by Charleen Montano April 18, 2022

Imagine selling a house with a messed up lawn, zero to bad painting, creepy backyard, or what else? No buyer, right? Unless you’re in a horror movie where the protagonist usually buys an old creepy house and later on complains that the house is haunted. Great!

ANYWAYS!

A great homepage is exactly what you need for your website because of this! 

You can think of your homepage as your house’s front door or let’s say, your lawn which welcomes visitors on their first step going through your house. People see it as they land on your site and you want to make a good first impression. That said, it’s not just a matter of appearances. Your homepage should also be able to generate sales. An unattractive lawn or unusable driveway prevents future buyers from considering or even stepping into the house, as stated earlier, your website is no different.

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

It’s important to know what to include on a website’s homepage in order to attract more customers.

I’m going to tell you what goes into a great home page. 

Ready? 

No?

Read on. 

Or if video more thing, check this out:

See dozens of related videos that can help you through your getting a website journey: Jose Silvera – YouTube we’re in this together!

What is the Effective Website Homepage Design?

A website homepage is the first page that visitors to your site will see. It is the page that will represent your brand online. Your homepage is where you make a first impression, so it has to be fantastic.

Your website homepage design determines whether visitors stay or leave. Statistics show that more than 40 percent of visitors leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. Therefore, you need to make sure that your site loads fast and is designed properly in order to boost conversions.

Here are the major elements to consider for an effective website homepage design:

1- CREATE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION

“Make a good first impression always” is a problem because it’s vague advice, and the concept has been beaten to death since the day I was born. A good homepage is important to make it easy to quickly communicate a great user experience. The first impression design will always excite the visitors and make them want to experience your site’s contents within seconds of landing on your homepage.

Is your homepage design effective in creating a great first impression that engages your potential customers? 

Does it convey the right message? 

Does it show the value of your services and products? 

Starting the prospect’s journey on the right path can make all the difference– make all of these questions answered by “YES” and hit the win button!

2- HAVE A CLEAR NAVIGATION MENU & KEEP IT SIMPLE

Aladdin had one. 

The Starship Enterprise has one. 

It would be hard to find a website that doesn’t have one. 

That’s right, I’m talking about the navigation menu — it’s been around since the dawn of the internet (and probably longer) and is an essential part of every site that deals with visitors and users.

You know how it is. You’re on a website and you see a link to something that looks interesting…except, ugh. It’s a seven-step process to get there. You’d almost rather skip it. 

Why don’t website owners just keep the navigation simple? You know, keep things one click away and make navigation obvious by putting your most important links at the top of the page.

Having such a thing as a clear navigation menu on your homepage will not only help your visitors find their way around your website, it will also give your website a professional look, and can also increase the number of users who convert into clients. You should keep in mind that some of the most well-known websites in the world have no more than two or three links for their navigation and yet they get by successfully. Keep in mind that if you go overboard and try to include more links than you need, you might end up making things more confusing rather than less.

Good design is ultimately one that meets the user’s needs and expectations. In order to achieve any complexity, you need to know your audience. 

Begin by asking yourself, “Who will be viewing this site?” 

You could have the modern equivalent of the Sistine Chapel for a website homepage and if the user’s demographic can’t appreciate it, it won’t matter.

3- INCLUDE A HERO IMAGE OR VIDEO WITH AN EFFECTIVE CTA

One of the elements to consider for an effective website homepage design is to Include a Hero Image or Video with an Effective CTA. 

First things first — what exactly is a hero image or video? 

Essentially, a “hero image” is a large banner image or video that occupies a prominent position on the homepage of a website. What it serves as is a sort of primer on the site’s features and functionality.

You don’t want to go to a restaurant without knowing what they serve, right? 

I mean, why would anyone want to go someplace and order something when they could get it somewhere else? 

You see, you’re exactly like me. 

What is a hero image or video on a website with a call to action? 

So, you want to make sure that when your visitors land on your site, they’re really wowed.

For this to happen, you’d want them to go, whoa! 

Your website’s hero image or video is the best place for that. It’s supposed to catch the visitor’s eye and draw attention. A hero image or video is usually a visual representation of the niche your site belongs to. These images or videos are like first impressions, so it’s crucial that they tell your audience what you have to offer in the best way possible.

