Yes! Lose $100 in 15 seconds or less...

That is the amount of time you have to engage a potential customer researching your business.  Did you know over 80% of web traffic is viewed on mobile devices?  Is your current website mobile friendly?  If not, you may be missing out on a vast number of potential customers.  I tend to notice this when a restaurant's website still features a menu in the form of a pdf file that has to be downloaded and read with adobe reader.  Yes the menu looks fancy with all of its wonderful graphics and large long list of menu items.  The big problem with this setup is that it has taken well over 15 seconds for the customer to click on the menu link and wait for a download then open the adobe file.  In most cases the pdf menu format may not even download and the customer has already moved on to searching for another restaurant. As a restaurateur you may have just lost $60-$200 in sales in less than 15 seconds. This same theory can apply across the board for other small businesses.

How fast can you engage your customers online?

When designing a business website, we have to consider the speed at which your potential customer is skimming (not reading) over your website.  We should immediately engage with call to action markers like: find out more buttons, buy now, free estimates, save $$$ here, contact for more information etc.  Relevant information is also key.  We have to give people useful information on your products or services.  We need to use large colorful photos to catch the eye of customers and engage them.  Speed is key under the new era of mobile internet browsing.