View

7 Elements Your Homepage MUST Have

shutterstock_424677625.png

Like the cover of a book, your home page is the first impression a visitor may get, and the portal into the rest of your content. No matter what they say, it is in our nature to judge a book by its cover. Just like each of your website pages should be deliberate and representative of your brand, your homepage, too, should serve your business image and make visiting your site an impressive experience that promotes an understanding of and a continued interest in what you have to offer. If not, it isn’t serving your business. In fact, your bounce rate, the number of people that leave your homepage from that same page, can be decreased if you rethink your website design. While a redesign or new About Us page may be beneficial, first consider your Home page and what you can do to entice visitors to stay a while.

1. Easy Navigation


You’ll want any and all visitors to your website to feel comfortable with moving through it by way of your homepage. Be sure that you use clear links that lead them on to information they may want, and that the navigation menu you put in place is intuitive. Consider a simple layout and drop-down menus that organize your content. These days it’s important that you make your entire site mobile friendly.

2. A Clear Headline


This is your chance to grab your visitors’ attention. From your headline, they should be able to glean who you are and that you can offer something that a qualified lead wants. Make sure home page sliders don’t distract from your one shot at making a good impression. Your headline should be the most prominent thing on your homepage. After all, it defines you or what you want to promote. Go for a headline that is specific and clear: what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for. If this isn’t clear to potential leads, how will they know they should stay and look around to learn more?

3. Benefits


Your homepage should also make any selling points clear right away. Consider your prospects’ pain points; what problem is it that they most likely will have? Address it directly by offering your solution, what you can do for them, instead of listing your product features. You’ll want to consider what your prospects’ story is, and how you can be the hero of that story.

4. A Call to Action


An interested visitor isn’t the best thing that can happen to your website. An interested visitor that takes action to get more information or get in touch with your business, however, is. Your homepage is where you can start leading visitors to take action. As with your headline and description of benefits you offer, choose a “call to action” (CTA) that is clear and specific. Remind them what they will get by completing an action, i.e. “Subscribe to the Level Up Newsletter” will be more successful than simply, “Subscribe.” Give your call to action some space and use design to let it stand out from the rest of the homepage.

5. Contact Information


Make it easy for interested visitors to get in touch, and include your contact information right there on the Home page instead of only on the Contact page. A customer will feel more comfortable doing business with someone when they feel they are transparent and accessible, and that you’d like to hear from them.

6. Copy


When writing copy, remember that no one wants to see a webpage full of text, particularly on a homepage. Each word should have a purpose, and should be the clearest possible way to communicate your offer to a lead. Your copy should also reflect your voice, which is the unique tone and style that would most appeal to your best customers.

7. Proof


What better way to let your leads and prospects know that you’re the real deal, by including real customers’ comments? Testimonials have been the traditional route in inbound marketing, but today including social feeds can give your visitors a sense of the community you have, and if they fit in with your other customers. This also lends more voice to your homepage, which can help a lead feel more comfortable, and that he is in the right place to get what he needs.

All these elements may seem like a lot for one page to handle. The key to remember is to keep it simple and clear. Find a way for the elements to complement one another, so that visitors don’t even notice that you’ve painstakingly considered each little detail on that page. Your efforts will translate to a flawless experience, and a potential happy customer.

Want to discover exactly how you can make your Home page work harder for your business? Learn more in our easy-to-read guide:

 {{cta('f84837fb-e125-4c9f-967f-c215bb8d23b5')}} 

Marketing & Sales Support For Your Organization

How can we help you? Feel free to get in touch, and a member of our team will be with you shortly.

“We have a trusting bond and partnership with Hudson Fusion and we could not have picked a better agency”

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.