How does *SMILING PUG* make you feel?

Maybe it’s because I’m a woman that I judge most webpages and salesletters by the way it makes me FEEL. Maybe; but I don’t think so. Chatting with my husband, I’m sure he judges websites in the same way. What about you? Are you like this:

Within seconds of glancing over a salesletter, I’ve decided to stay and read OR disappear!

If I stay, it’s because I FELT something. Maybe I felt…

• curious - how do they do what they say they can?
• jealous - I want to be able to do that too!
• desire - yes, I want results exactly like that… now!

Of course there’s more… but you get the idea.

If I click away, it’s usually because I felt:

• bored - yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before… ooh look, is that the same “stock photo” they’ve used in their testimonials as the last guy!
• confused - I have no idea what this page is about. It’s too hard to find anything.
• lazy - it looks interesting, but I’d rather not try to wade through that solid block of writing to understand it.

Again, there’s many more FEELINGS that might drive me away… these are just a few.

So here’s the 5 Second Test you can take for your website.

Simply load up your home page and notice what hits your eye in the first 5 seconds. After 5 seconds – look away and don’t look again. Now, make a note of the images, words and colors that are still in your mind from your 5 second glance.

How do those images, words and colors make you FEEL?

Is that feeling what you want for your website?

Go ahead and do this by yourself. Then, be sure to ask friends and family to do the same. It’s important to get an outsider’s view of your website too.