Mischa News

People are Judging Your Small Business Website by Its Cover

First impressions matter, and when it comes to your small business, that first impression is often your website. It’s the first point of contact you have with the people you hope to convert to customers. So if your landing page looks like it was designed by a middle-schooler with mom’s laptop, it’ll probably be your last point of contact, too.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, the first 10 to 20 seconds of a website user’s visit are the most important. You only have a few seconds to make a great impression, and that impression begins with your landing page. Here’s how to make sure yours makes an impact.

Keep It Simple

Flashy graphics and eye-catching fonts have their place – but that place is not on your small business landing page. Don’t overwhelm your visitors with migraine-inducing special effects in the first few seconds.

Keep it clean and easy to scan, with bold headings and bullet points. Pictures and video, while useful, shouldn’t interfere with your main goal, which is to hook your new customer in 20 seconds or less.

Give a Clear Call to Action

Once visitors arrive at your website, you need to tell them what to do next. Should they provide their email address in exchange for a special offer? Call for a free consultation? Purchase your featured product?

Guide them to the end goal with simple forms, buttons and instructions. Clear, proactive language matters! One marketing company saw a 252% increase in clicks just from changing its call-to-action wording from “See plans and pricing” to “Get started today!”

Don’t Be a Robot

If you want people to stick around, your small business landing page needs to be engaging. Talk to your guests, not at them. Explain why your product, service or offer benefits them. How will it improve their lives?

Your landing page is an opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level, so be personable! A warm, friendly tone will get you much further than an overly sales-y tone.

Your small business website is one of the most important marketing tools that you have, but it’s nothing without a killer landing page. You only get one first impression, so make sure it’s amazing!

Whether you need help tweaking your landing page or you want to design an entire website from scratch, Mischa Communications has your back! Drop us a line and let us help make your first impression fantastic.