Eight seconds doesn’t seem a long time, but for those surfing the internet it is all they need to make a decision about your website. The rule applies to first time visitors to your website, so, it is important that you create the best first impression to encourage people to stay.

The eight second rule doesn’t apply in every circumstance as exceptions are made for returning visitors and those that are surfing the web just to find you. Some websites also avoid the rule because people are interested in a specific site. A good example of this is government websites, they are poorly designed but people are forced to use them to find information. These exceptions apply to very few so it is best to learn how to make your website stickier so as to prevent people from pressing the back button. Remember these four simple things on how to make your website stickier:

Load time

Loading times are one of the biggest issues facing websites. The eight seconds that you have to convince visitors to stay includes how long it takes to load your website. Some websites that use a lot of script or are heavy on images will fail to be sticky, although this doesn’t mean that you need to strip your website of images. Good website designers, like our very own award-winning website design team, will save all images for web in order to make the files small.

Have your purpose defined

One of the most annoying things is to visit a website and having to actually figure out what they are all about. A lot of people’s IQ’s and attention spans drop when surfing online, so to compensate you need to make your message blatantly obvious. Having bold letters across the top of your page with your company name or service is becoming very popular, and this should be done on every page as you never know which page people will enter your website at. Images do help to make the message clear, but having text makes the message of the website much clearer to work out. Also, going back to load time, text will load instantly and gives the user the message fast and clearly.

Layout and navigation

Through having an easy navigation structure you can convince people to stay longer on your website. Users that feel like they can easily navigate through the layout of your website will be more likely to stay longer. You should keep main navigation at the top and use standards for example: About, Services, Links and Contact. Try not to overwhelm users with links. The biggest mistake people make is to bombard users with navigational links which only makes them confused and your aim should be to make things as simple as possible for them.

The layout of your website should make it easy for people to contact you. You should put a phone number and email on every page, and also add your address and contact information at the bottom. People won’t necessarily contact you as a result of this, but having contact information in plain sight creates a feeling of trust that makes people feel like they are dealing with a real professional business. By gaining a users trust, they will feel comfortable and will be more likely to spend time on your website.

Always give users a reason to come back

An active looking website can not only bring visitors back but it encourages new visitors to stay longer. An often updated website creates trust, makes the information shown seem more relevant and encourages curiosity. Through adding a feature such as a blog, it can help to make the website look active. If people feel like there is a reason to come back to a website then they will be more likely to stay in the first place.

If you would like a free consultation from one of our eCommerce experts about how to make your website stickier, don’t hesitate to contact Visualsoft today.

Active web blogs can help with Search Engine Optimisation, resulting in more users being driven to a website. A blog usually comprises of one or more blog entries and can include words, photos, hyperlinks etc. Each blog entry would usually have its own title and display the date and time of when it was published – click here to see the start of the Visualsoft blog.

At Visualsoft we recognise the benefits a blog can bring to a business, and would be happy to discuss things in further detail with you, explaining how a blog can complement your online store or website.