We all know that first impressions matter. And in the workspace, we pay attention to the clothes we wear, how our office space looks, and all the other factors that impact first impressions because we know they matter. But in 2020, we learned that even if you are not meeting in person, first impressions still matter, which is why it’s more important than ever to have a strong advisor website. In fact, 67% of companies expect that working from home is going to be permanent or at least into the foreseeable future.
So, more than ever, thousands of people are probably meeting you for the first time “virtually” by Googling you, visiting your website, and checking out your social media presence than will ever step foot in your office.
In fact, it takes about .05 seconds for users to form an opinion about your website, so it’s incredibly important that you are creating a website that makes people want to stay to increase the likelihood that visitors will stay on your site long enough to learn more. Not sure what it takes to have a website that drives leads? We have compiled 10 of the most striking website statistics that you need to know in order to create a website that gets people to stay and converts visitors to leads.
10 Important Website Statistics for 2021
1. Mobile-Friendly Matters
Think that your website doesn’t need to be mobile-friendly? Think again! In fact, 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile and as of 2019, 94% of small business websites are mobile-friendly providing your site visitors with the ideal user experience on mobile is essential in order to make your potential and current clients happy.
Twenty Over Ten client, Mercer Street Personal Financial Services has a strong website built on the Acuity framework and even with the unique split-screen, it looks great even on mobile. This is so important, especially as approximately half of the web traffic worldwide comes from mobile phones, so if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, then would really hinder the number of visitors to your site.
2. Make an Impactful First Impression
It takes 2.6 seconds for a user’s eyes to land on the area of a website that most affects their first impression. Since site visitors form their position on the quality of a website in such a short amount of time, it’s essential that your website has design attributes that lure your site visitors in and attracts them from the moment they land on your homepage.
Having a website with a clear and quality design is key to making a significant impression for on-site visitors. In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Perch Wealth, has easy-to-locate calls-to-action not only on the hero image and in the bottom right-hand corner, as well, making getting in touch incredibly simple.
3. The Images Used Matter
Users spend an average of 5.94 seconds looking at a website’s main image, so it’s crucial that this image on your website effectively illustrates and strengthens your brand and what it stands for. Using strong imagery throughout your website is also important, as depending on what you use, it can really tell a story about your firm and how you operate. Additionally, 39 percent of people will stop engaging with a website if the images won’t load or they take too long to do so.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Crescent Lake Advisors keeps their website fresh with beautiful images that showcase different sections of the website and it really makes each part stand out. Not only is their hero video image beautiful but the photos on the rest of the website are, as well.
4. Have A Clear Call-To-Action
Shockingly, 70% of small business websites lack a call to action (CTA) on their homepage. Incorporating a clear and eye-catching CTA is a simple and effective way to drive leads and encourage site visitors to take the next steps in scheduling an appointment or making a purchase.
Twenty Over Ten client, Saza Wealth Partners has a sticky CTA button in the top right-hand corner that remains there even when scrolling and they have also included others on their site, such as, “What We Offer” and “See Who We Serve.”
5. Content Design Is Significant
The design of your content is almost as important as the content itself. In fact, if given 15 minutes to consume content, two-thirds of people would prefer to read something beautifully designed than something plain and boring. With that being said, taking into consideration the aesthetics of not only your homepage, but all pages of your website is critical.
Twenty Over Ten client, Southshore Financial Planning has a robust insights section not only with articles but risk analysis and health check to further provide visitors with useful information.
6. Have Attractive Content
So, you have great content, but how do you ensure that people will want to interact with it? Making sure that your content is displayed in a visually appealing way is critical to get people to engage with your website. In fact, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if they find it unattractive.
Twenty Over Ten client, Plectrum Advisers has an incredibly robust Insights section that not only includes pertinent and relevant blogs for their readers but a video section plus a free guide to download. When you consistently provide content that your readers can use, this shows that you are a thought-leader in the industry and start to drive more traffic to your site.
7. Keep Your Site Updated
If your site hasn’t been updated in time years, it’s probably time to give it a revamp. Poor website design and outdated aesthetics are major components in killing your website’s credibility. Furthermore, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. With a statistic like that, it’s critical that you keep your website up to date at all times. Making sure that your blog and other pages on your website are updated and loading smoothly is critical to ensure that consumers will return to your website.
Having a website with a clear and quality design is key to making a significant impression for on-site visitors. In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Overman Capital Management’s website’s beautiful design has an impact on visitors with a strong CTA and other elements that you can really see shining through in the before and after.
8. Include Contact Information
Providing your contact information on your website’s homepage is a critical element in order for your site visitors to be able to reach out to you to book an appointment or make a purchase. If there is no contact information or phone number, then 44 percent of visitors will leave a company’s website. It should be simple for your site visitors to find your contact information in order for them to get in touch with you.
Twenty Over Ten client, Heritage Wealth Management, has included a thorough and easy to locate Contact page on their website. Not only is there a form to fill out where you can leave a thoughtful message but they have included an email address, phone number, physical address and a map.
9. Focus On Design
So, how do you make sure that your website makes a good first impression? You make sure that you have a compelling website design that attracts site visitors. In fact, first impressions are 94% design-related. It’s important to make sure that your website doesn’t have a plain design, poor use of color, small illegible print, or an overwhelming amount of text.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, TrustCore’s website design is clean and compelling. In addition, their content is clear to read and makes for a user-friendly experience.
10. Prioritize User-Friendly
User-friendly does not just pertain to being mobile-friendly. In fact, 83% of mobile users say that a consistent experience across all devices is very important. It is critical that a user can view a website on a computer, then view it on a phone or tablet and pick up where he or she left off without any confusion. The goal should be to create a seamless experience for your site visitor’s across all devices.
In the example below, Twenty Over Ten client, Masso Torrence has a website design that is effortless to navigate across all devices.
Wrapping It Up
It’s hard to believe that we are almost to the halfway point of 2021, and if you haven’t already optimized your website to be on the cutting edge, then now is the time. From quick loading times to beautiful and relevant content, we hope that these statistics have shed some light on the importance of website design as we continue to connect virtually more than ever before.
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About the author
Blair Kelly
Blair is a digital marketing assistant at Twenty Over Ten and has a passion for uncovering what drives online traffic and the highest engagement. She follows more animals on Instagram than humans and her greatest achievement is her daughter, Grey.
