How to create the perfect homepage

Your home page is one of the first impressions that a potential (or existing) customer gets of your business. And the phrase “first impressions count” really does ring true. Apparently it takes people a mere 7 seconds to make a first impression about someone they meet, so if the same can be said for your website then you need to make sure that your home page can pass the test!

• Answer the 3 questions of who are you, what you do, and what can you do for the person that visits your website? Sounds simple, but the reality of putting this into a clean and simple homepage is much harder.
• Include a clear call-to-action. What is the aim of your website, what do you class as a conversion? Whatever these are should resonate in your call-to-action. If you want people to buy things, include links to items for sale with a “buy it now” button, if you want people to sign up to your newsletter, include a prominent “sign up now” button. Apparently orange is one of the best colours for a call-to-action button (check out Amazon) but as long as it’s clear then the exact colour isn’t so important.
• Keep your homepage dynamic. Have you got new stock? Show it. Have you written new blog posts? Highlight them. Have you got an event coming up soon? Tell people about it! All of these things highlight ways that you can use your homepage to your advantage. It’s the first page that people see (most of the time) so make it work for you.
• Make it easy for your website users to find what they need. If they can’t easily find what they’re looking for, they might leave before you can persuade them to stay. This also means you should make sure that people land on the right page of your website based on their search criteria.
• Make sure they can get in touch with you. Make sure your contact details are visible, or that there is an obvious “contact” section that they can navigate to.

And remember that your homepage (well, your whole website) must be mobile responsive because Google will not be your friend if it’s not. The other thing you need to remember is the Google will not be happy if your bounce rate is high because Google starts to assume that it’s sending people to the wrong site for their search. Ultimately, they’ll downgrade you in the search rankings because they can’t be sure that you’re offering people what they’re asking for and then they’ll start to distrust Google.

If you need some help in shaping your home page so that it makes a good first impression then let us know: hello@webfwd.co.uk