Revamping Your Website: The Home Page

We wanted to build on our entry “4 Easy Steps to Revamping Your Website” and offer some ideas as to what content businesses should have on their home page. We should stress the importance of having a good home page since it is the customer’s first impression of you, your company, and your website.

The goal when getting the content together for a good landing/home page is that it be easy to use, offers some direction to your visitor, and the visitor is able accomplish what it is you want them to do (sign up, contact you, click through your products/services, and/or buy something, etc.). Here as some tips to keep in mind when creating your home page:

 1. Content: Clear and to the point.

When visitors come to your site they want to quickly know what it’s about, what they’ll be able to do, and what the benefit of doing it is. Make sure to use good grammar, and well-organized headlines that compliment your content. Also, be sure to keep the most important information above the fold so your user doesn’t have to scroll to find it.

2. Minimize Clutter.

Your homepage should be concise. You’ll have the opportunity to elaborate on your company’s history or services in accompanying pages. Keep the viewers’ attention by sticking to keywords that accurately depict what your company does, and don’t waste the viewer’s time.

Avoid distracting the visitor and make the most of your web presence by making sure links, images, videos, and graphics are directly relevant to the copy.

3. Call to action.

After reading your headline, it’s crucial that your visitor knows what to do next. A good choice may be to place a call to action above the fold and make sure you suggest a next step such as “Take a look at our products,” “subscribe to our newsletter,” or “call us today for a quote.”

4. Trust indicators.

Testimonials, press mentions, guarantee seals, certifications, or examples of your work will give your visitor some peace of mind in knowing what you can offer. Studies have shown adding trust indicators to your page can significantly increase conversion rates for your page.