The Importance of a Good Header

When you visit a new town where you haven’t been before, you no doubt notice the skyline first - sort of a “calling card” for the city, yes? And when you look at the newspaper, what do you notice first? The headline, of course. And think of your favorite TV show - I bet you’re thinking of the opening credits.

People tend to assess things based on these first impressions of them. Your website is treated just as anything else people see, they will tend to make a judgment based on the header at the top of your page. If your visitors see a header which has a professional appearance, they will assume that the content of your site is also of high quality.

Whether or not your content is as good as your header, visitors will tend to stick around when they see a good header on your site - because they will make that leap of logic. This leads to your readers sticking around longer and looking at your content. This means more traffic, recommendations and even links to your site!

While this may or may not be true, it is what the reader will assume from seeing a well designed header. This reassurance will benefit you in that the visitors to your site will not only stay to read your content during that initial visit, but will also return for future visits and hopefully recommend you to others and possibly link to you as well.

The header performs two basic functions on your website. It gives the viewer of it a quick overview of what your website is about, and it also provides an idea of the quality of your site.

These are both very important, but the latter is key. Just think about how many websites there are out there, many of which may be similar to yours. A professional looking header will make yours stand out and help you get some of that traffic rather than it going to the competition.

It is hard to underestimate the value of a well designed and well planned out graphic header. You may not even notice the effects of a good header on your website.

Is it new content? New features? It might just be that well designed header which is drawing in visitors!