They say it takes someone only 5 seconds to decide to stick around on your website. Or not.

Five. Seconds.

That’s not a lot of time. How can you keep a visitor around longer than 5 seconds? There are several things that I think play into it. Here are some things that help me decide whether or not to stick around on a blog or website:

• The person. Having a little widget on the sidebar telling a bit about the blog’s owner helps me decide whether or not I want to find out more. If we have things in common, I might keep reading. It also helps to have a picture of the actual person. 
• The website design. This is very important to me. I love a really nice looking blog. 🙂
• The blog’s content. Is it stuff I would read? Find helpful? Enjoyable?
• The blogger’s posting activity. If the blogger has a super inconsistent blogging schedule, I might not stay. Maybe they have a spurt of posting three times a week, and then don’t post for a few months.

Those are my main things that keep me on a blog.

Now you may be wondering what you can do to keep that visitor longer than 5 seconds. Here are some steps that I think aren’t too complicated or hard to achieve, but effective.

01. A clean, eye-catching design

I cannot stress how important this is. With all the blogs floating around the internet, yours needs to stand out from the crowd. White is highly recommended as the background color, as it gives the nice clean look and doesn’t look cluttered or feel overpowering.

02. Use a color scheme

This also helps with making it eye-catching. You can easily do an internet search and find plenty of color palettes to inspire you. Decide on your favorite, then use only those colors on your website and graphics. This gives it a put-together, cohesive, and aesthetically pleasing feel.

03. Make your blog post page your home page

This is just a suggestion I have. With only those 5 seconds, you need to make sure your viewers know exactly what you have to offer. If they have to click around to find your posting page, you may have already lost. Having your blog posts as your home page immediately gives viewers an idea of the kind of content you publish.

04. Give some information about yourself

People don’t only want to know what you offer on your blog, they want to know you. They want to find someone that they share passions, hobbies, and interests with. You can have a bit about yourself in a widget on your sidebar, and even the link to your ‘about me’ page so they can learn more.

Having a picture of yourself (though I know some aren’t comfortable with it) on the sidebar helps people connect with you better/faster. They can put a face to the name and feel like they know the person behind the blog.

05. Quality images and graphics

My personal rule for myself is: if I can make it look professional (or somewhat professional or at least be satisfied with it), get someone else to do it. If creating graphics is not your forte, then you can easily find someone that does it for pretty cheap or even free, like Syd + Em Studios  or Stellae Design.

It’s also important to have clear, good quality pictures as your featured images for you pages or posts, which will help grab people’s attention and leave a better impression.

And there it is, people! I hope you found this post helpful. 🙂

Write on,

Did you find this post helpful? What methods do you use to make your blog eye-catching?

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