First Impressions Are Everything – Is Your Business Making a Good One?

Oh, by the way, first impressions. You can experience that when you meet somebody new. In a few seconds, your brain carries out a million mini-calculations. Are they friendly? Do they seem trustworthy? Do you want to spend more time with them? This occurs within second and it is quite difficult to alter the original feeling once established.

Now, this is an important point to note: to the majority of people in modern times, it is your web site that is the first encounter with your company. It’s your digital handshake. Your virtual smile. Your online “nice to meet you!”

This time, however, you are imagined: a person learns about your business with the help of a friend or discovers you when he/she types in a search engine. They’re interested! They go clicking over to see you out. But what happens next?

Without a website, you have no presence to your party. People appear to be excited, and there is nothing, there is nothing. No data, no means of getting to know more, no means of getting in touch with you. They will probably simply shake their shoulders and find another person that at least came to see them.

However, what in case you do have a site, and it looks like that which was created in 1998. You can guess what I mean flashing texts, unreadable menus, eye-damaging colors and it does not even work on a phone. Such a site leaves people wondering, “Oh, did this business not go out of business yet? And are they aware of what they are doing? It makes them feel that clogged sensation when something appeared to be old or rather unreliable.

Now, let’s flip this around. Imagine that a person arrives at a clean and modern easy to use site. All that appears fantastic on their phone. They are able to locate what they want instantly. The colors are pleasant. The message is clear. It just FEELS professional.

That is like presenting yourself to a person who is smartly dressed, like eye contact, a firm handshake, and good listener. It immediately builds trust. It makes one believe that these people know what they are doing. They are concerned about their company. I have no problem working with them.

Here is the trick: your site does not just symbolize your business it turns into one in the mind of people. With an amateurish website, people will think that your work is amateurish. Make your web site appear professional and reputable and they will think you are.

I have witnessed this with my clients who do web design countless times. A local baker client, who I met, informed me that, following our introduction of her new website, some people just started saying stuff like, “Wow, your business looks so successful! Nothing had changed regarding her actual baking but the perception of people towards her business changed completely. The fact that she was still operating her business out of a home kitchen could be forgotten because her beautiful site made her appear established and even professional.

Your online site is your opportunity to have that vital first impression pay off. It is your time to create a statement that you are professional, reliable and that you are concerned about the experience of our customers, and you have not yet met your customers.

Then ask yourself, what is the first impression your business is getting currently?