Ten Seconds

To see the full infographic, check out our post, “How to Build a Successful Website.”

Use website space wisely. Keep in mind that eye patterns move from left to right and from top to bottom, creating an “F” shape. The key is to place important content in the “F” and balance user and business goals in that space. Put your customers’ goals first, because without them there is no business.

Make information easy to find. Jakob Nielsen, who the New York Times has called the “guru of web design,” says: “If a website is difficult to use people leave.” A clear information hierarchy is vital. Have an easy-to-locate search that actually works. A good search is an invitation to stay. Conversely, broken links and poor functionality are huge exit signs.

Anticipate what visitors will be looking for and give it to them. Design the site with an eye towards building online relationships and establishing trust, which will keep visitors on your site. Use photos, illustrations and video creatively to capture their attention. Remember, visual surprises get noticed. Don’t neglect the interior pages. Although most people enter a site via the homepage, there has been a huge rise in “deep dips”, meaning people who arrive on a site via interior content pages.

It takes the same amount of effort to build a good site as a bad one, so make those first ten seconds count.