Why the "WOW" Factor Isn't for Everyone

Everyone wants their website to stand out, but clients rarely think of the implications it has on the health of their website.

A healthy website is one that can help you achieve your goals, whether that be to download a document, fill out a form, or simply provide information to its users. This is only capable when a site has strong calls-to-action, content, and visual elements working together to drive the user to the end goal.

We’ve outlined the pros and cons of creating a site around a “WOW” factor, so you can make an informed decision for yourself.

Pro-WOW:

You’re memorable: One-of-a-kind functionality sets you apart and means that your users are more likely to not only remember you, but also come back to you in the future.

Interactivity is fun: We’ve all ran across a website with some sort of fun interactive element that has made us stop and play with it! It also helps the user's drive to continue exploring your website for more fun functionality.

Users will share: Word of mouth is still one of the strongest ways to market your company. A site with a fun and intriguing element is something that users are more likely to share with their friends.

Anti-WOW:

Page load time: Some WOW factors can decrease page load time. In a 2016 report, Google states that 53% of mobile visitors will abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load . This shows that users aren’t patient enough to wait for it to load and your ingenuity could cause you to lose significant leads.

Think of your audience: If your target market is comprised of older generations that are easily confused by modern technology, WOW factor probably isn’t for you.

Responsiveness: Not everything that looks and functions great on desktop will have the same effect on mobile. There needs to be a less-robust fallback for small devices with less processing power.

It can eat time during development and implementation: Cross-browser testing is important to ensure that all users have the same experience across all platforms. Interactive elements can slow down the website development process due to extended usability and cross-browser testing.

At the end of the day, it’s important to consider your audience and the impact a large, interactive element will make on their user experience. You don’t want your audience to remember you for bad functionality or terrible load time. If it doesn’t suit your user, consider a smaller element, such as an impactful photo, interesting hover effect, or subtle animation to give your website character.

Do you know if your site is healthy? We can help you determine your site’s health and tell you how to improve it.