5 November 2018 - Richard Shire
Designing a website for your business, product or service can feel overwhelming and complicated. Added pressure to get it right in a crowded online world can make it feel almost impossible. You only get one chance to make a first impression and the hard truth is if you don’t get it right your visitors won’t stay and you won’t convert traffic into clients.
Your homepage is your shop window. You want your potential clients to see what it is you are offering and get a quick understanding of who you are and why they should buy from you. This post will help you understand the key elements you need to consider when designing your website.
Your homepage should be built on a solid foundation of content and design. Without careful consideration of both these elements, you run the risk of having a homepage that doesn’t clearly communicate the message you want to put out there or even worse leaves people wondering what it is that you do.
This is our 10 step guide to creating a killer homepage:
When it comes to creating your homepage the key is to communicate who you are and what you do as quickly and simply as possible. Your homepage is your opportunity to introduce yourself, your brand, who you help and what you can do for them.
Your homepage should be easy to navigate so that visitors can explore other parts of your website. Visitors to your homepage should be able to easily find your critical information and shouldn’t have to hunt for it. For instance, group page links, contact details and the different pages, should be together in either a sidebar or on the header.
Choose one or two colours and choose fonts that are clear and easy to read. Lots of white space on your homepage will ensure that visitors aren’t distracted from your message. A busy homepage with lots of clutter will turn people off.
What is the main message you need your clients to know when they land on your homepage? This first most valuable statement is called your prepositioning statement and it should be the first thing your visitors see. When writing this consider what is it that you can physically do for your clients? What is it that you will provide that will make their life better? Why are you the person they should choose? If it’s important it should be obvious
What action do visitors to your homepage need to do take up your offer? To convert visitors into paying customers you must make it easy for them to take that next step and be clear what they will be getting in exchange for answering your call to action. You can have more than one call to action but your first should be above the fold (the first part of the page your visitors see without having to scroll down). This allows you to direct them to take action immediately without them having to look for it.
People want social proof that you will do what you say. Reviews, testimonials, examples of previous work. Show your prospective clients why other people have loved working with you and why they will too.
Make an offer to those who aren’t ready to buy yet. An ebook, a how guide or another free resource will add value to their visit to your website and you can use this to encourage them to sign up to a newsletter to keep them up to date with your latest offers.
Make sure you include links to all your social media platforms. Consistency across all your channels reinforces your message and makes it easier for your visitors to connect with you.
People like looking at people and it adds a personal touch. If you can, a picture of yourself or your team can help add credibility. Good quality photographs can break up text and make the overall layout of your homepage easier to scan.
Consistency and repetition throughout your homepage and across all your social media channels reinforce your message and makes it easier for your visitors to repeat it to others.
A good homepage is one that makes a quick, clear and impactful first impression. If you follow our guide your homepage should tell your visitors what you offer and why it’s worth their time checking out the rest of your site and most importantly spending money on you.
If you’d like to know how Aspire Shire can help you to implement these techniques and create a website that works for you contact us to arrange your free consultation with us.