Web Development

The virtual shop window to your business

10 seconds to make an impression

Studies have shown people form first impressions within the first seven seconds of meeting each other. In that time, that person is assessing whether you’re likeable, trustworthy, or competent. For your website, the same applies. An internet user has just seconds to deicde whether to stay or leave.

The average time a person spends on a website before leaving if they don’t find what they want is just over 10 seconds. Plus, if your website is slow to load, people will leave even sooner. Research has shown 47% of people expect your site to load in two seconds or less, and 40% will abandon a website that takes over three seconds to load.

If for whatever reason, whether that be page load speed, a poor layout, or a lack of information, people don’t wait around for long. The chances are, if they’ve been put off your website, they’re unlikely to give your business another go.

In a world of rapid access to information, our overstimulated brains demand the answers to our questions almost instantly. There is no place for sites that have a poor user experience and slow loading times.

It is not just the look and speed of your site that needs to be spot on. A poorly designed website has a heavy impact on ranking. When Google decides which sites should be on page 1 of the search results, it takes into consideration the ease at which the search engine bots can navigate your website. The written content on your site also needs to be implemented in a way that Google picks up your keywords (SEO) easily to help you rank higher.

Making your website stand out

A high-quality website doesn’t just list your products, it’s an extension of your brand. It should be a hub that is reflective of your organisation’s values and mission and be designed in a way that your customer can navigate. If you are a business that prides itself on being innovative and accessible, and you’ve got a website that’s slow and hard to navigate, it contradicts these traits. As a result, you can easily lose the trust and credibility of your audience.

What are the most important factors
when designing a great website?

Navigation
The way you arrange your site is critical in enabling the speed and ease your customers can find what they’re looking for. There should be a consistent and logical flow to your site that is easy for any customer to follow. Remember, if it takes them longer than a few seconds to find what they’re looking for, they won’t hang around.

Big isn’t always better
In some cases, big is better. This definitely doesn’t apply to your website. A large website can impact search ranking if it has a slow loading time. Yes, the more content you have, the more value you can provide and the more keywords you can incorporate. However, overly large images and website elements can slow the page down.

The same goes with content, the focus should be on quality rather than quantity. A site with less content, but information that is targeted, relevant and helpful will rank better than a site stuffed with a ton of pages, filled with poor quality and irrelevant content.

Coding
If Google isn’t able to understand your website coding, it can slow your page down and create crawl errors. The coding should be optimised for SEO. If you are using WordPress, you need to ensure you are adhering to their coding standards. By not doing this, you may find yourself on page 2 (where you may as well not even exist) of Google search results.

Responsive design
In the first quarter of 2021, mobile traffic accounted for over 60% of website traffic worldwide. That’s a lot of visitors you could be missing out on, if you only have a site optimised for desktop. A responsive web development means whatever device your audience are viewing your site on, it will look and function the same.

With such a high proportion of traffic searching for your site on their mobiles, can you afford to not have a responsive website?

Jooba are a Bristol-based creative agency that specialise in enabling businesses to reach new audiences through creating websites that truly reflect their brand and the offering. If you would like help or advice with your web development and how it can help you achieve your marketing goals, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

You can take a look at our portfolio of work here.

Email: hello@wearejooba.com | Tel: 0771 769 6669
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