15 facts how people view websites

General Real Estate Investing
1

These might come in handy in your internet marketing:

  1. Text attracts more attention than pictures.
  2. People start viewing your website from the top left corner.
  3. Readers ignore banners. Surprise, surprise.
  4. Fancy fonts are ignored.
  5. People only scan the lower parts of your website.
  6. Short paragraphs work better than long ones.
  7. Ads, that are placed on the top or left part of your website, get the most views.
  8. Ads, that are placed inside or below an awesome piece of content, get more views.
  9. Big pictures attract more attention than small ones.
  10. Also headlines draw attention.
  11. Visitors spend more time looking at menus and buttons than other parts of your website.
  12. Lists are better at keeping your reader focused than large paragraphs.
  13. Some people even completely ignore large chunks of text.
  14. White space is good!
  15. Menu works best when placed on the top part of your website.
2

Moses, all good points. I’d like to add KISS.

Keep
It
Simple
Silly

The worst thing you can do is clutter up the page. Tell your visitor what you want them to do and make it easy for them to do it!

Make It Happen,
Dylan Tanaka

3

Excellent post, Gerry. Fascinating. So, how do you get the heat maps? Some points from this list are pretty basic and elementary, but a good reminder never hurts. So the next time when you’re writing an awesome piece of content, or building your new website, keep these points in mind. You now have the knowledge – use it! I hate having to go back and move things on the site after finally getting them the way I want them to look, but things like this have to be followed.

4

So true. Especially # 3. lol. Thanks for sharing.

5

hey good points, but people don’t think about that. these points should be apply while making any blog or website. thanks for sharing new ideas.

6

Great list Moses! As time goes on the user becomes immune to ads, banners and anything else that has been around since the Internet came around.

The only type of ad that attracts my attention are movie trailer ones that play when you are on a page. But only if I have interest in the movie will I pay attention.

7

Great list, but #1 throws me off a little.

I’ve always thought images attract the eye more than text. I guess it depends on the market.

8

Yeah, I’m with NCMountains on this one. I thought images attract the eye more than text. Of course, I think a lot of it depends on the word(s) or the images. Some images are pretty boring whereas some words seem to grab our attention. But I guess if I’m looking for information and trying to see if a particular business can help me, I do tend to focus on the text more than the pictures unless the pictures really catch my eye.

Just to go along with what others have said, a mistake that people often make is thinking they need to fill up space to make their site look complete. But there’s nothing wrong with blank space, in fact it’s a very useful tool because it makes it easier to focus on the parts of the page that are important. Unless you run a news-type website, you’re better off having only essential content.

Explain how you can help the potential customer and give them a way to contact you or buy or whatever you want them to do.

Often I see investors with websites with like 20 different links in the menu, thinking they should provide information for every possible scenario. But the result is that people don’t read any of them because they’re quickly overwhelmed and just leave the site.

Along those lines, when it comes to investor websites, I think it’s best to separate buyer and seller websites (and other categories). Not that it necessarily has to be a separate site but at least not have links to everything. For instance, on your seller site, I wouldn’t put links to information for buyers. For one thing it can distract your sellers from taking the action you want. But also they may see how you’re selling on a rent-to-own/lease option basis and get scared off because they don’t understand it.

I think it’s better to send sellers to a page that only deals with selling their house, and the same for buyers, etc. The websites I set up for investors have things separated. At least that’s my opinion about how things should be done, but I’m always open to hear other viewpoints. :slight_smile:

9

Thanks for posting this piece of writing. I’m without doubt frustrated with struggling to search out relevant and brilliant commentary on this subject.

10

Everything is so true. You just validated what I already know.

#13 is true and I don’t like it. It looks like many people still do not cultivate the good habit of reading.

11

If pictures don’t attract as much attention as text, we can say that pictures make an impression that text cannot make.

It’s like the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

12

Font and background that will not create eye sore make people read your site longer. Relevant content is also a great factor and not just random bits of information.

13

I think we should make a distinction between ‘landing pages’ and ‘squeeze pages’ in this discussion.

Ryan Diess, the famous internet marketer put out a report recently that suggested that web pages that are full of options, capture reader’s attention, make them say longer, and ultimately make more money.

Here’s a link to it for a better explanation: It’s somewhere on digitalmarketer.com

Meantime, he basically said that retail websites, should be like shopping at a grocery store, where there are products displayed not only in the aisles, but on end caps, in the middle of the floor, in places that make you walk around them, and not necessarily in a logical order (more my words than his).

What this does, he says (referring to someone else’s experience) is that it creates an ‘experience’ for the shopper with a sense exploration and gratification of a ‘search’.

He says that retail-style web pages, crowded with all sorts of options and choices, produce more profitable results than a site that would appear well-organized, with multiple products.

The impression I got was to think “swap” meet. Where there’s stuff strung all over the place, and just begs to be explored and discovered.

That all said, squeeze pages should be limited to one choice “Click Here” for more information/product/report, etc. The rest of what compels the prospect to give up his name and email is the ‘trick.’

However, on a real estate related site, it makes sense to offer multiple properties for sale, reports, consulting, phone numbers, and links to other resources, etc., as this would accomplish the same thing that Ryan suggests is more profitable.

14

these facts are true. actually, I never thought of these facts actually and I just realize that there are a lot of things that we need to consider when creating a page in your website.

15

Thanks for the tips. I need to do some fixin for my site. :slight_smile:

16

Thank you Moses O for these facts. You are right and you have discussed some facts well. People view site in different ways so thank you for this great stuff

17

I would add LARGE BUTTONS on your optin forms boost lead generation.

Big and colorful > the grey “Submit” button.

18

Hello

It is very interested in the text because it is well detailed. It really serves to clarify different advantageous points in collaboration with real estate professionals online.

Thanks for MOSES O

19

This article gives me ideas to promote my site

Thank you

20

As a real estate marketing guy I have come to the conclusion that the BIGGEST factor in creating a strong website is knowing your audience. There are no hard fast rules. The truth is, if your focus is 55+ traffic then you have one set of rules, if its young trendy new home buyers you will have another.

There are 2 main pieces before any marketing begins.
1: who you are! What are your strengths that differentiate you in your market place
2: who are you going after! Your demographic audience determines how you speak to them.

I cannot stress this enough, remember marketing is your ability to demonstrate value.
Anything less than this is only leveraging a numbers game (which works)… but you want to work smarter not harder!