On average, a person visiting your website spends around 10 to 15 seconds before deciding whether to look deeper into the site or bounce off. So, 15 seconds (if you are very lucky) are all you have to make an impression.
Since the homepage of your website is the place where most of the visitors land, you need to make sure that every element of the page is perfectly designed. Moreover, the homepage is one of the most important elements that contribute to building your brand. It needs to be designed with utmost care.
Important elements of homepage design
The homepage should perform three activities:
- Fulfill its purpose
- Brand your business
- Engage your customers
Purpose is somewhat complicated to define. For example, if your website is about health care products, the purpose of your homepage is not to “sell” the products as such because the respective product pages do that job. In any case, no visitor buys products off the homepage; he travels to the respective description page to know more about them.
The purpose of your homepage is to engage and make it easy for the visitor to find the page or product he is looking for. Do not clutter the homepage with a huge list of products. Use it to tell your story, elaborate the objectives of your brand, portray your brand personality and build a strong brand image.
THE PURPOSE OF YOUR HOMEPAGE IS TO ENGAGE AND MAKE IT EASY FOR THE VISITOR TO FIND THE PAGE OR PRODUCT HE IS LOOKING FOR.
Always make it a point to present a clear categorization of products or services that you offer. Remember, include category names only and link them to the respective description pages.
Include your logo, your mission statement, and a short write-up addressing and welcoming visitors. Include a (CTA) call to action persuading visitors to browse the website and to engage them by taking action. By doing this, you make a connection with your target customers and make them travel deeper into your site.
Provide answers to visitors’ questions
Your homepage needs to provide all basic information about your business. Include your address, contact details, business hours and a map showing the location of your business in the city. Also include testimonials and case studies of existing and past clients in order to build credibility.
Secondly, the homepage needs to answer a very important question – “Why should I do business with your company?” Include a few informative and helpful lines that convince visitors that shopping and doing business with you is a wise decision.
Identify the preferences and priorities of your target audience and present content accordingly. Take a look at your Google Analytics and study how your visitors browse your site, you’ll be amazed at all the useful information you can find and learn from your audience.
INCLUDE A FEW INFORMATIVE & HELPFUL LINES THAT CONVINCE VISITORS THAT SHOPPING AND DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU IS A WISE DECISION.
Make the content engaging
Use diverse content to engage visitors. You can use an attractive infographic, a short video and simple textual content. Diversity makes the page more visually interesting.
An effective homepage accomplishes 50 percent of the website’s purpose. For the other half, make sure that the inner pages are equally informative and engaging.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let us know!