Eyetracking studies and research show how customers view websites. Below are some of the conclusions that are most important for businesses to consider for their own website.
The top left corner of a website gets the most attention first. Since people read left to right, up then down it makes sense that this would be the first area people look to. Consider putting your logo and value proposition in that corner so users will see it first.
The call to action should be in the bottom right. The Gutenberg Diagram shows that in more text heavy areas this is the direction people look.
Putting the call-to-action in the lower right area allows users to follow along in the right order of information you are presenting. When placed in the terminal area, the user will be more likely to click on the call-to-action.
Only an average of 28% of text is read because most people only scan or skim. Eyetracking research shows that users read in an F shaped pattern. Putting the menu on the left side of your website will be more easily seen than on the right.
In blogs or text heavy pages of your site, make the introductory paragraph bold or a larger font size to stand out to users. A study showed that 95% of people viewed all or part of the story when the first paragraph stood out to them. Make sure the story is a single column so it is easier for readers to digest.
Try to put the most important content above the fold. Don’t try to squeeze everything in but instead prompt the user to scroll down the page. Adding arrows to guide them can help readers understand where to find more information. The bottom of a page also gets quite a bit of attention so that can be a good place for a call-to-action.
Did you know that people prefer seeing images of Apple products over other devices? The Apple iPhone and iPad drew more attention than images of HTC, Motorola or Samsung devices.
First impressions of a website take users less than two-tenths of a second and they spend about 2.6 seconds scanning a website before focusing on a particular section. Some of the sections that drew the most interest was the logo, main navigation menu, search box, social networking links, main image, written content and the bottom of the website.
Need an eye catching makeover for your website? Contact the web design specialists at Off The Wall Media to learn more at 503-452-1082.