You have a well designed, professional looking website (at least we HOPE you do!). But how good is it at getting attention when people arrive there? Let me give you a few tips.
ATTENTION AND EMOTION:
Attention is rooted in emotion. This is a scientific fact. The right colors, images and words will grab attention. Cognitive neuroscience says “attention can be thought of as a clash between an object and its environment”. So to get attention, serve up what people expect and something they do NOT expect. Balance recognition with surprise.
BE A LITTLE UNCLEAR
Conventional wisdom says everything on your page should be as clear as possible. Not always true. Make something a LITTLE difficult to see or grasp and science tells us the slight strain caused by trying to comprehend leads to BETTER attention and recall.
VIOLATE A PATTERN
Everything nice and balanced leads to less attention. Too predictable and you lose interest. Every once in a while, as the reader’s eye goes down your page, if you want to refresh their attention, break that balance or disrupt a pattern.
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR HOME PAGE
Does any of the above occur? Are you pulling people in and grabbing their attention? If not, you and your business are suffering. Email us at hello@21thirteen.com or call us at 646 808 0249 and let’s get this right, together.
Perry Yeldham, 21Thirteen Design
