Brand Development,
Digital Marketing,
Web Design

Does it take 10 seconds or 7? I believe that is most recently revealed to be just 2! Or is it 1/10th of a second as published by the Association for Psychological Science?
 
With so much research done over the past decade on how many seconds it, in fact, takes to make a first impression, one thing is for sure — whether you’re meeting someone in person or a visitor has landed on your website for the first time, you have mere seconds to captivate them.
 
When visitors visit you on your social media account or your website for the first time, will they be compelled to stay and have a look around or hit that back button? 
 
Because your visitors’ eyes do most of the deciding, you need to give them a visually captivating and effortless experience to capture their attention. We have seven website design ideas to include in your brand strategy to help you improve your website and make the best first impression that will make your audience stick around and keep coming back for more:

1. The Right Imagery
 
If you can’t wholly ditch stock photos and invest in bespoke imagery, be thoughtful and smart with the stock images you do choose. Audiences today demand unique experiences and giving them overused and outdated visuals is a surefire way to lose their attention. Catch your audience’s attention with visually stimulating aesthetics through great graphic design.
 

2. Optimized for Mobile with Responsive Design
 
Give your website visitors the best user experience that has a mobile responsive design that looks modern yet professional across all devices. According to Smart Insights, 80% of Internet users own a smartphone. And based on research by socPub, 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site.
 

3. Explainer Videos and Animations
 
Professional graphic design can dramatically communicate your brand identity, leaving your audience with a lasting impression of you. Explainer videos are fun, informative, and most, importantly, short enough to consume for the busy website visitor who is just taking a look around. By strategically placing them on your site, you have the opportunity to introduce yourself or your product memorable right from the start. Animations are also excellent substitutes for regular images which are super fun to watch.
 

4. Easy Navigation
 
Simplify navigation to give your visitors the best experience. Visitors to your site want to be able to find what they’re looking for. Your navigation interface may be visually stunning but what if it is so complicated that it’s far too confusing to use? Remove distractions such as irrelevant GIFs or images that take away from the overall experience.
 

5. Long-Scrolling Single Page
 
Thanks to social media, the way we surf and browse the web has changed. Admit it, but we’ve become so accustomed to scrolling through never-ending feeds of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that it feels natural. For this reason, websites are adopting the same trend, removing menus and tabs, and placing everything on one very long page, giving us that similar social media experience we’ve all grown comfortable with.
 
Ultimately, when you’re meeting someone in real life, you naturally want to look your best. You smile, you’re charming, and you offer them a firm but warm handshake. You do everything to win them over in the short amount of time you have because you know it spells the difference whether they’ll want to continue engaging with you or walk away disappointed by the encounter.
 
And because your brand image exists both offline and online, you should be determined to make an unforgettable impact in persona as well as maximize the first impression you make in the digital realm by being smart with your company website design.