Mike Reese, a Definition 6 Technical Project Manager, discussed an artice he read in Website Magazine...

So you've invested time and money to get people to your site, now what? You've got 10 seconds to not only interest that visitor, but to engage them in some action on the site. You can achieve this by knowing your users and grouping them accordingly by interests and goals. Each group should know what you have that they want, and how to get it.

Mike mentioned some key points related to business website development:

1. Defining personas goes a long way in developing an accurate design that engages each type of user.
2. Users notice visual design, whether or not it relates to them and if it is up-to-date.
3. Make sure that the content and navigation is structured in a way that makes sense to your user and be sure the site has a purpose.

Mike's final thoughts to the group was that there are a lot of things that can happen in a short amount of time - a lot of tangents users can engage in that will inevitably take them off course from their primary goals. Focus on the goals of user segments, what is important to them and display that in a visually appealing way. Make it easy for them to engage. We don't want a design that's visually appealing and then leaves the user frustrated with where to go after that first experince has been absorbed. An online agency can really focus on the design elements and layout that will keep a user on the site for more than a few seconds - ultimately leading to a conversion.  The full article can be viewed at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/articles/User_Personas_Wireframes_First_Ten_Seconds.aspx