You can never go wrong with great hero images or videos.

You may only have a few seconds to pique their interest before they click away. Using a call-to-action (CTA) in your site’s hero section that directly addresses the primary concerns or needs of your visitors encourages them to act immediately.

The best website homepage designs are both inviting and conversion-worthy. 

Put yourself in your optimal customer’s shoes: how would you feel upon landing on your site? What would compel you to act on your call to action? The answer may have a lot more to do with aesthetics than you might think. 

When the time comes to use hero images or videos on homepages for a high bounce rate, consider these tips to help get the priorities of your multimedia content and text in alignment with the best homepage design practices for maximum effectiveness.

4- USE SOCIAL PROOF ELEMENTS LIKE TESTIMONIALS, AWARDS, AND REVIEWS

Throughout life, there are many situations where we want to fit in with the ‘in-crowd.’ 

No matter what you’re trying to find – a trendy new bar near you…

Or a new hairstylist to meet with. 

If you want to convince someone they’re in the right place and that this is the right decision, you might make it a lot easier to convince them if you demonstrate that others have already done it.

Online reviews are now a common occurrence. As soon as we decide to buy something online, we check out other people’s opinions and ratings.

And correct me if I’m wrong– decision-making becomes a lot easier when all five stars are displayed!

Social proof elements, such as testimonials, awards, or reviews, should always be considered for inclusion on your homepage. Even if you aren’t an expert, you can learn a lot from these resources. 

While social proof can help your site succeed, it is important to select the right elements.

5- USE HIGH-QUALITY IMAGES/GRAPHICS AND LIMIT TEXT CONTENT

The homepage design of the top internet marketing companies has been studied and found to be interesting. High-quality images, graphics, and video are just some of the notable features. The home page now takes precedence over any other part of the website, and this is especially true for large, corporate websites. This is due to the fact that many of the site’s features are only of interest to a small percentage of its users. It is common for them to have a strong desire or hunger for a specific piece of information, and then to pursue it directly. 

Home page elements are now being fine-tuned to reflect users’ interests so that relevant information about a site’s product or service can be effectively delivered.

First impressions are important, and a well-done website homepage can pique visitors’ interest and encourage them to learn more about your business.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that less is more. 

Your homepage is not a gallery; it’s a real estate investment opportunity. You need to immediately convince the visitors that your website has a reason for existing and no one else’s. 

The design elements have to tie together seamlessly and directly contribute to the goal of convincing the visitor to spend time on your site.

Checking Your Homepage’s Performance.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to web design. The design of a website may appeal to me while it irritates you. People aren’t the same, you can’t please everyone.

So, choose who to please.

How?

Let’s figure it out.

Is your website homepage generating a steady flow of new leads and sales?

Most business owners answer this question with a resounding, “No!”

And they’re right. In fact, most homepages convert at less than 1%.

What gives?

You’ve done everything you can to make your homepage look great. You’ve included pretty pictures, compelling headlines, and convincing calls to action. Yet, it still doesn’t seem to be getting the job done.

Sometimes all that’s needed is a little fine-tuning to get things moving in the right direction. But where do you start?

Here are 4 simple steps you can use to check your homepage’s performance:

• AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON YOUR WEBSITE. 

More and more people are spending time online, so it is critical that your website is set up to encourage them to stay and explore. 

Longer, however, isn’t always preferable. 

You don’t want your visitors to leave your website because they can’t find the information they need or are not able to fulfill the desired action, like making a purchase, but you want them to stay because they enjoy the content and experience.

As a performance metric, Google Analytics is one of the most commonly used tools in the market today. Google Analytics uses the difference in timestamps of hits to calculate the average time spent on a page. 

• RETURNS OF VISITORS.

The one-and-done approach, of course, isn’t going to work long term because you’ll need to keep attracting new visitors to your site and should show more effort in making them all come back or at least 70% of them. 

Visitors who already visited your website, especially those who engaged and became your customer should be enticed to return to your site by the content you are putting out there.

New visitors have a two-year expiration date set by Google. Returning visitors are marked in Google Analytics if they have visited a website within the last two years and returned from the same device. Anyone who last visited a website more than two years ago will be counted as a new visitor when they return.

