First impressions count and when it comes to a website, your homepage is the one that counts! For many potential new customers, this is their first interaction with your business. If your homepage is bland and not very clear on what services or products you offer, consider this a lost customer.
If your website pops from the screen with vibrancy and clearly states who you are and what it is you do, a client is more than likely to explore further pages on your site. They’ll be so impressed by this initial first impression that you’ll have a new client on your hands!
So, here at Mosaic Digital Media, we’ve put together a definitive list of what makes a great website homepage!
Page Header
Your header is the top part of the website, think of it as your chance to put your ‘name up in the lights’ – shout it from the rooftops that this is who you are!
The header should ideally include your company logo and clear call to action. This could be how to contact you, such as telephone, email and social links. Try to make it as easy as possible for a client to contact you. Below is a great example of using call to actions in your website header:
This is a huge plus point for any website, from a well-known fashion brand to an independent online shop. The quicker a customer can get in touch with you, the quicker they can become a new, paying customer, it is as simple as that!
Social Media
Social media only gets bigger and more important with each passing year, so your social links must be visible instantly on your website homepage. This could be via a live feed or with the use of a simple social icon that directs to your pages.
A potential client may already be familiar with your social media and could have well come directly from one of your accounts. A potential new client, particularly if the service they require is social media, will look at your pages before deciding on whether to use your business or not.
Social media also plays a key role in SEO on a website, so it really should be a key feature on any homepage.
Active Blog Posts
Having blogs on your homepage is something every homepage needs. It shows a potential client that you are an active business and are always looking to keep your website content fresh and up to date.
Regular blog content also contributes to SEO for your website, which if it’s high quality, will result in your homepage being seen regularly!
As discussed in a previous blog, Google loves nothing more than fresh content so keep those blogs nice and fresh!
High-Quality Images
There is nothing worse than visiting a website with a blurry image! Investing in a photographer or purchasing images from an image library is a must.
When selecting images keep in mind that your first goal is to provide the best customer experience on your website as possible.
A picture paints a thousand words as the old adage goes!
A Clear User Journey
Your customer might like a challenge, but not when it comes to a website! Take time to outline your customer journey with your business goal, making sure it is clear and efficient.
An organised sitemap with easy to fill out forms are a step in the right direction. The easier the journey, the better this reflects on your business and website.
Website Load Time
It’s a known fact that if a page doesn’t load within around 3-5 seconds, any potential client will have left your site and gone elsewhere!
It’s proven that a complex homepage can hurt your website conversion. If you’re not careful images and video can easily use up to two-thirds of a page’s total weight. Streamline and efficient is the aim for a website homepage, so declutter if necessary!
Reducing your number of images/videos down to five from ten will help to improve your page speed dramatically.
There are a number of services that can help show you how fast your website load speed is, for example, GT Metrix or Google’s Pagespeed Insights, these can help you to identify what problems are outstanding and what you can do to improve your load speed.
Images vs Text vs Whitespace
You may think that having a lot of text on a website and plenty of keywords will improve your customer experience and SEO rankings. Having large blocks of text without white space and images to shape them can do the complete opposite and turn your customers away!
For an effective homepage, striking a balance between all three really is the golden ticket so take your time and trust your instinct. When you think it looks right, it probably is.
Footer
A footer isn’t essential but having one on your homepage gives your customers a final chance to find what they’re looking for.
The footer should contain basic information such as contact information, copyright details and links to your subpages such as terms and conditions or an area for your about us.
Everybody wants their website homepage to stand out. At Mosaic Digital Media, we can make yours stand out from the crowd! Call us today on 01925 563 960 or fill in our contact form here.
