Six essential components of a great home page

Amaze your website visitors and acquire new clients with these homepage tips

When visitors land on your website home page, they’re sizing you up. They’re forming an opinion about what your company offers and how you can help them, and they’re deciding if they want to do business with you—all in seconds.

The home page is usually one of the most visited sections of any website and, just as often, the first page a visitor sees. But whether a visitor lands on your home page first or navigates there from a blog or services page, they have certain expectations of the information they’ll find. Almost 50% of websites get 4-6 page views per visit. [1]

Is your homepage making the best first impression?

Without a solid homepage to hook people in, your website visitors may fail to find what they need, feel unimpressed by how you present your business, or both. What happens next? They click away and visit your competitor instead.

With 19+ years in business, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients across numerous industries to build websites that work. We’ve discovered this: while each client’s services and marketing goals are very different, the essential components of a great homepage are pretty consistent across the board.

Join us as we dive into the key elements your website’s homepage should have and how to do it.

#1: Outstanding branding

First, your homepage needs to look like it belongs to your business! Remember, your website acts as your 24/7 storefront—so you have to reassure people they’re in the right place as soon as they arrive.

To do this, ensure your branding is recognizable and professional and matches the visuals you use on your other marketing materials.

#2: Click-worthy CTAs

Using the right calls to action (CTAs) on your homepage can significantly impact the number of leads and conversions you generate. Think about the most important thing you’d like your visitors to do on your homepage, and don’t be afraid to be direct!

Learn how to craft an engaging CTA:
Compel your customers to click! How to write an effective Call to Action

#3: Compelling copy

Our top advice? Get to the point quickly! The content on your website’s homepage should communicate what your company is about and who it’s for as soon as possible.

Once they feel confident you can help, you can take your customers on a journey down your homepage, explaining more about what you do and addressing their pain points. You don’t have to go into every detail (that’s what the rest of your website is for, after all), but you need to give visitors enough information to want to learn more. 

#4: Inviting images

Sadly, not everyone will read every word of your carefully crafted homepage copy. This is where your supporting visuals come into play to keep visitors engaged. 

Of course, the images or videos you use will depend on the nature of your business. What’s important to remember is that people connect to people. Showing people using your products or your team in action can create a magnet that builds an emotional connection, holding visitors on your homepage and enticing them to learn more.

Use custom professional photography and avoid stock images. If you’re using graphics, be sure to choose a style that ties in with the look and tone of your brand.

#5: Social proof

Online reviews play a massive role in influencing buying decisions as an essential trust signal to potential leads. By featuring your happy customers prominently on your homepage, you can give visitors more confidence that your offer will help them, too.

You could include a carousel of reviews, an impactful quote snippet, or a video testimonial. Other forms of social proof include “As seen in…” or “Featured on…” sections, certification badges, association memberships, and awards.

Related resource:
Top 10 website design mistakes to avoid at all costs

#6: Keep it friendly

User-friendly, that is! If this is the first time someone visits you online, they may know nothing about your business. Don’t put them off by using confusing navigation, overly complicated design details, or headache-inducing technical jargon.

Instead, you can create a good customer experience by using language that’s easy to understand, plus plenty of white space that guides visitors through the page and gives each piece of content room to breathe.

To conclude

Incorporating these components of a great homepage into your website design will present your business in the best possible light to those hoping to learn more about your services or products.

When you explain in a clear, captivating way how you can help, backed by straightforward navigation, supporting visuals, and social proof, your visitors will be compelled to learn more—and to (hopefully) convert into customers!

Need help with your website design?

If you’re looking for a wow-worthy website for your business, we’re here to help!

We have over 19 years of experience designing, developing, and creating original content for custom, fully responsive business websites that will capture your audience’s attention and convert visitors into customers.

Ready to get started?
Contact us today

Sources:

1: Hubspot | The HubSpot Blog’s 2023 Web Traffic & Analytics Report [New Data]