5-second rule: What a homepage needs to make visitors stay

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You’ve probably heard about the Princeton study that found that when you meet someone new, first impressions begin to form within a tenth of a second. In website design and user experience (UX) optimization, five seconds is the figure we commonly use to determine how long you have to win a visitor’s trust — or watch them click away.

Many real estate professionals think of their website as a brochure that leads can peruse at their leisure. In reality, many of the folks who are looking you up on their phone are sitting outside a local listing or waiting to tour the home they just saw on Zillow. Maybe they want to reach out for some information or the answer to a question.

That means your website should be a conversion tool that communicates instantly.

If you pull up your website, what do you see in the first five seconds? The menu? A logo? A slow-loading photo of you? The answer to that question may make all the difference between instant communication and a wasted opportunity. Here’s what visitors should see the minute they hit your website.

1. What you do and who you help

Make sure you describe your value proposition in plain language with a clear, targeted message that speaks to your specific market and, if applicable, the niche you serve. This could come in the form of a motto or tagline like “Helping Denver buyers find forever homes” or “Helping Atlanta homesellers find buyers faster.”

Protip: Test whether or not a visitor could understand your business in under five seconds, without scrolling.

2. Focus on visual trust signals

There are many visual cues that work on the website visitor subconsciously to either enhance your trustworthiness or call it into question, all before they ever leave the homepage. These include:

• Up-to-date, high-quality professional photography
• Brand consistency across logos, fonts and color palette
• The use of a video intro or welcome message that speaks directly to the potential client
• Social proof in the form of logos for affiliations, awards and media mentions

High-quality images are a must, but oversized files can slow your site and hurt your Google ranking.

3. Easy navigation and mobile optimization

Limit the navigation menu at the top of your website to a small number of clear choices. These could include Search, Team, Contact and other calls to action (CTAs). Include additional page options as drop-down menu items under these elements.

If you’re in the habit of only looking at your website on your computer, regularly check it out on mobile. Make sure that it loads quickly and that you’ve optimized all of the available space on that first screen.

4. Give visitors a reason to stay

Make sure that you’re consistently providing value-added information that keeps visitors at your site and brings them back for return visits. Featured listings or popular searches with eye-catching visuals can bring potential clients deeper into your digital ecosystem. 

Housing your blog, video embeds or podcast flows with high-interest local insights offers you the opportunity to create rapport even before the first direct contact. Add a section to your homepage with featured posts or the latest episode to keep your valuable content front and center.

5. Keep iterating with analytics tools

Free tools like FiveSecondTest.com or Hotjar can help give you an idea of what others are seeing when they click on your website. Want feedback a little closer to home? Ask friends, family and trusted colleagues, “What’s this site about?” and let them offer you their insights.

Regular A/B testing of homepage headlines, CTAs and other elements can help you home in on needed improvements. Find out if your website provider offers this capability or, if you’re looking for an easy, low-tech option, make one change at a time to your headline or CTA, run version A for two to four weeks, tracking the following key metrics:

• Bounce rate
• Time on page
• CTA clicks
• Lead form submissions

Then, switch to version B, track it for the same amount of time and compare results.

Remember, your homepage should do more than look pretty — it should convert curiosity into action. Make your website work as hard as you do, and make sure it grabs the attention of visitors for all the right reasons.