Web Design Firms’ Own Websites Get Some of the Shortest Visits
The typical web design and development website in Diib's data held visitors for about 1 minute 28 seconds over the past 90 days, versus about 1 minute 49 seconds for websites in other industries.
Web design firms' own websites hold visitors for less time than most small business sites. For a business selling websites, your site is the product demo, and short visits can mean prospects aren't seeing the proof they came for.
Web designers build websites for a living, so you might expect their own sites to hold attention best. In Diib’s data, they hold it for less time than most.
Average visit length is how long a typical visit lasts, from the first page someone sees to the last.
What the data shows
Diib looked at websites with connected Google Analytics and at least 300 visits between June 30 and September 27, 2026:
- The median web design and development website (1,199 sites) held visitors for about 1 minute 28 seconds. The median across about 64,000 websites in other industries was about 1 minute 49 seconds.
- 36% of web design websites averaged under one minute per visit, versus 24% elsewhere.
- Their median engagement rate was 37%, versus 44% for other websites. It was the lowest of the five largest industries in Diib’s data.
What this does and doesn’t tell you
This is aggregated Diib data from websites with connected analytics. The data can’t show who these visitors are. A web design firm’s site may get a lot of traffic that was never going to stay, like clients clicking a “designed by” link in a footer or bots checking the site. It also can’t separate portfolio visitors who quickly found what they needed from prospects who lost interest.
It’s also a useful reminder for any small business: a nice-looking site isn’t the same as a site that gives visitors a reason to keep reading. Proof, such as results, case studies and prices, is what holds attention.