6 Tricks to Grab the Attention of Your Visitors
One of the most important things to take into account when designing a website is exactly how you are going to grab the attention of your visitors. These days, killer web design is about far more than creating and delivering a generally solid user experience. Instead, you need to be able to both woo and wow your visitors in an instant, given the way in which it is these first impressions that will ultimately determine what happens next.
So with this in mind, what follows is a brief overview of six effective tricks to help immediately grab the attention of your visitors:
Animation
First up, the intelligent and thoughtful use of animation is becoming something of a standard among the biggest and best websites out there. More often than not, today’s web user doesn’t expect (or particularly appreciate) comprehensively static web content. That said, it’s important to be careful with animation so as not to cross over the line into irritation and distraction.
Video Backgrounds
The same also goes for video backgrounds, which when approached correctly can be nothing short of stunning. PayPal is just one example of a business that has been using full-screen video background for some time, with the text and menu options themselves being comparatively minimalist and simple. It of course needs to be a video that is both relevant and outstanding, but the effect can be uniquely powerful.
Parallax Scrolling
We’re slowly but surely entering an era where parallax scrolling is becoming a must. That is, depending on the type of website you own and the business it represents. Parallax scrolling simply refers to an attractive effect where certain elements in the background of the website move slower than those at the front. Highly effective when used correctly, but once again must be approached and handled with care.
Galleries
There are very few examples of businesses out there for which attractive galleries cannot make welcome additions to websites. Whoever you are and whatever you do, prospective customers want to see in detail who you are, what you do and how you do it. It’s often said that a picture is worth at least a thousand words – why not up the ante with dozens of killer pictures in an easy-access gallery?
Musical Headers
Don’t misconstrue for a moment – mandatory music blaring out while visiting any website whatsoever tends to be annoying. However, a fixed musical header which can be stopped, started and generally interacted with at the discretion of the visitor is something else entirely. Just be extremely careful when it comes to the soundtrack you choose, in order to avoid sending your visitors in the opposite direction.
Large-Scale Imagery
Last but not least, if you choose not to go with a large video background, it’s definitely worth considering large-scale imagery as the primary backing for your landing page at least. The reason being that it is so much easier to wow and win over new customers with flawless imagery of the highest quality than it is with the usual blank or texture backgrounds.