How to design a homepage that works
Your home page is usually the very first impression visitors get of your website, and therefore your business, so it’s vital that you make the most of the opportunity it provides you with. Most visitors will decide in just a few seconds whether to head off somewhere else or whether to read further and delve deeper into what your website and business have to offer.
Don’t waste that small window of opportunity by putting a mish mash of all sorts of information in front of them straight away. This will just lead to confusion and they’ll likely go elsewhere in search of whatever it is they’re after. Yes, you want them to know all about your business, but you can give them the in depth information once they’ve decided to stay and look around.
The other mistake people make on the opposite end of the spectrum is to focus purely on making their homepage look pretty, without any regard for what the visitor is actually looking for or how they’re going to find it. For example, if i’m a local plumber I want to make it really clear what I do and how I help, so my homepage title might be something like “Hertfordshire Plumber with 24 hour Call Out”, on the other hand, if I sell paper cups then it might be something like “Paper Cups Supplier across the UK”.
Our top 5 areas to consider when designing a home page
Here are some of the most important elements to include and get right when designing your home page.
Value proposition
This is a clear indication of what benefit you provide, who you provide it for and why you do it particularly well. You need to make sure your target market knows that you are there for them – to solve a specific problem for them in your own unique way. Your headline imagery and content that is above the fold (that is the content that visitors can see on their screens without scrolling down) should all be aimed at making this clear.
Clear navigation
If your visitors are looking for something specific on your website then you need to make sure that you make as easy as possible for them to find it. Keep your navigation clear and simple. This includes an easy to find menu, and links to the most popular areas of your website, via both text and images. No one should have to hunt around for what they’re looking for
Call to action
This tells your visitors exactly what you’d like them to do, whether that be to contact you, sign up for your newsletter, browse your products, book a service, or whatever action it is that you most want them to complete. By placing a call to action that your visitors will see when they first arrive on your site, they’ll know what their next step should be. Even if they don’t do it the first time, if they consistently see it every time they visit your website you are hugely increasing the likelihood that they eventually will. Don’t hide this at the bottom of the homepage or too deep within your website or your visitors may never know what it is that you want them to do.
Contact information
This is an incredibly important element for two reasons. Firstly if your visitors or potential customers want to get hold of you, the last thing they want is to have to work to find a way to do that. Making your contact information as visible as possible significantly increases the chances of them actually getting hold of you. They may have a question or two before they commit to purchasing or signing up to your mailing list, so don’t make it difficult for them to get those questions answered. And if they want to discuss an opportunity directly with you, whether you’d prefer that to be by phone, email or chat, make it easy for them to do so.
The other reason for making your contact information easy to spot is that it increases trust. If you want visitors to buy from you or use your services then you’re going to have to gain their trust and nothing screams scam more than a complete lack of contact information. Making it easy to get hold of you will reassure them that you really are there to help them and not just to make a quick buck.
Great design and branding
Finally, although making your website look pretty isn’t enough on its own, it is still important that your homepage is attractive and reflects your branding. Eye catching design is more important in some industries than others, but an amateurish looking homepage will make your visitors wonder whether your products or services are just as amateurish. In addition, by making your branding attractive to your target customers they’re more likely to remember you and each time they come back and recognise your branding (or see it elsewhere on the web) they’re going to get just a little bit closer to engaging with you.
Make sure when you design your homepage that you’re taking all of these elements into consideration and ensure that you include them above the fold and in as simple and clear a way as possible. Your homepage should not only be memorable, but also lead your visitors precisely along the path that you want them to take, so that they can benefit from your products, services or expertise.
