Attention – The Lifeblood of Your Web Design

Success of your web site can be understood in one word: Attention.

Is what it's all about. Attention is the lifeblood of your web site.

If you have someone's attention, you can do take them somewhere, engage with them, show them the information you want them to see, request information from them, learn from them, and maybe even get them to take action.

If you don't have someone's attention, you can't do anything.

Traffic gives you the attention you start with. If your traffic is the right traffic, they’ll want what you offer, and you’ll have more initial attention.

The web designer’s job is to preserve that attention, to nurture it, and to guide it to where it needs to go.

So each page must catch visitor’s attention immediately, so they’re convinced they’re in the right place to get what they want.

Then the page must keep visitor engaged so that the full message can be shared. Finally, the goal must be to draw attention to a call to action:

• to buy
• download
• request a call
• fill in contact form
• do a search
• or select another page to view

… Anything that keeps visitor’s attention on the site and keeps them moving forward.

The more stuff you have on your pages, the more you dissolve attention between all those visual elements. So the trick is to balance Simplicity with Appeal.

The more detail you put into your packaging, the less attention goes to your product. That’s why “Save the Pixel” tells designers to “design your content – not the box it comes in”.

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