Psychology of Website Design: Neuromarketing and Lead Generation

Summary

This video script delves into the psychology of website visitors, emphasizing the importance of understanding cognitive biases in neuromarketing. It showcases how eye-tracking studies reveal navigation patterns and decision-making processes. The speaker, Andy from Orbit Media Studios, illustrates the impact of clear headers, meaningful subheaders, and social proof on visitor engagement. The script advocates for a well-structured visual hierarchy that aligns with visitor information needs and cognitive biases, ultimately enhancing user experience and conversion rates.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Neuromarketing is the intersection of persuasion research, cognitive biases, social psychology, unconscious decision-making, eye tracking studies, and behavioral economics, focusing on website visitor psychology and traffic driving.
• 👀 Eye tracking studies reveal how visitors scan web pages and how layout and copy guide their attention, influencing their decision-making process.
• 🎯 A website visit begins with the 'zero moment of truth' where visitors ask if they are in the right place and if the company can meet their needs.
• 📜 The importance of clear and descriptive headers and navigation labels to quickly communicate what the company does and help visitors find relevant information.
• 🏆 Including logos, awards, and certifications on a webpage adds credibility and answers the question of legitimacy for the company.
• 📹 Utilizing videos can be an effective way to explain a company's approach and engage visitors, helping them understand if the service can meet their specific needs.
• 📈 High-converting web pages align with the psychology of visitors by leveraging cognitive biases, providing clear calls to action, and using social proof.
• 📊 Analytics show that many visitors do not scroll below the fold, emphasizing the importance of having a clear and compelling header and content above the fold.
• 🔑 Descriptive subheaders and meaningful content are crucial for indicating relevance in search and quickly communicating with visitors.
• 🗣️ Social proof in the form of testimonials, endorsements, and certifications is essential for providing evidence that supports the company's claims.
• ⏳ Loss aversion and scarcity tactics can be effective in prompting visitors to take action by highlighting the potential risks or benefits of acting now.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is on understanding website visitor psychology and how cognitive biases and behavioral insights can be applied to improve website design and increase conversion rates.

What tool is used to track a website visitor's eye movements, and why is it important?

An eye-tracking tool is used to track a website visitor's eye movements. It is important because it helps to understand how visitors interact with the website, what elements they focus on, and how the design influences their decision-making process.

What are some common mistakes in web design that can confuse visitors?

Common mistakes include vague and clever headlines that don't clearly explain what the company does, stock photos that add no value, dense and poorly formatted text blocks, and navigation labels that are not descriptive or meaningful.

Why is clarity more important than cleverness in web design?

Clarity is more important than cleverness because visitors need to quickly understand what the company does and whether the website is relevant to their needs. If the message is unclear, visitors may leave the site without engaging further.

How can social proof be effectively used on a website?

Social proof can be effectively used by including testimonials, endorsements, certifications, awards, and evidence of working with reputable clients. It adds credibility and helps to build trust with visitors.

What is the role of loss aversion in website design?

Loss aversion in website design involves highlighting what visitors might miss out on if they don't take immediate action. This can be done by emphasizing limited-time offers, scarcity of products, or potential risks of not using the service.

Why are low-prototypicality designs generally not successful?

Low-prototypicality designs are generally not successful because they often have high visual complexity and unusual layouts, which can confuse visitors. Studies show that simpler, more predictable designs tend to be perceived as more beautiful and are more effective for usability and conversion.

What is the 'zero moment of truth' in the context of a website visit?

The 'zero moment of truth' refers to the initial moment when a visitor lands on a webpage and immediately begins evaluating whether they are in the right place. This moment is critical in determining whether they will stay and engage with the content or leave the site.

What should a website's visual hierarchy align with?

A website's visual hierarchy should align with the messaging priority and the information needs of the visitor. The most visually prominent elements should also be the most important and relevant to the visitor's needs.

Why should testimonials not be hidden in a separate testimonials page?

