In person you have several seconds to make a great first impression, but online your website has just a fraction of a second to catch someone’s attention.

A study published in the journal Behaviour & Information Technology showed it takes less than 50 milliseconds for an Internet user to decide if they like a website. Volunteers rated websites based on aesthetic appeal and their brains had made conclusions within a 20th of a second. Their judgements were made almost as quickly as their eyes took in information.

This study shows it doesn’t even matter how good the content or the product/service outlined on the website are, unless a web user has been attracted initially by the design they are unlikely to keep browsing.

A good first impression will increase the chances of someone visiting your site again, but a bad first impression is very difficult to shake. Here are some factors that will contribute to the positive first impression users have of your website, and tips on how to make that impression last.

1. Loading – pages that load quickly and get to the information a user wants to see will encourage repeat visits.
2. Design - a well-designed website will draw a user’s attention to the right elements and one that is easy on the eye will lead to more future visits.
3. Colour – choosing a colour combination that is welcoming, will create the right first impression.
4. Branding – will a user recognise the website is yours within the first moments? Make sure your logo is prominent and the site matches what you want to say with your branding.
5. Font – first impressions extend to the font used on your site so check it is uniform throughout (ie same font, same point size).
6. Flashing images – websites that open up and instantly launch into flash animations, songs or videos without a choice can be annoying and are often enough reason for a user to click back and never return.
7. Ads – a home page so cluttered with advertising that the content can’t be read easily is an instant turn off. Consider this when placing ads.
8. Navigation – make it as easy as possible for a user to find what they need on your site. Great content means nothing if it can’t be found.
9. Image quality – grainy low-quality images will say more about your site than all the great design and content put together, so spend the time (and maybe money) to source high quality images and photos.
10. Content – once a user has remained on the site after the first few seconds keep them there by offering great content.
11. Accessibility – not all users will be an average visitor so ensure the website is accessible to all and consider offering larger font menus and easy-to-navigate pages.

It might be worth getting someone who has never seen your website before to look at it and give you an honest appraisal of their first impression.

Think about how you assess new people you meet and consider these thoughts in relation to your website design – someone who is clean, neatly dressed and presents themselves confidently will create a better first impression than a person who is wearing dirty, torn clothing and won’t look you in the eye. The same goes for a tired, never updated website.