The Indescribable Allure of Website Screenshot Previews

Web users have very unusual criteria for establishing the validity of websites.  Flashy web designs, original images, well-written content and even give-aways can sway a viewer's opinion from a bad position to a good one, or vice versa.  One of the more peculiar phenominons in regards to internet navigation is what draws users to click on hyperlinks. 

One thing that seems to work like magic to that end is to display thumbnails of the linked page.  For whatever reason, even I find myself more comfortable clicking forward when I can see exactly what it is I will be visiting.  Perhaps that's my mom's teaching of not trusting anyone or anything deeply engrained in my psyche, but for whatever reason, I am strangely drawn to websites that I can see tiny images of prior to visiting those sites.   There's a certain safety and comfort in knowing what you're getting yourself into, especially when the hyperlink doesn't explain where exactly you'll be going. 

With that in mind, having thumbnail previews available to users is a fantastic commodity I feel many websites could benefit from. Websnapr offers those exact services, free of cost, to interested publishers.  With Websnapr, publishers can increase click-throughs by choosing from 4 free different thumbnail preview formats to improve visitors' experiences.  Websnapr has been around for over a year and a half, and has served over 1 billion screenshots since.  

For websites that receive high traffic volume, Websnapr offers specialized services to fit most needs; the premium services aren't free, but the personalized development and aid seem to be well worth a little cash.  

I can't explain what draws me to websites with screenshot previews like a fly to a bug zapper.  What I can say is that this functionality should be adopted broadly, especially considering Websnapr offers it for free.  Adding preview screenshots can increase click-throughs, which should result in better advertising for your website, and will give your website that special something that keeps users coming back.  Get on board with the screenshot preview phenominon, if only so you can say you've coerced hapless users into inexplicably clicking-through to websites they would have otherwise avoided.