Summary
• Visitors will only wait one second for a website to load fully.
• Last year there was a 24% increase in web searches.
• First impressions via Google are increasingly important.
• ‘Calls to action’ should be clearly displayed on each page.

Are you aware that your online audience now spends significantly less time searching for and browsing your website? Does your website load fast enough to even get viewed by potential clients or customers? Does your website tell your prospects what you do and what you are good at? Why you are different to your competition? Does your website provide them with a pleasant experience or is your website difficult to navigate?

Here are some interesting visitor statistics for you:

• 0.1 second: the amount of time a visitor needs to make an initial judgment about how appealing the website (and company) look.

• 1 second: the amount of time a visitor will wait for the website to load fully. If your site takes longer than this to load, your potential customers will have navigated away from your website.

• 10 seconds: to examine all the content on a page. Do you have so much content (or content that is difficult to read) that it isn’t possible to absorb the key messages in this time? If so, your website isn’t communicating everything to your audience.

• 1 minute: the maximum time spent on completing a task (such as finding a contact form or telephone number, downloading a product PDF and so on). If your website isn’t easy or intuitive to navigate, and your key ‘calls to action’ are buried away, you will lose your potential customers after this time.

• 2 minutes: the average amount of time spent on a construction industry-related website.

What this tells us is that web browsers are now demanding more information in a more accessible way and they want it all as quickly as possible. There is a behavioural change taking place within our society and this change is set to continue.

The web today plays a crucial and fundamental part in how people source information, research, select and choose companies and products to work with. Last year alone there was a 24% increase in web searches and we expect this to rise year on year.

Websites now have to be built and designed in such a way as to give each visitor a pleasant, confident, efficient experience. Your website is your biggest and best living sales tool, crucially it’s also now the first thing your potential customers see before they give you a telephone call to find out more information – it’s your shop window.

First impressions

First impressions are increasingly important for a successful website and this forms the heart of all your other marketing and advertising activities. Anybody who views an advert or product panel will pop your company name into Google for further information and if they can’t find you, or your website doesn’t match up to the impression your advert made then you’ve fallen at the first hurdle.

The wonderful thing about Google is that no matter the size of your company, you can create a first impression to rival the Balfour Beatty’s of the world – even if you’re a one-man band. The size and turnover of your company shouldn’t affect how well your website fares in search results, it’s merely about making sure your website clearly and accurately presents your company.

Are you visible for the right search terms? Searching for ‘hardwood joinery’ your website is competing against 2.5 million other companies. But, if you tailor your keywords towards a more specific search, you’re more likely to be competitive. A search for ‘hardwood joinery in Reading’ only reveals 260,000 results.

Location-based search is becoming increasingly important, particularly for companies operating within the woodworking and joinery sector. If you’re based in Durham, can you actually service a client based in Cornwall? Do you want to? Make sure your keywords and location are clearly outlined in your content to help catch the right audience through search.

Content is king

Content is king – but what does bad website content look like? An inward looking company site that doesn’t really say anything useful to your audience won’t present the right first impression and won’t be successful in Google search either. Your website shouldn’t be shouting “me me me”, but “you you you” instead. Focus on the visitor rather than yourself, show them how you can solve their problems and convey trust and expertise through case studies and reassuring pages that are helpful to your potential customers. Google search is heavily used to answer questions – tap into this and offer some knowledge to the Google community.

Converting visitors into business opportunities should be your ultimate goal. Are your contact details easy to find or are they buried somewhere awkward?

Your ‘calls to action’ should be clearly displayed on each page, think carefully about what you’d like potential customers to do next, and make it easy for them. Offer them PDFs to download, competitions to enter or contact forms to get in touch, but in an accessible and clear format that doesn’t overcrowd your page.