You want a Web site attractive to buyers and sellers, and you want it to be "sticky," where visitors want to return again and again. And when they're ready to commit to a sale, you want them to give you a call. But a lot of Web sites compete for your client's attention. 

To give your Web site more appeal, start with users' needs and work backward. A new set of studies reported in a Web design book, Call to Action by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, finds almost everyone scans a Web page in the same way, and the prime location for viewing is the middle of the home page. By knowing where the eyes go, you can place things on a Web site that optimize their visibility and persuade Web visitors to act. 

"Here's something else that's unusual [discovered in the "eye-tracking" studies]," says Bryan Eisenberg. "With newspapers, people look at the pictures first. But it's the exact opposite on Web sites. Web visitors look at the text first. They look at graphics last ... if ever." 

Research shows almost everyone starts viewing a Web site in the upper left, moves quickly across the center to the right side of the page, then returns leftward, again crossing the center spot. The scan takes only seconds and viewers rarely realize that they consistently follow a viewing pattern. 

When visitors finish the initial scan and concentrate on the center of the Web page, they continue to glance at other sections of the Web page. At times they look to the left side of the page to orient themselves and seek out navigation options. More often, however, they peripherally check the right side, which makes that a good spot for testimonials or calls to action.

"Clearly though, the center of the screen is the prime real estate of your Web site," says Jeffrey Eisenberg, who believes many sites generate a response based on what's placed in the center. "Your Web site will succeed or fail based on what you do in that section."