Your website’s homepage is your digital shopfront. Just as people wander past a shop window and make the decision on whether to go in or not, your homepage is where potential customers will decide quickly whether they’re interested in what you’re offering. Not only this, but a homepage is a launchpad to the rest of your site, so making sure it’s got both form and function is essential
Here are some areas of importance when it comes to building a successful homepage:
BRANDING
Did you know that 94% of first impressions of websites are design-related? A good design feeds into all other aspects of your website, and it starts with the homepage. Making sure you’re creating a good first impression with visitors to your site will have a lot to do with how it looks. Take note of the kind of information you’re including on your homepage – make sure you’ve got the essentials whilst also avoiding cluttering the design.
Of course, branding isn’t all about design. Delivering your brand voice is everything from the use of your logo to the tone you take with your writing. Being consistent is crucial, as well as putting yourself in the shoes of an ideal customer; are you providing a positive and informative experience?
CALL TO ACTION (CTA)
It’s safe to assume that visitors to your site will be looking for something in particular, so you want to make sure that they can find it easily and quickly. As well as a straightforward navigation bar, including relevant call-to-action buttons, will guide your visitors efficiently and inform your conversation rates. The more intriguing the CTA is, the better chance you have of users spending more time on your website.
WRITING
Firstly, everyone hates typos. Once they’re spotted, they’re hard to forget. Have at least one extra pair of eyes look over your copy before clicking publish. Better yet, find someone who isn’t as familiar with the business who is less likely to unintentionally skip over-familiar content.
As well as being clued up on your grammar, the copy you choose for your homepage could be a user’s first impression of who you are as a brand. If you’ve got to pique someone’s interest quickly, focus on the benefits your business can offer over the features/services. It may be important to describe what you do, but try to relate it to the consumer and why it matters to them; you can go into more detail on other pages. A homepage is a snapshot of your business, so make sure it’s delivering a good message.
Don’t forget: make sure your copy is optimized for search.
IMAGES
Visuals matter. A lot of homepages will make use of hero images in order to grab people’s attention, and for good reason. Try to use original imagery that’s of high quality and clearly communicates your brand.
CONTACT DETAILS
These should be clear from the very start. Limit the hesitation for customers and make it obvious how they can get in touch. Ideally, your contact details should feature on all pages to ensure maximum conversion opportunities. Remember to include links to your social media accounts, too.
USER EXPERIENCE (UX)
Understanding and continually improving the user experience (UX) of both your homepage and your website as a whole is the best route to a successful site. Here are a few things that can affect the UX of your homepage:
- Page speed – A single second of added page load speed can cause sales to drop by 27%. if the page takes too long to load, users will simply give up and try a different site. To ensure you’re keeping that bounce rate low, monitor the loading times of all pages on your site. This is something we can help with.
- CTAs – as we mentioned above, clear navigation through your site is essential and it starts with the homepage.
- Consistency – what you present on your homepage should also be reflected in the rest of your site. Ensure you’re consistent with design, messaging and content.
- Broken pages – it’s frustrating as a user to have found the link you need, only to find that it leads to nothing. Monitor your pages to make sure that any links from the homepage continues the user journey and doesn’t disrupt it.
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