what forms your first impression of a website?

[Stumped]

We've had the same basic homepage on our website for many years. We sell tradeshow displays online and focus on simplicity (either that or we're just simple people ). But now we're wondering if we should give the homepage a "face lift". Please take a look at it [ http://www.pinnacledisplays.com ] and please give me your opinion on your first impression on seeing it (assuming you were looking to get a tradeshow display).
Also, and just as important, what forms your first impression of a website, assuming you are looking to get something? What do you want to see when you first arrive?
I've always thought that as long as the site looks profession, I want it to then be clear and simple, and not overly "flashy"... I just want to find what I'm looking for and have enough info to make a decision...
What do you think, and what do you think is important to the "look and feel" of an ecommerce site?
Thanks in advance!

[Big Frank]

A little surprised nobody has answered this yet, but here goes:

My first impression is "Old and tired".

The layout is old-fashioned, a thin vertical display of around 720 pixels which fulfils the requirements of neither modern desktop displays nor mobile displays. You are designing to a specific commercial demographic and in today's business world the 800x600 screens are a thing of the past. 1024x768 or higher is today's modern website standard (source), so anything less looks very turn-of-the-century.

This is how your website looks on my mobile:

As you can see, the display is either too large or too small, nobody likes scrolling horizontally.

Therefore, you should consider redesigning for a different screen res (or two, if you want to design for the mobile market as well). In addition to this the current design looks cluttered and very compressed. There is masses of text, far too much for a website selling a visual communications medium. These things are tiring to the eyes with everything shouting for attention at the same time.

Instead, consider a modern design that uses a primary focal image, followed by a selection of products, all or most of which is visible "above the fold". Use your most eye-catching displays instead of the dull dark blue ones. The visitor will see instantly if your type of product fit his requirements. I was thinking of something along these lines (created from this template):



For the header, lose the "www" and the ".com". The visitors are on the website already, they already have the URL. Your company name is "Pinnacle Displays", use it, don't dilute it. Use white space on your home page, delineate, use geometry, insert short, concise text using bullet points and headers, not reams of verbiage. The verbiage is for subsequent pages, if they can be bothered to read it (which they won't, but include it for reference anyway). Visitors scan pages, they don't read them. Give them too much to read and you've turned them off and they'll go visit a website that gives them what they want.

Your current pages are great for search engines, precisely because of so much text, so by all means keep it, but place it way at the bottom, underneath the footer. Your visitors won't read it and it won't put them off. But create supplementary pages with plenty of cross-linking so people can easily browse to all the information they need.

Place a clear, consistent and simple navigation bar or menu as well as, if possible, a search engine entry field. If what the visitors are looking isn't on the home page it has to be no more than 3 clicks away or you risk losing them.

Do some usability testing on existing customers and ask them to be honest. Look at your competitors' sites and find out what they're doing. On the other hand, don't be tempted to go overboard on Flash or other new media, although there's no reason not to do so on individual product pages.

Keep it clean and simple and Make a positive impact.

[gwpriester]

Totally agree.

You are selling a trade show display booth but there is no focus and no excitement. Plus, IMHO you are trying to accomplish too much on one page.

My advise would be to make your landing page (home page) more dynamic visually. Show one really excellent booth instead of booth after booth after booth, etc.

Then make it easy for your visitor to find the information she or he has come to your website to find.

[pauland]

Great job beretgascon.

I think that beretgascon has done the one most important thing that few people do - he tells visitors why they should use the products. Not because they have feature X Y Z, or of some comitment to customer service, but because visitors will "be successful with us". It's the most important message on that page. In short the page says what the company can do for customers rather than just describe what the company does and sells.

Beretgascon avoids the fatal thing of filling the page with text and confusing the visitor with too much information and no place to start.

Beretgascon tells visitors they will be successful, emphasises the core products and benefits and guides people to focus on the featured products and benefits. He has done you a great favour.

[Stumped]

beretgascon,
Thank you very, very much for your input, and for taking the time to provide so much detail and advice.
I really like your version, and you've given us a lot to think about.
gwpriester and pauland,
Thanks to you also. The three of you have all hit the nail on the head so to speak, and again, we have a lot to think about!

[Big Frank]

It's my pleasure. I do this for a living but you'd be surprised how many people don't become clients of mine because they don't like what they hear. If everybody designed websites to please themselves instead of the market they're supposed to be attracting, the web would be as ugly now as it was in 1995! Luckily there are plenty of others who appreciate honest, open and professional advice. Good luck with your redesign

[Jimi King]

I'd advise against going any wider than around 900-950 pixels. Although most people are now running 1024x768 or greater there an awful lot of people out there with sidebars (usually 'history') on their browsers.

[pauland]

That's interesting - I've never seen anyone with sidebars on their browser window!

950 pixels is good though.