The old adage, "A picture's worth a thousand words," couldn't be truer when it comes to your organization's visual Web presentation.

The visual design and layout of your Website is itself the first message you give to visitors. Although this message is conveyed in seconds, and often processed subconsciously by your visitors, it's a loud and clear declaration of the credibility, quality and potential value you are offer to them. This isn't just a sales line, it's an established principle derived from research such as Stanford University's Web Credibility Report.

Instant credibility

In a matter of seconds, visitors to your site answer two questions that determine if they stay or leave:

• Can I trust the information on this site?
• Can I trust in the services this site describes?

What do they rely on to answer these questions? Stanford's research shows that people are most likely to base their decisions on a site's design/look, information design/structure and information focus (Pg. 23, table 1).

A quality design by itself will not accomplish anything of course, but it's vital for gaining the attention of your visitors long enough to prove to them that the credibility they perceive from your presentation is for real.

Sustained credibility

Quality design is vital for getting visitors attention, but it also plays an a more important role of reinforcing that credibility and diffusing objections throughout the entire sales process of your site—for all types of visitors, from prospects to relationship clients. A site's graphic design should not dominate a visitor's attention, but rather it should serve as a backdrop that directs attention to and subtly reinforces your messages.

Presenting your new visitors with a credible visual design gets their attention for a moment. The design then serves as a delivery mechanism to provide them with information that is easy to understand, succinctly addresses their needs, and progresses them towards a solution.

The seven stage sales cycle

For new visitors, your Website must clearly and concisely answers these seven key questions:

1. Who are you and what do you do?
2. What specific needs do you meet?
3. Why are you the best choice?
4. Where can I get more information?
5. Where can I verify your claims?
6. How can I try your product?
7. How can I become your customer?

The answers you provide for these seven questions define your sales or communication cycle and should serve as a blueprint for the sections of your site. Each bit of supporting content within those sections and pages must reinforce that particular sales cycle stage and provide a clear and smooth transition to the next stage until closure.

Relationship cultivation

The most valuable users of your site will be your current customer base and stake-holders. Goal-oriented site sections catering to this group allow you to leverage their already established trust and loyalty to better meet their needs, increase profitability, and decrease your overall messaging cost. The involvement of this high-value group of users also directly contributes to the effectiveness of the seven-stage sales cycle for new customers.

Relationship cultivation users' needs may vary by scenario, but here are some common questions:

• Where do I go for support and resources?
• What other products can I buy from you?
• I love your product, how can I share my experience and insight with others?
• How can you encourage and help me to tell others about your product?
• I've got feedback about your products, how can I tell you?
• How do I invest in your company?
• How do I work for your company?

• Web design should be clean, concise and clearly reflect the brand of our client.
• Design is not an end, but rather it provides justification and credibility to our client's message.
• Graphic design should not be the dominant feature of a Website, but rather serve as catalyst for communication.
• Layout and site structure must be intuitive to use and clear in the function they serve.
• Design should be based on the way visitors actually use your site, not how we think they should.
• Because most people skim sites, the most effective Websites offer fewer, well-chosen visual elements and choices.
• Less is more. The most effective design is achieved by the cumulative effect of attention. to detail.
• Each design element must justify its existence by specifically defining how it supports a site goal.