Your homepage is an essential component of effective web design and often the first impression your business makes on a potential customer
A website’s homepage is an important first impression that a business provides to potential clients. Although the overall design of a website is important; such as, layouts, fonts, colors, and white space, what serves a business even more is the website’s content.
It is imperative for a website to have content on it’s homepage that introduces the business and it’s associated products and/or services. This introduction should give enough information to provide the user a little foreground about your offerings, but not too much it would overwhelm a first time customer. The bases of content on the homepage should set a tone about what the business is all about in only a matter of seconds in order to encourage a client to continue to look through the website.
Here are the 8 basic content features necessary for your website’s homepage success:
Logo
A business’ logo is one of the most essential branding tools and it should be displayed as such on the top of a website’s homepage. It should present a clear visual that depicts exactly what website the user has landed on. Be sure to use the most visible and recognized version of your logo on the homepage in order for the users to immediately connect and identify with your business. Often the logo is used for not only brand recognition, but also as a homepage link. In order to make this obvious be sure to add your logo in the near vicinity of your header.
Navigation
Navigation is a must when it comes to a website’s homepage and it should be inserted within the header to provide a clear course to all your other web pages. Depending on whether the website has a lot of pages a search bar may be a valued tool to implement somewhere near the navigation. Always remember that the navigation for a website should be simple and easy to use for visitors. Navigation should always give the user an easy way to explore the website and find exactly what they are looking for without having to search through each page to do so. To allow for effective navigation and lower bounce rate, title your pages accordingly.
Headline
Your homepage should give a clear understanding of what your business is offering within only a few seconds. The headline is used as a way to communicate this information and then provide an even more detailed sub-headline below. Usually a headline is about 2-3 sentences which offer a concise and targeted text to help the user quickly depict what it is the business can help them with. A headline is usually located somewhere near the top of the homepage where it is quickly noticed.
Call to Action
When building a homepage it is important to have a direct goal(s) in mind to bring a user from point A to point B. This transition is called a call to action (CTA). It can be used to entice the user to dive further into your website by performing an action without the user even realizing it. Many of these CTAs can be used in a number of ways, such as: to provide information to the business, begin the process of a sale, or simply spark a prospect client’s interest. A CTA within the website can be a section or button that is linked to an interior page such as, a form, survey, subscription etc. in order to gather further information about the user for later contact. To improve the chances for a user to continue to browse the website and explore other content, add a CTA that is both easy to use and intriguing.
Social Proof
Social proof is an impactful way to show expertise in the website’s subject matter and develop trust with customers and prospects alike. Ways to stimulate social proof are through testimonials and customer reviews. This is a helpful way to provide new users valued information about how well your business provides products or services to their current or past customers. It should give new users the information needed to recognize your brand as being trustworthy and ready to provide them with the services necessary. One of the best ways to promote your brand and give a good first impression on the homepage is by implementing success stories from the customers themselves.
Photos
People are visual by nature and providing visitors with engaging images is a reasonable way to connect your prospects with the product or service being offered. Rather than displaying an image of the product or service alone, displaying an image that specifically highlights the product or service in use will better provide an association between the customer and the brand. As humans we are drawn to images with people’s faces in them. Using these kinds of photos on your homepage is a beneficial way to further develop a connection between the offerings and the brand.
Text Content
The use in language matters when it comes to the substance behind your words. Content can be used to give context to your products or services by describing what your business can offer, as well as give the customer a reason to relate to why they should have what you offer. It is best to keep the language simple and always consistent, but most importantly brand-specific. In order to connect with a user and maintain interest the website’s homepage should reveal content that is conscious of its target audience, rather than broad statements that any industry could pull from.
Footer
A footer can be almost as important as the header navigation bar when a user scrolls to the bottom of your website’s homepage. Your website should extend three main features in the footer including links, contact, and social media integration to continue engagement. No user should have to scroll all the way back to the top in order to find these main features. Providing links such as important pages within the footer will prompt users to stay on the website rather than clicking out once their interest is lost from scrolling back up. Contact information is crucial within the footer when it comes to users who want to take the next step of interacting with your brand. The social media integration within the footer is a platform for users to further engage and even promote your business, as well as add further social proof to your brand.
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