Testimonials should not be hidden in a separate page because most visitors do not visit that page. Instead, testimonials should be integrated throughout the site, where they can directly support the content and influence visitor decision-making.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Introduction to Neuromarketing and Website Visitor Psychology

This paragraph introduces the concept of neuromarketing, focusing on the psychological aspects of website visits. The speaker, Andy from Orbit Media Studios, discusses how understanding the psychology of website visitors is crucial for effective website design. He sets the stage by mentioning eye-tracking studies and how they reveal the decision-making process of users as they navigate web pages.

05:00

👀 Eye-Tracking Insights: Analyzing Website Visits

In this section, Andy provides a detailed example of how eye-tracking technology is used to understand user behavior on a website. He describes a scenario where a project manager named Ben navigates a webpage, showcasing how quickly users scan content and make decisions. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of visual prominence, layout, and content in guiding user attention and decision-making.

10:02

🔍 The Zero Moment of Truth: Visitor's First Impressions

This paragraph dives into the psychology of a visitor's first impression when landing on a webpage. It discusses the critical questions visitors ask themselves, such as 'Am I in the right place?' and 'What does this company do?'. Andy uses an example of a poorly designed page versus a better-optimized one, illustrating how clarity, differentiation, and visual hierarchy significantly impact user engagement and understanding.

15:03

📋 The Key Elements of a High-Converting Page

Andy breaks down the essential components of a high-converting webpage, including clear headers, credibility logos, and informative content. He emphasizes the need for clarity before creativity, stressing that the main message of the page should be explicit and easy to understand. The paragraph also touches on the role of testimonials and evidence in building trust with visitors.

🎨 Balancing Visual Design and Usability

Here, the focus shifts to visual design, particularly the importance of low visual complexity and clear visual hierarchy. Andy warns against using unusual layouts or features that may confuse users, as studies show that simpler, more prototypical designs are perceived as more beautiful and effective. The goal is to create a design that aligns with the messaging and information needs of the visitor.

📊 A/B Testing and Visitor Psychology

In this section, Andy highlights the value of A/B testing in optimizing webpages. He shares an example from Unbounce to illustrate how small changes, like descriptive headers, can significantly improve user understanding and conversion rates. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of aligning visual prominence with the most valuable and relevant content on the page.

👥 Leveraging Social Proof for Credibility

Andy discusses the power of social proof in website design, explaining how testimonials, endorsements, and certifications can add credibility to a webpage. He uses examples from Heineken's website to demonstrate how effectively incorporating social proof throughout a page can build trust with visitors. He also advises against hiding testimonials on a dedicated page, as they should be more prominently displayed.

⌛ Scarcity and Loss Aversion: Urgency in Action

This paragraph explores how scarcity and loss aversion can be used to drive action on websites. Andy references concepts from Jonah Berger's 'Contagious' and examples like Groupon to show how creating a sense of urgency through scarcity triggers cognitive biases that encourage visitors to take action. He emphasizes the importance of highlighting what visitors might lose by not engaging with the website.

🎬 Conclusion: Optimizing Websites for Success

In the final paragraph, Andy wraps up the discussion by encouraging viewers to apply these principles to improve low-performing landing pages. He reiterates the importance of clarity over cleverness in website design and invites viewers to share the video with others who might benefit from the insights. He also reminds viewers to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Neuromarketing

Neuromarketing is the application of neuroscientific principles to marketing practices to understand how the brain responds to marketing stimuli. In the video, it is the overarching theme that ties together various concepts like persuasion research, cognitive biases, and decision-making processes. The script discusses how neuromarketing techniques can be used to analyze website visitor psychology, which is crucial for driving traffic and understanding consumer behavior on web pages.

💡Eye Tracking Studies

Eye tracking studies involve the use of technology to record the eye movements of individuals as they view certain content. In the context of the video, eye tracking is used to demonstrate how a website visitor's eyes move across a page, highlighting how quickly they scan navigation items and how the layout and copy guide their attention. This technique helps in understanding the visual journey of a visitor, which is vital for optimizing website design for better user engagement.

