Let’s say you meet a guy on a dating website and totally hit it off. Eventually you decide it’s time to meet up in person, but you’ve never seen a picture of him before (I know. Weird, right? Play along with this scenario for a minute).
When you arrive at the coffee shop, there are two men inside — each sitting alone. So, which one is your guy?
The first man is handsome, he makes eye contact with you immediately and gives you a friendly smile. He stands up, pulls out a chair for you and offers to get you something to drink. He is everything you thought he’d be — and you can tell the feeling is mutual.
The second guy couldn’t be bothered with you. He sneaks a look at you and then his eyes dart back to the poppyseed muffin that he’s been inhaling since you walked in. He grunts and kicks a chair back, presumably so you can sit across from him. Finally, he cleans one of his sticky, grimy hands by wiping it on his shirt before offering it to you in hello.
Given the choice between these two gentlemen, I’m going to go ahead and guess that you’d choose Bachelor #1.
But what if I told you it was Bachelor #2? This is the guy who sounded so good in an online conversation, but turned out to be a hot mess in real life. Disappointed?
First impressions are expensive
If you think things are different when it comes to your business, think again. The scenario is the same, but the stakes are even higher.
When it comes to your business — and especially your website — you have a choice to make. Your site can be like Bachelor #1 or it can feel more like Bachelor #2.
If your website is like Bachelor #1, your customers land on the site and instantly feel at home. They know what you do and they understand how you can help them. You look polished and professional and you are immediately viewed as an expert. Your future customers feel welcomed and they can’t wait to sit down at the table, have a cup of coffee with you and learn everything there is to know about working with you.
If your website is like Bachelor #2, your customers lift an eyebrow when they land on your site. They might even curl their lip. It’s sloppy, it’s slow to load, and honestly, it’s just plain ugly. It looks and feels unorganized and your customers have no idea what you do or how you can serve them. One thing is for certain — it’s not helping your cause when it comes to landing new customers.
First impressions are often last impressions
Your website is your calling card. It’s the way many people will vet your services and decide if they want to work with you. I know, I know — your services are highly sought after, so why should it matter what your site looks like?
Because it does.
Because we’re fickle and we judge a book by its cover EVERY time.
Because we’re human. And that’s what humans do.
Are your customers human? If they are, you might want to pay attention to what I’m going to say next:
THEY ARE JUDGING YOU.
HARD.
Within seconds of landing on your website, visitors will make assumptions about the quality of your services, how satisfied your past clients are, and whether or not you are the right choice for them.
No pressure, right?
Make a better first impression with your website
Your website says a lot about you, but YOU get to write the story.
You get to decide what people see when they land on your site. You get to determine how easy the site is to navigate, how fast the pages load and how it functions on mobile devices. And you get to make sure the look of the site is in alignment with your brand, and the copy is in alignment with your voice.
Need a little help? That’s where we come in. We’ve just launched our Website Checkup service. If your website seems to be coughing, sputtering and wheezing, let us take a look.
Your Website Checkup includes:
- User experience review // Usability, navigation, site speed, and functionality on mobile devices.
- Graphic design evaluation // First impressions, brand consistency, image choice, logo/mark design and site layout
- SEO check // An in depth look at your top 10 pages including page title, URL, keywords, alt tags, images, internal links and meta description.
- Content and conversion assessment // A high level review of content and calls to action on the homepage, about page, services/product page, blog, and contact page.
If you need a little help to make your website look more like Bachelor #1 (and less like Bachelor #2), grab your Website Checkup today. [I’m in!]
Over to you
Have you had a bad first impression on someone’s website recently? What turned you off? Leave a comment below and let us know!
