Your entire brand recognition relies on a positive first impression. In the digital realm, it is usually your website that provides it.With the average attention span online lasting only 8 seconds, it is super important that your website reflect quickly and efficiently all of the positive messages about your business. Those precious seconds should be visually appealing, comforting, and interesting.

    Step 1 of a successful website: Make it an attention-grabber without being too overwhelming. Use of graphics and images can pay dividends for your online traffic, but in excess it can also turn people away. Avoid large files and moving images that can distract the eye, annoy the viewer and slow down load times. Sleek and simple is my recommendation as the direction to head in.

    Step 2: Convenience is key. If people have to waste several of those 8 seconds to figure out the navigation of your website, they will become frustrated and use their time differently. Traditionally, we know to look for the navigation buttons on the top, or left hand side of a page. Straying from this format can cause confusion, questions and a high bounce rate. The goal is to keep people on your site because they want to learn about your brand, not because they can’t figure out how to.

    Step 3: Monitor your website and keep it up to date. Staying involved in your online community makes it feel personable and engaging. It also ensures people that you care about your product or business and that it will not be forgotten about. Respond to questions or concerns, add new content and delete outdated information. Hard work really pays off here. You will need to show dedication to not be left in the dust. 

    The moral of this story is that you not only need to have a website, but you need your website to cater to your audience. In this age of marketing, brand is everything. Take pride in your image and your website!