If you’re considering updating your website before the end of the year, now is the perfect time to start planning. But what’s the best way to maximize your online presence? A quick look at competitors’ websites will reveal a variety of design styles—but which layout best fits your needs while keeping your visitors’ attention? One increasingly popular approach is the split-screen design.
Why Attention Matters
We live in a fast-paced digital world where capturing and holding attention is harder than ever. A Microsoft study in 2015 revealed that the average attention span had dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2013. More recently, research by CNN found that the average screen attention span is now only 47 seconds—a dramatic decline from 150 seconds in 2004.
With numbers like these, your website needs to hold a visitor’s focus long enough to guide them toward your call-to-action (CTA). But while you want to highlight who you are and what you offer, overwhelming visitors with too much information can backfire. The key is balance. That’s where split-screen design comes in.