Did you know, the average user forms their opinion about your website in 50 milliseconds? That means before your potential customer has even blinked, they’ve made that crucial first impression that will determine whether they stick around or saunter off into the sunset.
Big pressure, right?
Fear not. There are simple choices you can make to help ensure you have a positive impact on your visitor from the word “go”. And it all starts with your homepage.
To get you moving in the right direction, we’ve crafted our own 101 guide to the perfect homepage. How many of these do you still need to tick off the list?
Create a hero message that grabs user attention and doesn’t let it go.
A hero message is the statement that appears at the top of the website. It’s designed to clearly communicate a core piece of information about your organisation, enticing readers to keep reading and to find out more.
It should be straight to the point and genuinely express something; that means no *fluff* or empty words.
Combine these exciting words with bold typography and design and you’re kicking off the user journey with purpose.
Basically? Make things easy for your reader.
A big part of this will mean placing prominence on your mission as a business; it should take centre stage on your homepage.
People don’t want to work for the information about your company, or spend four pages waiting to find out whether your product or service is applicable to them.
Make sure your key business points are quick to find, engaging to read and easy to understand.
What are the main things you want your readers to take from your homepage?
List them out and design your homepage so they sit “above the fold”. This is the space on your website that can be read without scrolling.
Although statistics show that “above the fold” content is less of a focus than in the past (when we had slower internet speeds and more glitchy websites!) it’s still something to keep in mind. In fact, a Google study showed that digital ads appearing above the fold had a 73% visibility rate, compared to those below the fold at just 44%.
Ultimately, if you create a website journey and user experience that connects and inspires, your audience is going to continue reading. But, if this method can grab their attention quicker, you’d be missing an opportunity not to harness it.
Include testimonials, case studies, customer stories or feedback on your homepage.
Not only are these references worth their weight in gold, but they will introduce your audience to the type of people your business helps.
We’re creatures of connection, and if your visitors can find similarities between themselves and those in your portfolio, they may be more inclined to stay on your website to find out more.
This is key to your entire website design – if you want to minimise your bounce rates and gain tangible leads, you need a clean and responsive website.
Over half of all website traffic now comes from mobile. It is therefore vital that the layout of your homepage seamlessly moves over to mobile and is slick enough and professional enough to show your potential customers that you mean business.
A dynamic website is one that adapts and responds to user behaviour, interactions and timings. As a result, every visitor may be taken on a different journey; one tailored to them.
Although more complicated, this can be a brilliant way to drive your audience from your homepage to actually take action, rather than read your content and disappear.
These dynamic changes can include anything from ads to video content to the colour palette your website displays.
This may seem like an obvious one, but take the time to look at how your navigation bar is displayed (both on browser and mobile) and whether it is intuitive.
Again, this comes back to making the user journey as straightforward as possible. It should be simple and with user friendly language (avoid the jargon!).
You could also consider “sticking” your navigation bar so that it doesn’t scroll out of view when the user explores different parts of the homepage.
First of all, do you have calls to action on your website? If not, it’s time to add them in!
Your CTA buttons are crucial as these are your way of converting strangers into leads. It’s important that you design them in a way that intrigues your reader – you need to offer them something they want (even if they don’t realise it’s something they want yet!).
By including a range of CTAs on your homepage, you are immediately launching them onto a series of intertwining paths across your website.
Your homepage should be undeniably YOU – and that means incorporating your branding across your design.
A strong brand on a website is also a sure sign that the business behind the website is legitimate. It evokes trust and boosts your reputability as an organisation; two unbeatable factors when striving to keep someone on your site.
Especially when you are an SME, putting a spotlight on the person behind the business is so important.
Including professional photography on your homepage will not only make a good first impression and further strengthen your brand story, but it will immediately show visitors who it is they are dealing with.
Break up the text on the page and keep a balance of white space around your content.
More often than not, a user will skim the content on your page. If they land on your homepage and are hit with reams and reams of heavy text, chances are their walls are going to shoot straight up.
This comes down to producing a visually appealing, strategic layout that expertly guides the eye from beginning to end.
Okay, this might feel a bit #EMPOWERMENT, but bear with us – although you want your homepage to attract as many people as possible, do not try to be the “Jack of all Trades” with it.
Be comfortable with speaking directly to your dream audience. Every single design element and piece of content (copy, videos, images, graphics – the lot!) should be tailored to connect with your ideal pool of people.
This can feel like a scary step, but the last thing you want is a generic homepage. It should be unique and vibrant, staying in the user’s mind long after they close the tab.
If you still need help transforming your homepage into your perfect front cover, get in touch with our team. We love to chat over tea and cake!
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