We’ve all heard that it’s a bad idea to judge a book by its cover, but with no fewer than a bazillion websites out there (give or take a few), sometimes the “cover” of a website is all you can go by! The average internet user reads only 20-28% of the text they see and spends roughly 7 seconds on a page before they click away to the next page or site.
Grabbing and keeping the attention of visitors to your site is something that requires a certain level of finesse, but with a few tweaks any site can be more clickable. Here are some rules of thumb for how to make your website worthy of clicks — one of the first and most important steps for attracting customers.
Compelling Headlines
- Tell your reader what to expect
- Convince them they want more
- Talk benefits, not features
- Use your keywords
Copywriting expert, Chris Garrett, has a great compilation of headline examples here that is worth checking out for inspiration and ideas. Think about the what websites you like to spend time on, and try to emulate what makes them so likable.
Relevant & Enticing Visuals
We’ve all done it: You’re searching the web for an image, and you randomly turn up a picture that had nothing at all to do with what you were looking for, but you click on it anyway. Consider your colour schemes, size, and appropriateness.
Easy-to-Read Text
Some DOs and DONTs for easy reading on your site:
- Do say what you mean to say in the fewest words possible. Don’t ramble on for endless paragraphs.
- Do keep the content congruent with your headline, theme of the site, and if your headline says that you’ll be discussing polar bears, don’t take your readers on a ride through all the Arctic Circle to get to them!
- Do be entertaining. A little humour goes a long way.
- Do use headings and subheadings to break down long text areas into manageable sections. How you visually present the text on your website is every bit as important as your images.
- Do use bold and underlining to highlight a few things that are important. Don’t write everything in uppercase letters — your readers will think you’re screaming at them.
- Do use bullet points and lists to make streams of content easier to digest. Don’t overdo it though — a page of lists can be even harder to read than a paragraph. The point is to make sure your content can be skimmed through quickly and easily without losing the important stuff.
- Do consider using columns. Separating text in the sidebar or another section of the page will keep the audience’s attention.
Tell us what you think makes a website clicky and sticky. Leave us a comment below.
Our expert copywriters and design team can help with Banner Designs, professional Website Copywriting and generally how to make your website a more clickable and enjoyable experience for your visitors. Talk to one of our team members today. Contact us now.
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