9 STRATEGIES ON HOW TO MAKE WEBSITES THAT INFLUENCE PEOPLE

HOW PEOPLE SEE YOUR WEBSITE

With over a billion websites and over two billion

active internet users out there, it can be

astonishingly difficult to design an attention-

grabbing website that keeps a visitor long

enough.

For those who plan to either jump start or

redesign the website, here are the useful

insights and statistics that you should take into

consideration before starting the whole

process.

THE POWER OF DIGITAL INFLUENCE

89% 60% 75% OF CUSTOMERS

SEARCH THE WEB

BEFORE MAKING A

PURCHASE DECISION

OF PEOPLE GO TO THE

BRAND OR PRODUCT

WEBSITE TO FIND RELEVANT

INFORMATION ABOUT IT

OF USERS ADMIT THEY

DECIDE ON THE

COMPANY’S CREDIBILITY

BASED ON THEIR WEBSITE’S

DESIGN

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO

17/50 MILLISECONDS

THE TIME NEEDED FOR A

PERSON TO DECIDE

WHETHER HE OR SHE

FINDS YOUR WEBSITE

APPEALING

100/400 MILLISECONDS

AN AVERAGE LENGTH

OF A BLINK OF AN EYE

2.6 SECONDS

THE TIME NEEDED TO A

USER’S EYE TO LAND ON

THE WEBSITE’S AREA THAT

INFLUENCES HIS OR HER

FIRST IMPRESSION

VISUAL CONTROL

1. LAYOUT

A CLEVER LAYOUT GUIDES THE USER

TOWARDS WHAT THE DESIGNER WANT THEM

TO FOCUS ON

READING PATTERNS

Users like text presented in ‘F’ left-right and up-down.

They scan the page in the ‘Z’ shape. Essential information

should be at the top left, middle and bottom right.

SPACE

The first frontier for users confronted with lots of text. Visual

breaks can be used to point the user to a specific part of

the site.

MINIMALISM

An essential part of modern design. It simplifies complex

processes and organizes content, reducing user stress.

Especially important as attention spans have dropped over

20% since 2015.

2. COLOUR

COLOUR CAN BE USED TO PORTRAY WEB CONTENT

IN A CERTAIN LIGHT. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT COLOUR

IS USED FOR A REASON, AN DOES NOT COMPROMISE BRAND IDENTITY.

BLUE

Statistically admired by both men and women. It’s associated

with trust, calm and loyalty. Used by banks and social

networks.

GREEN

Reminds us of nature – It stands out well against blue/white

colour schemes and is useful for buttons.

YELLOW AND ORANGE

Imply haste. Useful for ‘Limited Time’ offers. Yellow is

somewhat anti-aesthetic compared with modern tastes,

hence it draws in the eye.

BLACK

Implies sophistication, seriousness, and portrays luxury items.

Useful for up-selling products.

3. TYPEFACE

TYPEFACE HELP ESTABLISH THE TONE OF THE

WRITING. A MORE OBVIOUS WAY TO FORCE THE

USER TO ‘READ BETWEEN THE LINES’

Serif Fonts

Sans - Serif Fonts

Gives the impression of heritage and authority. They work well for

respective news outlets and law firms

Imply a clean modern aesthetics. Often used by tech companies and

social networks.

Comic Sans Should only be used by children, for children.

MIND CONTROL

4. EARNING TRUST

WHEN ASKING FOR PERSONAL DETAILS, EARNING

THE USERS TRUST IS PARAMOUNT

PURPOSEFUL

EACH PAGE NEEDS A

CLEAR PURPOSE TO

AVOID CONFUSION, AS

USERS EXPECT INSTANT

RESULTS

ANY LEGITIMISING SECURITY

INFORMATION, SUCH AS

PROTECTION THROUGH A

THIRD PARTY SSL OR

PAYMENT GATEWAY

SHOULD BE EXPLICITELY

STATED

CONTACT INFORMATION

SHOULD BE PROVIDED SO

THE USER FEELS LIKE THEY

ARE DEALING WITH ‘REAL

PEOPLE’

SAFE APPROACHABLE

5. GIVE RECOGNITION

USERS CRAVE RECOGNITION. IT’S HUMAN NATURE.

HUMAN NATURE SHOULD BE LEVERAGED.

FRIENDLY

PERSONAL

INTERACTIVE

Mentioning the user by name and using pronouns like ‘your’ helps establish a relationship. Using slang or

colloquial language in error messages humanizes the site.

Personalized content based on the user’s past cuts the chase and gets them straight to the content

they are most interested in.

Enabling expression in reviews, on social media, etc. allows users to feel connected to your site. It also

encourages them to spend more time on the site. Harvard neuroscientists claim that discussing

ourselves triggers the same pleasure receptor in the brain as food and money.

