple

A study by Harvard University found that the more complicated a website became the less appealing it was to the users.
Google researchers also tell us that users like prototypical websites.  This means that e-commerce websites should look similar to other e-commerce websites, blogs should resemble other blogs etc.
Design Matters!

7)      Content isn’t Always King
If you don’t make a good visual (nonverbal) impression then users won’t even get to your content.  Your content has very little to do with making a great first impression in those 50 milliseconds a user is making a decision.  If you don’t portray a feeling of trust & credibility and make it easy for the users to know where to go and what to do then they are very unlikely to make a purchase or come back.

Yes have great content, but if the design is not working then its probably all in vein.

Contact me to discuss ways to improve your websites credibility and how you can attract more conversions.

Google Reviews

Laura Fox
Laura Fox
05:09 07 May 21
I called Geoff in a pinch. I found him first page of Google - that's always a good sign when looking for a web... developer! My web team was in Spain and my plugins weren't speaking with one another and needed immediate help. Geoff was knowledgeable, friendly, and completely understood my sense of urgency. He took the challenge and ran with it for me immediately, and fixed my website. Having had active ads on facebook and directing people to my site, Geoff understood exactly how important it was the site was working properly and that it needed attention. I was a brand new prospective client, never spoke with him before and he made me feel right at ease. That next morning as promised, there was an email from Geoff, and he had fixed it all for me. I got on the phone with my team in Spain and told them I was jumping ship to IWS Design. Having a local company help me in the same time zone and care for attention to detail along with an understanding of time sensitivity is exactly what I was looking for. I'm so happy to now have Geoff and his team manage my site for me, and is the best move I've made! I highly recommend this company, and look forward to working with Geoff and his team from here on out. Thanks Geoff!read more
Melissa Komarnicky
Melissa Komarnicky
05:20 30 Oct 20
I.W.S. Internet Web Solutions is an outstanding professional service. I would highly recommend I.W.S. Internet Web... Solutions Whether you are just starting or looking to upgrade your website to the next level. Thank you so much for an excellent customer experience.read more
Fiona Kelly
Fiona Kelly
18:54 11 May 18
IWS did a great job and Geoff was so helpful with his advice and suggestions. Very easy to work with!
Tanja Powell
Tanja Powell
00:27 27 Oct 17
Education is a huge part of building a website! Geoff actually created a program to lead you through building your own.... He is patient and explain the Industry Terminology well. We just had Geoff ad a lead page and I am very happy with the results - thanks for your patience Geoff!read more
Ryan Elm
Ryan Elm
04:37 26 Oct 17
I.W.S. is everything you need for a great looking website that draws in the clients you want and puts them in touch... with you with effective calls to action! Highly recommended.read more
GESS SS
GESS SS
05:37 23 Oct 17
Geoff is extremely knowledgeable! Easy to work with. He has done some fantastic jobs! Highly recommended!
sylvie slaninová
sylvie slaninová
17:05 19 Oct 17
Geoff is the best web designer our company worked with. He is very fast and efficient. We feel we are in good hands! I... highly recommend using I.W.S. Internet Web Solutions to design and build your site.read more
Bo Gregson
Bo Gregson
16:45 19 Oct 17
I.W.S. designed my website and it's great! I believe I got a better product than my competition and at a lower rate to... boot! Would not hesitate to recommend.read more
Nikki Johnston Beaudoin
Nikki Johnston Beaudoin
16:14 19 Oct 17
Geoff at IWS web solutions has been able to help me with some quick projects related to my own business. He was able to... help with newsletter integration very quickly. Thanks so much for your help, Geoff!read more
b dc
b dc
04:51 19 Oct 17
Geoff built our company website and I couldn't be happier. It looks amazing and the best part is our phone is starting... to ring off the hook! We are a landscaping company and there is so much competition out there that we really needed something to make us stand out from the crowd and Geoff has given us exactly that. The new site has video, looks awesome on a mobile phone, and is super easy to follow. Impressive!read more
Simon Flower
Simon Flower
05:23 04 May 16
I've been working with Geoff Lee of IWS Design since 2007 and since then he has designed, administered and hosted at... least 6 different business websites for me. I'm happy to recommend him. He is very experienced and responsive but at the same time competitively priced.read more
Ryan Elm
Ryan Elm
19:36 16 Feb 16
Easy to work with, great response time to questions and changes! I recommend I.W.S. to anyone needed and updated new... Website that is mobile friendly and WORKS!read more
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