Answer First-Time Visitor Questions Quickly

When people arrive at your site for the first time they have a few questions on their minds, such as:

• Am I in the right place? Does this page match what I was expecting?
• Does this page have the information I'm looking for?
• Whose site is this?
• What is this website about?
• Should I bother reading more?

Visitors scan and skim to make a quick assessment of the page. So you need to include enough information above the fold to provide answers at a glance. Otherwise they'll hit the back button immediately.

The elements visitors use to orient themselves on a web page are:

• The page header containing your company name, logo and website tagline
• Headline and lead paragraph
• Sub-headings
• Highlighted text and links
• Navigation labels

These elements must work together to communicate quickly and clearly what a page is about and why a visitor should keep reading.