6. USING TRIGGERS

HUMANS ARE EMOTIVE, AND IF YOUR CONTENT IS

TOO YOU CAN SWAY THEM TO YOUR VIEWPOINT

SHOW

RELEVANT IMAGES

REINFORCE CONCEPTS

AND HELP TO

SUBMISSIVELY JUSTIFY

YOUR ARGUMENTS

EMOTIONAL CONTENT

DRIVES SHARING AND

CONNECTION. POSITIVE

EMOTIONS ARE MORE

CONTAGIOUS THAN

NEGATIVITY ON SOCIAL

MEDIA

PRIMERS SUCH AS USER

RATINGS, ENDORSEMENTS,

AND SCARCITY SALES ARE

USED BY COMMERCE SITES

WHEN PUSHING A SALE

AROUSE PRIME

BEHAVIOR CONTROL

7. MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY

CONSISTENCY HELPS THE USER CONFIDENTLY

NAVIGATE A WEBSITE, AND KEEPS THEM ON THE

ROAD TO YOUR OBJECTIVE

PATTERNS

Our brains rewards us for picking up patterns, and acquiring

knowledge of new skills. Brands, design elements and

colours should all follow an identifiable scheme

NAVIGATION

This should be intuitive. The ‘hamburger menu’ frees up space

on mobile, while the older ‘breadcrumb menu’ gives the user

clear visual clue about their whereabouts within the site.

INNOVATION

Sometimes though, unexpected results can be very rewarding

if they serve as a memorable novelty.

8. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

LIKE PAVLOV’S DOG, HUMANS CAN BE

MANIPULATED INTO CERTAIN BEHAVIORS WITH THE

RIGHT REWARDS

STIMULUS NOTIFICATIONS STREAMLINE

SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND

ENCOURAGE USERS TO KEEP

CHECKING FOR UPDATES

EVEN WITHOUT BEING

PUSHED. USE OF DISTINCT

COLOURS, POPUPS AND

CLEVER SOUND DESIGN

CONSISTENTLY MAKE THESE

EVENTS MEMORABLE

THE BRAIN SENDS A JOLT OF

PLEASURE TO USERS WHEN THEY

ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTED. IN

PROVISING THE OPPORTUNITY

FOR SOCIAL RECOGNITION,

USERS FEEL REWARDED FOR

POSTING STATUSES, AND

PHOTOS AT THE COST OF THEIR

TIME

ONE SURVEY FOUND THAT

REGULAR FACEBOOK USERS

WHO DID NOT HAVE AN

INTERACTION ON THE SITE FOR

TWO DAYS FELT NEGATIVELY

ABOUT THEIR SELF ESTEEM AND

WELL BEING

DOPAMINE RELIANCE

9. PRIVATE INFORMATION

INFORMATION IS POWER. TAKE YOUR USER’S

INFORMATION WITH THESE TOOLS:

GIVE

PROVIDE SERVICES AND

MAKE THEM ESSENTIAL TO

YOUR USER’S DIGITAL LIFE. A

RECENT SURVEY SUGGESTS

THAT 74% OF RESPONDERS

WOULD OPT TO SAVE THEIR

PERSONAL PHOTOS OVER

THEIR DEVICE. CLOUD BASED

SOLUTIONS ARE CONVENIENT,

BUT ALSO MAKE USERS

RELIANT.

A STUDY FOUND THAT BY

ANALYZING A USER’S LIKES,

RESEARCHERS COULD IDENTIFY

WITH 95% ACCURACY THE

USER’S RACE, 88% THEIR

SEXUALITY, AND 85%

ACCURACY THEIR PREFERRED

POLITICAL PARTY. ENCOURAGE

THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY AND

HARVEST DATA.

ACCOUNT REGISTRATION IS

NOW ACCEPTED NORM FOR

USERS. A METHOD OF

SECURING USER DATA, IN

EXCHANGE FOR ACCESS TO

CONTENT.

ENCOURAGE TAKE

Sources: Thenextweb.com, webdesignerdepot.com, blog.bufferapp.com, psychologytoday.com, recode.net, elezea.com, cbspulse.com, smashingmagazine.com, creativeblog.com, adweek.com, blog.kissmetrics.com, blog.crazyegg.com

I am a high-energy, confident professional with an infectious enthusiasm for technology. As a highly organized and friendly professional, received industry recognition and awards by winning various digital marketing activities for Coca-Cola in EFFIES and IAMAI awards for campaigns like ‘Sprite Teen Till I Die’ and ‘Facebook Feature Phone Campaign’ to increase recruitment and frequency for the brand among mobile phone users. Possess a strong technical background by completing B-Tech in computer systems and working as a programmer. My hobbies include watching Sci-Fi movies and reading books on business and digital marketing.

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