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Men from MarsWebsites & marketing
The Five-Second Website Test: Is Your First Impression Working?
Visitors decide in seconds whether your website is for them. Try the five-second test to see whether your homepage says what you do, for whom and what next.
Visitors make up their minds about a website very quickly. If they can’t tell within a few seconds what you do and whether it’s for them, many will leave. The five-second test is a simple way to see how your homepage performs, and it costs nothing.
In this article
How to run the test
- Find five to ten people who haven’t seen your site. Friends, neighbours and customers all work.
- Show your homepage for five seconds, on a phone if possible, then hide it.
- Ask three questions:
- - What does this business do?
- - Who is it for?
- - What would you do next?
- Write down the answers, word for word, without helping.
If people give different answers, or no answer, your first screen isn’t doing its job.
What good looks like
- A clear headline that says what you do, in plain words
- A short supporting line that says who it’s for or what is different
- One obvious next step, such as a button to book, buy or ask
- A visual that fits, such as a real product or real people, not a generic stock image
- Your brand, with the right logo, colours and tone
Common problems
- Clever headlines that hide what you do
- Too many choices on the first screen
- Slow loading, especially on mobile
- Small, low-contrast text
- Stock photos that could belong to anyone
- Jargon and vague claims
How to fix them
- Write the headline for a stranger. Imagine explaining your business to someone at a bus stop. See our guide to writing a positioning statement.
- Pick one main action. Make it the most prominent thing on the page.
- Show proof early. A review, a logo of a client or a short result builds confidence.
- Speed up the page. Compress images and remove what you don’t need.
- Check it looks like you. Compare with your brand guidelines. Our piece on whether your website reflects your brand covers more.
Test again
After each change, run the test with new people. Small improvements to the first screen often make the biggest difference to enquiries.
Do not forget mobile
Most visitors arrive on phones. Look at your site on one and make sure the headline, the button and the key message are visible without scrolling.
Need help?
If your site isn’t saying what you want it to say, we can help with the message and the design. See our branding agency London page or book a free brand consultation.
