When creating a website it is important to think about the atmosphere the audience feels when entering the site.   Feel is vital to drawing new customers.  As soon as the home page opens it is important to ask yourself the following questions:

What is Their Immediate Response?

• Fascinated?
• Impressed?
• Curious?
• Bored?
• Confused?

What is Your Persona Based on the Site?

• Trustworthy?
• Competent?
• Professional?
• Shady?
• Scammer?
• Lazy?

What Will Be Their Response After First Impressions?

• Will they want to read more?
• With they explore?
• Learn about your services?
• Leave the site?

Photographs-

Another important factor in your site is photos.  Photographs help the atmosphere greatly.  Why?  It is the first thing they pay attention to!  It is critical that you have high-quality photos up on your website.  Blurry low definition photos will look unprofessional and tacky.  The image you provide for your site is what your customers will imagine in their head what your business is like.  If you have photos associated with the area, then your customers can get an idea of what your business is like. Posting unrelated photos only confuse the customer and can lead them to believe something untrue about your business.

Color-

Do the colors of your site create an atmosphere suitable for your business? Colors need to flow in order to create a mood in the site.  Monotone colors will not excite your customer, however, all vibrant colors might make your customer want to throw up! In addition, accent colors can be used with more neutral tones to draw attention to a certain feature on your website.  Thus it is important to find the right balance to match your business.

Tips on color:

• Blues and greys are calming.
• Yellows and whites envoke happiness and thinking.
• Browns, greens and earthy tones create peace and clarity.
• Oranges, and reds excite and create energy.
• Purples create a mystery and elegance.
• Pink also excites and is often associated with romance.

When creating your site remember these tips to help you create the proper atmosphere you want your users to experience!