💡Behavioral Economics

Behavioral economics is an interdisciplinary field that combines psychology and economics to explore why people make certain decisions. The script touches upon behavioral economics when discussing how cognitive biases influence decision-making on web pages. It emphasizes the importance of aligning website design with these psychological tendencies to enhance user experience and conversion rates.

💡Cognitive Bias

Cognitive biases refer to the systematic patterns of deviation from rational judgment that occur due to the way the human mind processes information. The video script explains how cognitive biases, such as loss aversion and social proof, can be leveraged in web design to influence the psychology of website visitors, making them more likely to take the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.

💡Decision Making

Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from multiple alternatives. The video discusses how eye tracking studies can provide insights into the decision-making process of website visitors, particularly how they navigate through web pages and what elements capture their attention, which is essential for understanding how to guide them towards making a decision that benefits the website owner.

💡Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy in web design refers to the arrangement of elements on a page that directs the viewer's attention in a certain order. The script emphasizes the importance of a well-designed visual hierarchy in aligning with the messaging priority and the information needs of the visitor. It explains that a clear visual hierarchy can significantly improve the effectiveness of a web page in guiding the visitor's decision-making process.

💡Social Proof

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of correct behavior. In the video, social proof is discussed as a powerful tool in web design to build trust and credibility, with examples such as testimonials, endorsements, and press mentions used to validate the offerings of a company and influence potential customers.

💡Scarcity

Scarcity refers to the perception that a product or service is less available and therefore more valuable. The script mentions scarcity as a cognitive bias that can be utilized in marketing to create a sense of urgency, prompting visitors to take action quickly to avoid missing out on a limited-time offer or a product with limited stock.

💡Loss Aversion

Loss aversion is a cognitive bias where people prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains. The video script discusses how loss aversion can be used in web design to encourage action by highlighting the potential negative consequences of inaction, such as missing out on a deal or solving a problem.

💡Descriptive Header

A descriptive header in web design is a clear and specific title that quickly informs the visitor about the content or purpose of the page. The script stresses the importance of using descriptive headers to pass the 'five-second test', where visitors can immediately understand what the company does, which is crucial for keeping them engaged with the website.

💡Usability

Usability refers to how easy and efficient a product, such as a website, is to use. The video script discusses the importance of usability in web design, mentioning studies and examples that show how certain design elements, like carousels, can negatively impact usability, while others, like clear calls to action and social proof, can enhance it.

Highlights

Neuromarketing combines various fields like persuasion research, cognitive biases, and decision-making studies to understand website visitor psychology.

Eye tracking studies reveal how quickly people scan web pages and how layout and copy guide their attention.

The importance of understanding what happens in a visitor's brain when they land on a webpage for effective traffic driving.

A website visit's 'zero moment of truth' begins with the visitor asking if they are in the right place.

The significance of having a clear and descriptive header to immediately inform visitors about the company's purpose.

Use of logos, awards, and certifications to establish credibility and answer the question 'are you legit?'.

The role of video in explaining a company's approach and helping visitors understand if the service can meet their needs.

The importance of addressing visitor questions and objections to build confidence in the service or product.

Differentiation in marketing should not compromise clarity about what the company does.

The recommendation from Google's lead gen UX playbook for clear calls to action and value propositions above the fold.

The ineffectiveness of automatic carousels and the preference for social proof and evidence in web design.

The alignment of visual hierarchy with messaging priority and information needs for effective page design.

The use of specific and descriptive navigation labels to help visitors find what they want quickly.

Meaningful subheaders provide quick communication and relevance indication for visitors.

Social proof through testimonials, endorsements, and certifications adds credibility and evidence to marketing claims.

The recommendation to avoid a testimonials page and instead integrate them prominently into the website.

The psychological impact of loss aversion and scarcity in prompting visitors to take action.

The importance of making the most visually prominent element on a page also the most valuable and specific.

