Back to the Blog

What a website should do in its first ten seconds

By Olaitan Adebayo. 12 July 2026. A 4-minute read.

Ten seconds is roughly what a new visitor gives a site before deciding whether to stay. Here is what a business website should have done by then.

Told them where they are. Not a slogan, a description: who this is and what they do, in one line a stranger can repeat.

Shown them it is real. A photograph of the place or the people, not a stock image of a handshake. Real is the whole point.

Made the next step obvious. A phone number, a message button, a form. One of them, prominent, working on a phone.

Loaded. Completely. Text readable, buttons clickable, nothing still arriving.

Given them a reason to trust. A named client, a result, a review. One is enough; it must be true.

That is the checklist. It fits on a sticky note, and it is worth more than most redesigns.