The 8 Second Warning

50% Of people leave websites in 8s or less. Capture your visitor's attention through the simple device of a headline. Here's how...

Awful though it is, the above headline is a true statistic and a reflection of either how poorly constructed many web-pages are.

It is a reflection of how little attention is paid to grabbing the visitor's attention and yet the solution is to make sure you have a headline on every page and that it stops your visitor in their tracks.

My marketing observation is small but important.  Take a quick glance at your website home page and read your headline.  (If you don’t have one then you need one!)  If your headline doesn’t instantly grab you then it most likely won’t grab anyone else.

Firstly, why do you need one?  Let’s face it that most of us surf the web as though our normal concentration span had been replaced with that of a concussed gnat.  If it doesn’t excite us within a few seconds we’re off somewhere else to look for more interesting treasure.  So, you’ve got to hit your visitor with something to make them stop and pay attention and, while there are lots of different approaches, a headline is, perhaps, the most powerful.

(There has been so much written on how to construct headlines I thought it would be better to point you to a Google search (how to write a headline) where you can research it in your own time.)

Here is the temptation: Because the web is a marvellous place for multimedia why not use a movie, flash animation or soundbite to get your point across?  All of these techniques are valid and they do have their place.  However, if you are looking to attract someone's attention and make them stop the only effective way to do it is through a headline.  Let me give you a real world example which also conforms to the 8 second rule…

When you fill up at the petrol station and walk into the shop to pay you will very often find newspaper stands outside.  If you're in the market to buy a newspaper you will absorb all the various headlines as you walk by (probably less than 8 seconds).  What’s impressive about newspaper headlines is that they communicate a huge amount of information in very few words (including the incentive to buy).  Just imagine if we substituted those headlines for TV style adverts.  It would be almost impossible for you to assimilate all of that information as you walk by.  The same is true of the web -- some may take the time to look at a pretty presentation but the vast majority will want to cut to the chase and get at the bottom line of your business proposition.  (How about that for a bewildering mix of metaphors!)

You should use headlines on every page to quickly convey your message to your visitor.  You can also split-test headlines to see which is more productive.  For example "10% Off" vs "£10 Off".

You've got 8 seconds to impress, use them wisely.