Transcripts

persuasion research cognitive bias

research social psychology unconscious

decision making eye tracking studies

behavioral economics all of these things

come together

under the big

topic of neuro marketing and

specifically i want to talk today about

website visitor psychology traffic

driving traffic it's a lot of work where

do they land what's happening in their

brain on the page that you're bringing

them to it's a really important topic it

makes a big big difference i want to

break down for you the psychology of

website visits should be fun let's jump

right in

hi this is andy from orbit media studios

and i want to show you what a website

visit looks like when you track the eyes

of the person on the page

here i am at my desk this is literally

the desk that i'm sitting at right now

and using an eye tracking tool which

attaches to the bottom of the monitor in

the camera i can actually track the

movements of the eyes of a visitor so

this is actually a project manager who

works here this is ben uh i'm giving ben

a sample task on the website

as if he's like uh looking for an answer

trying to find a solution

he's wants to see if a technology here

will work for him he's like a vp of

technology at a healthcare company

look at how fast his eyes move as they

scan the navigation

he chooses a navigation item it expands

the mouse stops but his eyes keep going

look at how quickly people look around

web pages and look at how the layout of

the page and the words that copy the

labels actually guide his attention this

section of the page that this scroll

depth super colorful did the colors help

him doesn't really matter he's just

trying to read the words he clicks on

one big blocky paragraph skips right

past it jumps down to the next page

block where he finds a diagram that

looks like it's more informative he's

actually using this to help make his

decision

this is what a website visit looks like

and you can begin to understand how

the visual prominence and the words and

the ux and features all combine in this

in the mind of that visitor in that

moment

so let's deconstruct a website visit

more broadly

set aside ben and the eye tracking i

want to show you what a website visit

looks like more generally just like i

gave that task to ben that was the zero

moment of truth and ben thinks to

himself i need some help he probably

gets a referral or he goes straight to

google and he lands on a web page

what happens next

as the page loads the person basically

is asking themselves first what does

this company do

like the next question how do they do it

and even more important can they do it

for me in other words every visit to

every webpage starts with the same

question of a variety of am i in the

right place

that's what that's the first step that's

job one so let's go through the page i'm

gonna give it some um uh an example of a

page big clever headline but not

specific visitors not sure what they do

what do they do exactly scroll down we

love us we're great we do this ah that's

what they do

it's not really differentiated copy

because it's mostly tooting their own

horn but but this visitor actually does

see what this company does and then he

gets to a stock photo no impression

doesn't really help or hurt just kind of

scan right past it and then more kind of

war number one we love us

not explaining

specifically what they do not telling

this visitor if they can do it for them

not really answering questions just kind

of general marketing speak and then if

you get to that big blocky paragraph bad

formatting

dense copy i don't really have time to

read this visitor moves on

let's try that again with a better page

let's try that again with a page that

actually has a more deliberately

designed visual hierarchy and uh adding

clarity uh where before it maybe was

just clever

am i in the right place same visit same

zero moment of truth same visitor am i

in the right place clear descriptive

header ah i see what they do that's what

i'm looking for

logos

credibility awards certifications

clearly they do it for real companies

clearly they're legit like something

that's differentiation that's evidence

that's support and then maybe upgrade

the format to a video ah their approach

looks interesting looks thoughtful

making sense it starts to make sense to

me now you can use clever subheads right

but provide detailed answers right so

this person can see if that if it's

going to work for them looks like maybe

they can help me with my specific needs

and then you get to a testimonial with

some evidence people like them maybe i

should get in touch you see how that

basically addressed the question let's

break it down again

these are the elements

h1s and h2s this is how web pages are

built it's got page blocks it's got you

know it's going to be a responsive web

design the h1 headers job is to

basically tell them first what you in

the world you do the logos answer the

question are you legit right are you a

credible company how well do you do it

what's your approach that could be done

in the video that's done uh

high on the page usually in any format

video or text any format and then you

start to get into the answers you start

to answer questions you start to address

objections that that helps the visitor

understand can you do it for them uh and

then the testimonial basically is

supportive have you done it for people

like me yes it answers the question have

you done it for people like me what

happens next when we explain this to

