It takes 0.05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about your website, is your audience staying to learn more about your brand or running out the door? Your website’s homepage design is essential to your site’s success, but how do you know you’re nailing your homepage? We’re sharing how you can perfect your homepage to turn visitors into paying clients.
First impressions. 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. Communicate your brand’s look and feel by composing your visual identity from your logo, color palette, fonts and so on. Your website’s visual identity has a big impact on how a potential customer perceives your business. Thoughtful content and design will resonate in the minds of potential customers who are also window shopping around competitors’s websites. Remember, you can’t redo first impressions; therefore, you don’t want to be caught with your website looking cluttered and out-of-date.
Who you are. Telling potential customers who you are is a no-brainer but more importantly: what is unique about your business and why should they spend their money with you? Answer this question in a concise, yet compelling way that grabs their interest. Some examples to get you started could include your expertise, how many years of experience you have in the field, any case studies or strong testimonials, specific attributes or details that sets you company apart, and so on. You want to give users enough information where they can quickly take away what they can expect from you and be confident in their buying decision.
Images. Content with images receive 94% more views than content without, and researchers have found that visuals increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by 80%. Clear, high quality photos (and videos!) increase the quality of your user engagement and help build credibility for your brand. Pro tip: make sure the images are the proper file size and responsive so your website’s homepage will still load quickly on any device.
Header to footer. Don’t forget to add your logo and a clear navigation menu to your header! Pro tip: freeze your header so your visitors can seamlessly travel from the homepage to another page without having to frantically scroll back up to the top of the page to access the links. Don’t forget about your footer! Contact info such as an email, address, phone number and social media icons should be easy to find. Lastly, consider including an opt-in button for visitors to add their name and email to sign up for your newsletter, freebie or first-time buyer discount code.
Page Structure. How to keep your visitors from feeling like they’re trapped in a maze? By having a clear menu that allows them to seamlessly travel from one page to another. No need to get fancy with naming the sections of the menu, clear and to-the-point names such as “about, services, portfolio, etc.” will perfectly suffice.
Don’t forget mobile. 90% of people use multiple screens throughout the day. It is absolutely necessary for your brand to have a coordinated website presence across all devices. But mobile responsiveness isn’t just for a better viewing experience, it also drives sales. 67% of Internet users say they are more likely to make a mobile purchase on a responsive website than on a brand’s website that’s not optimized for mobile.
Calls-to-action. A call-to-action is when you tell your audience what action they should take next. The simplest example of this would be: “buy now!” The character limit for a call-to-action is usually around 35 characters so it’s a good idea to get right to the point. Strong command verbs and words that provoke emotion and enthusiasm are a great way to engage your audience. Another way to garner enthusiasm for your call-to-action is by taking advantage of FOMO (fear of missing out). People don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity, especially if the opportunity won’t be available a second time around. An example of this would be referencing a time-sensitive sale or limited product availability, something to spark a sense of urgency in the customer to take action quickly and make a purchase.
A strong website homepage will help you gain the know-like-trust from your potential clients. As you focus on creating a homepage that has a strong headline, high quality images, contact info at the ready and is easy to navigate, you should see higher conversion rates as your curious visitors become loyal, paying cheerleaders.
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