A First Impression is a Lasting Impression
People have preconceived ideas as to people’s worth and value based on what they see. In some cases, these preconcieved notions are entirely valid and in others they are innapropriate. As people trying to promote products, blogs and other online works, we can’t necessarily change the people that view our site but we can change the look and design of our online property to deliver a powerful and impressive first impression to our visitors.
If you don’t believe that people don’t judge things based on what they see then your naively mistaken. The truth is that you judge based on site as well as anyone. Here’s a few examples to help establish this truth.
Note that some of these examples are appropriate judgement based on sight and some are highly inappropriate but as they are valid examples I’m going to include them.
- We’re taught not to judge a book by its cover for the simple reason that we do…we do judge books by the design and excitement presented on their covers.
- In business dealings, people generally respond well to someone dressed nicely who presents themselves with a warm smile and a firm handshake.
- When we see a website that appears unorganized we assume that the person behind the website is equally unorganized and that their material is therefore of a lower value.
- We purchase vehicles as much on how we like their appearance as upon their actual performance.
- We purchase clothes based on the cool designs painted on them.
These are only a few scattered examples. You cannot underestimate the power of a first impression.
- Your Avatar: If you look crazy or discheveled in your picture then don’t expect people to take you seriously.
- Your Layout: If your site looks unorganized, as I’ve already mentioned then people will think that you’re a mess.
- Your Advertisements: It’s not evil to allow ads like Google Adsense on your site but it can appear tacky if you don’t take the time to make them look nice.
There are others areas of your site that can drastically impact the visual excitement that your visitors perceive from your site. But that’s where you have to step up and figure out how to make a difference.
Martin said:
I guess it’s as simple as this – do not expect somebody to be attracted to you if you didn’t spend time making yourself attractive.
These are all very good points in making your website enticing to all the people out there.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Thanks, Martin. That’s a perfect way to look at it. You’ve got to prepare yourself for that first date.
Martin said:
Yep! Glad we have the same view!
Nabeel | Create Your First Website said:
Yup I agree.
Unfortunately, we do live in a world where a book is judged by it’s cover.
So, it is necessary to have a good design, a good theme, a good layout in addition to good content and value.
Nabeel
Nicholas Cardot said:
Why is that unfortunate? That’s part of who we are. That’s part of what makes us human. We use our visual senses to figure things out and to judge the scope and value of the things we see. It’s perfectly normal and instead of us looking down on that fact we should embrace it as a normal part of life and not as an unfortunate part of life. Once we learn to embrace it then we can learn to understand it and to produce products that appeal to potential customers and readers.
Kiesha @ We Blog Better said:
Having a good design has such a powerful impact that even people with less-than-great content can get by if they have an eye-catching design and are able to make it look like something exciting is happening on their blog. It’s very superficial, but sight is our powerful sense – so you’d better appeal to it.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
And on the flip side of that same coin, people with outstanding content can be overlooked because of a poor design.
Gurl said:
I totally hate the way we judge things by looks, but its a fact of life we have to work with. I am hoping my deployment of a new theme will help my readers find the things they want to read, and make things a touch easier on the eyes
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Why do you hate it? This concept is as old as time. People have always been influenced by the way things look and it’s right that we should. You can tell a lot about a person by the clothes that they wear. You can tell a lot about a lot of things just by looking at them. Investigators understand this. They use the power of observation to find clues toward crimes because they understand that every detail can point them toward the truth.
Gurl said:
I hate it because I get judged by my looks. They tell you nothing about me. I’m fat, but I don’t pig out like most people think.
I hate it because I know so many people and things that are so much more than meets the eye. Luckily, I don’t judge by looks often, so I don’t miss these wonderful people and things.
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Vinish Parikh said:
All good points, I think layout of a site is the most important factor in creating a lasting impression
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Nicholas Cardot said:
I agree. I think that far too often people are being turned away from our websites before they even see our content and we’ve got to break that trend.
Dev | Technshare said:
Really Great Post Nick.
I think having a good blog design (like ss101 & Blogussion) is most important factor in creating a last impression.
Thanks for sharing this great Post.
~Dev
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Thanks, man. You’re absolutely right and I think that more people need to get on board with this principle and we need to start beautifying our blogs and websites.
Daniel Sumner said:
Hey Nick Excellent post
It’s a shame that we do think like this, but the fact is it’s completely true.
I have seen some great content from students I have helped in the past but the initial graphics and layout of their product let them down greatly.
A good first impression will make your visitor stay on the page a lot longer than they would if the page looks poor. However we all know once you get past the attractive exterior it’s all down to what’s inside in the end.
Daniel
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Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius said:
I’ve always been working on those points and I’m starting to get close to what I’ve been aspiring to in terms of impression. Though things are not as good as I would have liked they’re turning out great with my new design.
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Jorgen @ Personal Branding said:
A book is judged by it’s cover at first but you have to add good value to continue being interesting. A good design only will not be enough, unless it’s a book about design perhaps?!
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Wendy said:
Don’t forget blogs and sites that may be well designed but are clearly outdated. You don’t want visitors thinking the last time you did anything to your blog was in 2004.
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Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:
It absolutely is unfortunate. Judging by appearance on first sight produces a LOT of the unnecessary hate in the world.
It’s a damn shame we need to embrace it; suck up to this garbage as it were, but as you say, we do, as no one seems to want it to change for the better.
I laugh though. Y’all know who Bill Gates is, right? That little nerd with glasses, created that little software company somewhere in Seattle; anyway…
Did you know, he went to his very first meeting with IBM as a young man in sweatpants and a T-shirt?
HAHAHAHAHAHA An ever so true testament to the stupidity of judging a book by it’s cover!
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Onibalusi Bamidele said:
Even though this kind of assessment is not the best, we have to have great appearances so that people will know what to expect of us.
Thanks a lot for the great post,
-Onibalusi
Mel Melhado said:
True,first impressions lasts forever. Whether its an interview, meeting someone for the first time or some visitors visiting our website for the first time,people can judge us with first impressions.