{"id":23737,"date":"2016-10-03T17:16:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T17:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=23737"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:14:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:14:53","slug":"questions-website-visitor-want-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/questions-website-visitor-want-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"The 8 Questions Every Website Visitor Wants Answered in 10 Seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that 55 percent of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a website?<\/p>\n

Regardless of your industry, product, service, etc., you\u2019re dealing with an extremely small window of time before your visitors bolt.<\/p>\n

First impressions are huge, and studies have shown that the first 10 seconds are crucial for your visitors\u2019 decision to stay or go.<\/p>\n

This graph from Nielsen Norman Group<\/a> illustrates this well.<\/p>\n

\"probability-of-leaving-the-page-now\"<\/p>\n

So what can you do to ensure that you make a positive impression and get the maximum percentage of visitors to hang around and check out your content?<\/p>\n

It starts by answering some basic questions and satiating the curiosity of your average visitor.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, you want to make sure that you cover all of the bases and that you don\u2019t make your visitors work too hard.<\/p>\n

With that being said, here are eight specific questions every visitor wants answered in 10 seconds.<\/p>\n

1. What Are You Selling?<\/h2>\n

First and foremost, they\u2019ll want to immediately know what product\/service you\u2019re offering.<\/p>\n

The instant they land on your website, this should be abundantly clear, and there should be absolutely no guesswork involved.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a good example from Moz.<\/p>\n

\"products-to-power-your-online-visibility\"<\/p>\n

With just a few lines of copy, you instantly know that Moz is selling online marketing software.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it\u2019s clear that this software is designed to help your brand increase its exposure and simplify your campaign.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to scroll halfway down the page to understand this. The information is presented above the fold, so that in a matter of seconds you get the gist of what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

The point I\u2019m trying to make here is that your first priority should be to explain who you are and what product\/service is being provided.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s proof.<\/p>\n

\"info-people-want-to-see-on-vendor-website\"<\/p>\n

Failure to clarify this information or forcing visitors to browse through your site to figure it out is just setting yourself up for disaster.<\/p>\n

2. Why Should They Care?<\/h2>\n

After establishing what your offer entails, your visitors will have an even more pressing concern.<\/p>\n

How will it improve their lives and solve whatever pain points they\u2019re experiencing?<\/p>\n

In other words, what\u2019s in it for them and why should they care?<\/p>\n

This is where you need to communicate your value proposition, which basically means why they should do business with you.<\/p>\n

I think that Moz explains this well on their homepage by simply saying, \u201cOnline marketing is complicated. Moz software makes it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

By reading this, visitors know that using this tool can simplify their lives and take out some of the stress that comes along with online marketing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s short, sweet and concise.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a bit more about a value proposition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"value-proposition-definition\"<\/p>\n

The bottom line here is that you need to promote your product\/service in a way that it inspires consumers to buy.<\/p>\n

I recommend doing some brainstorming to identify what the top reasons are why someone would want to buy. Then make this abundantly clear on your website.<\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s the Cost?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve piqued a visitor\u2019s interest by explaining what your product\/service is and what the benefits of using it are.<\/p>\n

At that point, they\u2019re invariably going to want to know how much it costs.<\/p>\n

While you don\u2019t necessarily need to slap up the price on your homepage, you should make sure that your visitors can find pricing information with a single click.<\/p>\n

Making them jump through hoops is only going to frustrate them, and many will leave before checking out your deal in further detail.<\/p>\n

I know that I\u2019ve personally had experiences where I was sold on a product but couldn\u2019t find any concrete pricing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s incredibly annoying, and I\u2019m usually tempted to take my business elsewhere when this happens.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a good example of how to approach pricing from HubSpot\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\"hubspot-screenshot\"<\/p>\n

Notice how it\u2019s clearly marked on the top tab.<\/p>\n

With just one click, you land on their pricing page where you can instantly see which options are available.<\/p>\n

4. What Differentiates Your Brand From Others?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s be honest. Most industries are saturated with competitors vying for the attention of a finite demographic.<\/p>\n

Even small niches may easily have 10 or more top companies all battling for their slice of the pie.<\/p>\n

Quite frankly, the differences from one company to another may be minuscule.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, many consumers want to know a little about your company\u2019s story, history, team members, values and so on.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to quickly differentiate yourself from other competitors and establish a unique brand identity.<\/p>\n

Although it just wouldn\u2019t be practical to put long-winded details on your homepage (this is usually reserved for your \u201cabout\u201d page), it\u2019s smart to show what makes you special.<\/p>\n

I think that TOMS Shoes does this extremely well on their website.<\/p>\n

\"toms-one-for-one\"<\/p>\n

Here they quickly point out their policy of giving away a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair that\u2019s purchased.<\/p>\n

If you’re in a highly saturated industry and still have trouble differentiating yourself, you might want to read this post.<\/p>\n

5. Can I Navigate Your Site With Ease?<\/h2>\n

Your average online shopper has the attention span of a gnat.<\/p>\n

When it comes to navigation, it needs to be intuitive, and visitors should be able to get their bearings within a matter of seconds — not minutes.<\/p>\n

In fact, \u201cafter reaching a company\u2019s website via a referral site, 50 percent of visitors<\/a> will use the navigation menu to orient themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

If your site\u2019s navigation is overly complex or arduous, it\u2019s not going to do you any favors.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I always make it a point to make the navigation of my websites as straightforward and painless as possible.<\/p>\n

Take Quick Sprout for example.<\/p>\n

\"make-better-content\"<\/p>\n

As you can see, visitors can find what they\u2019re looking for without having to do a lot of thinking.<\/p>\n

There are also minimal choices to prevent \u201ccognitive overload,\u201d which basically paralyzes visitors when there are too many options to choose from.<\/p>\n

The key with navigation is to keep it as simple as possible so that visitors can move their way seamlessly through your site without expending too much mental energy.<\/p>\n

6. Who Else is Using It?<\/h2>\n

Social proof is a \u201cpsychology hack\u201d<\/a> that\u2019s huge these days.<\/p>\n

Consumers want validation of a product\/service before they spend their hard-earned money on it.<\/p>\n

I know I do.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re able to establish other notable customers\/clients who are using it, you\u2019re probably going to put a visitor\u2019s mind at ease.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also more likely to keep exploring, which can increase your chances of ultimately making a conversion.<\/p>\n

But how can you establish social proof?<\/p>\n

One of my personal favorites is to simply incorporate the logos of some brands you\u2019ve done business with.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I mean.<\/p>\n

\"moz-customers\"<\/p>\n

Some other effective techniques include the following:<\/p>\n