The Halo Effect – Getting Your Website Read
Content is king? Of course it is – we all know that? But how do we know which content is worth investing our time reading, without first reading everything on the screen? What process makes us stay on the page and want to further engage with it?
Well, you’re doing it now. Before you started reading this email, you took in the cues from the title of the email, the design and layout, our logo, etc. and made a decision about it’s quality, authority and value amongst other things, and decided to read on, all in a fraction of a moment.
This first impression is known as the “Halo effect” as it also spreads to our assumptions about the quality of the content and the company. As Dr Lindgaard put it in an article in “Behaviour and Information Technology”:
“Since people like to be right, they will continue to use the website that made a good first impression, as this will further confirm that their initial decision was a good one”
How do we use the Halo effect to make the most of your message in terms of design? True, if users decide your message isn’t important to them, no amount of good design will encourage them to act on this message. However, by using principles of good design you can make your business stand out from the others and position yourself as a voice of quality and authority, making it more likely that users will want to start a relationship with you and your brand.
These principles include having the appropriate visual appeal for your target market including:
- Branding
- Colour scheme
- Layout
- And never under-estimate the power of simplicity.
But extend also to the “User Experience” which includes:
- Clearly communicate your primary message
- Tone of voice
- Logical flow through the design (website or email)
- Clear and prominent “Calls to Action” where a user is most likely to expect them
- Any promised follow up action is carried out, e.g. request for information
This is as true on an email as it is on a webpage – essentially removing any barriers to the user “listening” to you and acting.
We would love to talk to you in more detail about this – over the phone or, even better, face-to-face. Call 0845 658 1657. You have nothing to lose!
How could Crush help you?
At Crush our design philosophy is based around putting the user at the centre of the design. Well thought out navigation structures and information hierarchies make the site logical for the user to use successfully. According to market research from Gartner Group, 50% plus of online sales are lost because visitors simply can’t find what they are looking for! So, whatever you invest in your website, you should get a high Return on Investment from one that is well designed.
By following the points outlined above we believe we can help your business build it’s own Halo Effect. Why not contact us today?
Expect the impossible but don’t rely on hope or miracles, this is long term marketing, be patient, be prepared to review and adapt and use expert help to deliver results.
