Since your homepage is the doorway to the rest of your website, what should your homepage do exactly?
Your homepage is the very first impression potential customers have of your business. It sets the stage for how they’ll perceive your business and whether they’ll be interested in learning more about your products or services.
While websites have largely replaced brick-and-mortar storefronts, there’s still plenty to learn from our past. When you go to a physical store, your subconscious immediately makes an impression based on the storefront.
Does it have a sign clearly indicating what the business is about? Does the outside advertise their products or services? Does it look well put together? Is there anything about it that encourages you to venture inside?
All these questions will run through your subconscious in a split second, and the impression the storefront makes will determine whether or not you give them your business. The same thing applies to your website’s homepage.
So, What Should Your Homepage Do?
It all boils down to engaging with users. Your homepage should balance answering customers’ needs and making them want to learn more about your business.
Your homepage allows you to draw potential customers in, engage them with your site, and turn them into your next customers.
On the technical side, you want to ensure your website is well-designed and aesthetically pleasing. It should be responsive and easy to navigate. Well-placed internal links should take users to an FAQ where you answer the most commonly asked customer questions.
Your homepage is also the perfect place to answer a few basic questions that users might be searching for. Somewhere easily visible, users should be able to see who you are, what you’re offering, and why your product or service is a good choice. It’s also helpful to include a strong CTA (call to action) on your homepage that directs users to a product page or contact page.
What to Copy Include on Your Homepage
Engaging users from the moment they click on your webpage involves more than having an easy-to-navigate, responsive, and well-designed site. You also need to have the right content in the right places.
In the following order, answer these questions concisely and clearly:
- What question you answer or problem you solve
- Who do you help specifically
- How you help your customer
- Why your customer should choose your help over a competitor
Create a catchy and memorable headline that defines the core of your business and how or why your offering provides value to customers.
Technical and Design Aspects to Include
First and foremost, you want to ensure your brand marketing is consistent and easy to identify. Your business logo should be displayed prominently at the top of your site, and the rest of your website should follow the same color scheme and formatting to maintain a consistent brand image
Furthermore, you want strategically placed internal links that lead customers to pages where they can learn more about your products and services or contact you.
It’s also helpful to include some social proof, like customer testimonials or links to case studies, that showcase the successes of your products or services.
Finally, make sure you have a well-organized and informational footer. This is the place to list your business’s physical address and hours of operation, as well as links to a contact page, FAQ, etc.
Website Homepage Examples
Customers want to know how you can help them, what your business is about, and why you’re their best option.
They don’t want to search around your website to get the answers to their questions. Your homepage is the perfect spot to sell yourself to potential customers. Let’s check out a few sites that have worked with Snap and developed ideal homepages.
Riedell Ice
Riedell Ice’s homepage is the perfect combination of stylish, recognizable, and informational. Their logo is clearly and easily visible in the top corner, and the first thing you see is a pair of gorgeous ice skates front and center.
This immediately draws customers in and convinces them to scroll further. You then see their headline and a small paragraph of text that describes what their business is about and how they can help customers.
The further you scroll, you’ll see links and headlines encouraging customers to learn more about their products and why they are a better choice than competitors. They have a positive customer testimonial displayed clearly and a footer filled with all the information potential customers want and need to know.
Riedell Ice has their homepage’s optimization and engagement down to a science!
Family Psychiatry of North Jersey
As a mental health business, Family Psychiatry of North Jersey uses a calming color scheme of gentle blues and greens to put visitors at ease instantly. Their homepage has the information potential patients want with simply styled formatting.
They immediately get into the services they offer and who could benefit from them. You then see a list of the providers who work at this facility, followed by a strong call to action and a form where patients can book their first appointment.
The flow of their homepage is intuitive and encourages visitors to make an appointment right as they land on the site. They don’t overload users with information. Instead, they cut to the chase and show you exactly what you need and want to know. It’s an effective way to show professionalism, help visitors feel comfortable, and encourage them to sign up for services the same day.
Nonin Medical, Inc.
Nonin Medical, Inc. doesn’t waste any time getting right into the meat of what they’re all about. The second you click on their homepage, you’re given the exact information you need about their products and why they’re a good choice.
They use a vivid orange color scheme to engage and excite users. Scrolling down a bit will display further information about their products, how they can help solve customer problems, and who can benefit from using their products.
They list some featured products, use internal links to give customers an easy way to navigate around the site, and provide a testimonial that elevates the trust users will feel in their products.
In short, Nonin Medical is the perfect example of how to catch a user’s attention immediately, provide them with helpful information, and encourage them to make a purchase.
An Ideal Homepage
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