people and work with clients there are

there are certain personality types who

say to themselves but i want this to

sound different i want to be different

i'm not the same differentiation is the

key to marketing i want my copy to sound

different great let's make it sound

different but don't sound different

until you've been explicit about what

you do

right if your header is vague and a

tagline and doesn't and sounds clever

but unclear that's not helpful right

you're not giving the visitor the answer

to their first question am i in the

right place so start with clarity and

then be clever below that's actually

part of the key

i've got a diagram here that more or

less breaks down all the elements of a

high converting page in ways that align

with the psychology of the visitor very

specifically leveraging cognitive bias

right which we'll talk about it's got uh

answers and evidence and calls to action

scroll through this take a look pause

the video share with a friend write it

down or look at the link in the

description and i'll and i'll share the

article where all this is spelled out in

great detail

i am not the first person to explain

this

google actually published a lead gen ux

playbook that shows that makes

recommendations about what to put on a

page like a home page right and what do

they say have clear calls to action

above the fold i just talked about that

have clear descriptive ctas i just

talked about that clear benefit-oriented

value proposition above the fold same

thing i just called it a descriptive h1

header

remove automatic carousels right that

wouldn't have worked well we don't want

to have sliders they test very poorly

and usability studies use social proof

add evidence right and at the bottom

here i would put this first the reason

the visitor came to this page provide

answers to questions that the visitor

might have before they feel comfortable

filling out the form that's that's the

game why do people take action on

websites it's because they have

confidence that that service offering or

that product is likely to solve their

problem the key is to answer their

questions so they can understand whether

or not this makes sense for them

there's another personality type who

we're working on a web page we're

building something

and they say i want my website to look

different not sound different but i want

it to look different i wanted to

interact differently i want the elements

to be unexpected i want to have an

unusual ux right unusual layout unusual

features here's a fun example

bottom right

bottom right navigation that is unusual

for sure is it helpful is it better is

that good

so that website wasn't typical it had

low prototypicality

which according to studies does not

align with how people perceive beauty

actually it's not the sites that have

that are very unusual in their layout

that are uh

reported as successful in studies like

this one in other words the most

beautiful designs

are sites that show one thing at a time

they have loc low visual complexity

they're simple and they don't use

unexpected ux they don't have weird

layouts and strange features and bizarre

carousels and unusual ways to work right

that's not what tends to perform well

for conversion or usability

in other words you your goal when making

a page is to create a visual hierarchy

that aligns with the messaging priority

which aligns with the information needs

of your visitor make sense so when the

visual hierarchy is not clear and the

visitor has to bounce around it's not as

effective as when you straighten it out

and move them down through one page and

at each depth it's clear what the

person's supposed to focus on

lots and lots of evidence for this these

are the pages that have higher

conversion rates you could do an a b

test this is one here that was done by

unbounce i want to do five things for

you and i'm gonna go through five

different things each of which will help

you build pages and build an overall

site that aligns with psychology of

visitors

and with the cognitive biases that we

all bring to every page that we look at

as soon as it loads in the browser

one

a descriptive header

we know from research and we took a

whole bunch of sites home pages and

looked at the scroll heat maps from

those output by hot jar and overlaid

them many on top of each other in the

semi-transparent layers and we determine

that the typical fold on websites is

actually quite high in fact 73 of

visitors don't really scroll

they tend not to scroll they go right to

the main navigation

so this is better together

what we do the biggest text on here says

nothing it says nothing makes no sense

doesn't help anybody you can't tell what

this company does like the largest text

on this page is vague

you can actually test this on your own

site by uploading a version of your of

your home page to a tool like usability

hub and uh

20 people or 50 people albeit not in

your target audience we'll look at the

page and then answer a question such as

what does this company do

you might find that it's actually very

very confusing if you try it again with

a more specific descriptive navigation

header

such as this one leadership coaching and

training for mid-level managers suddenly

it wins it passes the five-second test

it makes sense to people

next tip is to use descriptive

navigation labels help the visitor by

find what they want by and get there

quickly by using labels that make sense

in other words product services about

blog contact not that helpful

compasses chronometers charts and maps

