Keep it Simple
When a visitor lands on a homepage, they need to be able to figure out what the site is about within a three or four seconds. If they can’t, then the site is a failure. First time visitors who stumble across a website are either;
- Looking for information
- Looking to be entertained
- Looking to buy something
- Looking to join a community
Usability Analyst Vincent Flanders says “Too many organizations believe that a web site is about opening a new marketing channel or getting donations or to promote a brand or to increase company sales by 15%. No; It’s about solving your customers’ problems.”
Which begs the question ‘what problems does the page being viewed solve for the viewer? A business website is not designed for the company’s own needs, but for the needs of potential customers. If the website fails to deliver on this simple principle, the visitor will go away from the site; straight to a competitor site… usually within a few seconds.
