Serving as your company’s virtual storefront, your Homepage is responsible for drawing in a majority of your website’s traffic. Therefore, you need to include elements that attract traffic, educate visitors and invite interactions.
As such, your homepage should be designed to serve different audiences, from different origins. And in order to do so effectively, it needs to be built with purpose. In other words, you’ll need to incorporate elements that attract traffic, educate visitors, and invite conversions.
Consider the following elements every homepage must have to improve it’s performance:
HeadLine
Within three seconds, your website needs to tell your visitors what your business has to offer. That’s where your headline comes in. It may only be a few words, but it’s one of the most important piece of copy on your website.
Keep the headline itself clear and simple. Zero in on a common pain point that your product or service solves.
SubHeadline
Your sub-headline should supplement the headline by offering a brief description of what you do or what you offer.
To optimize your headlines and text for mobile, use larger fonts to give visitors a better experience. Small fonts could force mobile visitors to pinch and zoom in order to read and interact with the content on your site.
CallstoAction
Include two to three calls-to-action in spots that are easy to find, above the fold that motivates and compel your visitors to dig deeper. These CTA’s need to be visibly striking, ideally in a color contrasting to your Homepage’s color scheme.
Keep the copy no more than five words and requiring action, so it encourage visitors to click whatever you’re offering. Like “Sign up,” “Make an appointment” or “Buy Now.”
SupportingImages
Use high quality, original images (with a reduced file size) or even a short video that clearly shows what you offer, as most people are visual. Your images should be large, capturing emotion and causing action.
Real photos of your team and office; or the service / product you offer on your homepage paints a realistic portrait of what people can expect when working with you, while high-quality images show professionalism and attention to detail.
ProductsServices
It is important to include features, products, or services on your homepage. Visitors want to know about the benefits of buying from you because that’s what’ll compel them to stick around.
Keep the copy lightweight and easy to read, and speak the language of your customers. Having this information present on the page offers a bit more detail to visitors and also helps your page rank higher for those services in search engines.
SocialMedia
Place social media buttons in a consistent, conventional place, where people can easily find them when needed. You want people to follow and engage with your company on your social media.
Increasing your social following, helps increase the number of eyes that are on your content and are more likely to click back to your website on a regular basis.
ClientTestimonials
Let your potential customers know that you’re not just boasting about accomplishments. Testimonials build trust and lets people know they can feel confident in choosing you. Adding a name and photo gives these testimonials more credibility.
IntuitiveNavigation
You want someone to arrive on your website and know exactly where they can find the information they want and need without being confused. Therefore, your navigation should be easy to understand and use for a first-time visitor.