very helpful

also good for search search engines and

humans appreciate it when you make

navigation labels clear and specific and

descriptive because it helps them

accurately predict what's behind that

click right so if yours says about

solutions news contact nobody knows what

you do nobody can tell what you do not

helpful

similar and you're i'm really hitting on

this point of specificity meaningful sub

headers let's use some meaningful

subheaders why not if your sub headers

say stuff like our products and insights

and ideas and our customers

super vague super generic you missed an

opportunity to indicate relevance in

search you missed an opportunity to

communicate quickly with your visitors

i'll replace these after reading the

page it was very easy to replace these

if that first one changed to our baking

and pastry products ah indicating

relevance using a keyword if the second

one said new ideas from inside our

bakery yeah it's a bakery blog it's a

baking site and then the bottom one

really was about their uh it's a it's a

little kind of blurby thing that uh had

awesome text inside it but the the

header was the the sub head was very

vague but that should probably say is a

hundred years strong evidence of quality

baking ingredients

let's look at this example what our

company what our customers are saying

huh

the top of the visual hierarchy here

says nothing super vague useless not

helpful

uh so and worse than that all the test

is a testimonial block all the

testimonials are inside a carousel

bummer not helpful right you've got

they're hidden so the big subhead is

vague the carousel hides the

valuable testimonials until they get

clicked right they should have just

broken them out and stacked them all up

and then the tiny text is actually the

best thing on the page basically we need

to ask ourselves is the

most visually prominent thing here also

the most valuable compelling specific

helpful thing here

that's web design that's a landing a

page with visual with uh with visitor

psychology

is the most visually prominent thing

also the most important thing if no you

made a mistake go fix your website it's

not that hard okay

next i'm going to cover

social proof social proof is adding

evidence uh a site that that lacks

evidence is a pile of unsupported

marketing claims

yes that is sad but true lots of

websites are just piles of unsupported

marketing claims because they didn't

have any evidence right but as a website

planner and a content strategist and a

conversion copywriter i know that by

adding any of these types of social

proof testimonials endorsements

certifications happy customers years in

business anything that adds evidence

right specifically social proof is

evidence that comes from other people

sort of third party endorsements let's

take a look at heineken's website

enchanting marketing

wow powerful endorsement from a famous

marketer at the top as cnn press

mentions whoa not everybody has those

she's different sets are apart it's

legit it's third-party endorsement and

then more endorsements below begins to

make the case that pages should be

mostly social proof right maybe these

pages should all be filled with evidence

from the very top

as seen in featured on to the very

bottom awards we've won certifications

so basically we're going to take the

testimonial we're going to pull the

juiciest parts out make that the subhead

put it in quotes

the logo

adds credibility the face adds

credibility

and for text-based testimonials throwing

a keyword into that testimonial if you

can

if at all possible because that's going

to help indicate relevance a keyword

focus testimonial is a combination of

both cheese and mousetrap it's something

that can both increase traffic and

conversion rates at the same time

quick warning about testimonials i

recommend avoiding a testimonials page

because no one goes there on this site

look at the analytics testimonials is

the 31st most popular page why did you

hide your most compelling information on

your 31st most popular page not

impressed

finally loss aversion and scarcity we

want to remind people that

acting now will help them avoid problems

or solve their current problems faster

jonah berger author of contagious wrote

about this he said scarcity also known

as loss of version of course is about

the number of things available the fewer

of something available the more

desirable it is look at look at what

groupon does it's a master class in so

in

scarcity hurry up before it's too late

it's almost gone there's the offer

there's a few more details but then most

of the pages about triggering scarcity

the star reviews the strikeout price

today only sold out countdown clock 200

views today number of likes and so what

are the cognitive biases being triggered

here social proof priming anchoring loss

aversion loss aversion social proof

also known as the conformity bias the

point here is to tell visitors what

they're going to miss what they're going

to risk or what they're going to lose by

not working with you right away

hey guys this was super fun to make i'm

glad if it's useful to you if you know

someone else who's

struggling to get

results from their site someone with a

low performing landing page

someone who thinks that clever is more

important than clear feel free to pass

this along we'd be grateful again andy

from orbit media and uh don't forget if

you want to get the next as soon as it

comes out just make sure to subscribe

and i will keep making these thanks

again take care