• SEARCH ENGINE RANKING.

Search engine rankings are a good way to see how well your homepage is doing. You must be doing something right if your rankings are so high. If they’re low, it’s likely time to reevaluate your search engine optimization strategy.

It’s not always easy to figure out how to get a good search engine ranking. To your readers, it’s difficult to figure out what to do and what steps to take. 

I’ve been trying to come up with a fresh approach to this issue. Perhaps you need to stop considering ranking as just one element that you focus on separately.

Choosing a homepage that has a high search engine rank is important if you want your business to thrive. Having a high-quality website isn’t worth anything if no one can find it. Having a high search engine ranking can be a huge benefit to your business.

• TRAFFIC ON A WEBSITE.

Ahhh yeah, of course, the tools to measure page load speeds and site loading times. These tools can be crucial to your success because they can help you track how your website is improving or decreasing over time (month, year, or even 5 years). 

Using these tools, you can discover which aspects of your business are contributing to or detracting from your bottom line.

The homepage of your website is the first thing a visitor sees, and it’s also the source of the majority of your traffic. Your SEO strategy should include it and should conform to best practices, but needs constant tweaking.

Online statistics may be flashy, but at their core, they are nothing more than numbers. Everyone wants something and will keep looking for it until they find it.

Just because more people are looking for the same things online doesn’t mean they’re doing it elsewhere. Only you know if making a change will have a positive or negative impact on your livelihood.

5 Things That Make Up A Good Home Page

When it comes to website homepages, some things stand out – and others don’t. 

So what makes a homepage great? 

Put simply, it’s the sum of its parts. 

Here are five elements that every great homepage has.

1). SHOWCASE WHAT MAKES YOU THE BEST

One of the elements to make up a great homepage is to showcase What Makes You The Best. 

If we delve deeper into this, I mean: Why should your visitor care? 

Who knows, maybe the visitor is only looking for the above-the-fold trending topics but isn’t it always better to hook them in with something that makes them curious?

“Never compete, dominate!”

Right! Show them why you’re the best, don’t let visitors look for another site, and make them feel that they have everything that they need by visiting your website.

A good home page is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to start getting attention. If you can get customers to opt into your home page, your email list will grow dramatically, your overall conversion rate will increase, and you’ll make a boatload of money. 

And trust me when I tell you this, people will put in their details on a great homepage in droves.

2). HERO SECTION/CAROUSEL

A hero section is the area of your website that appears immediately beneath your logo and menu when a visitor arrives. As a general rule, this section of the page should contain the following: 

• Describe what you can do for us. 

• Because you are trustworthy. 
• How working with you will benefit me.

Now, you might be saying “Carousels are dead” and I forgive you for saying that.

I know and hear a lot of people saying that, and trust me, it’s not true.

The Hero Section or Carousel is one of the elements that make up a great homepage. Hero section is another term used when referring to this part of the page, however, carousel has been popularized by many startups like Facebook and Tumblr.

All in all, using the Hero Section/Carousel element on your homepage can be a highly effective strategy to use.  They can make your homepage look visually appealing, and they allow you to display relevant information that details whatever it is that your homepage is selling. 

Believe it or not, many of these elements have already been used before on popular websites. Although they are not new ideas by any means, they are gaining popularity each day as more people and companies find out their benefits. 

So why not give them a shot? 

See how they work for you and see if they have the same positive effects on your business as they have had on other businesses around the world.

3). KEY PRODUCT/SERVICES BENEFITS & FEATURES

Products and services are not as complicated as they used to be. Just tell the customer what they get by using your product or service, and let them know how much it’s going to cost. 

Done and done.

Put it on their face!

Your customer is going to be surprised to learn that you are as awesome as they think you are.

It’s important to let your potential customers know about the product/service benefits you offer, where else do you do that? 

Umm… home page. 

Just kidding.  

But yes, there is no place more important to highlight the key benefits than on the homepage.

4). TESTIMONIALS & REVIEWS

A good headline, a great offer, and a compelling call to action are fundamental factors that make up a great homepage. However, testimonials and reviews are not to be overlooked either. 

Reviews showing trust and writing customer testimonials give you an association with clients and help build the connection between them and your brand.

Testimonials & Reviews have become so important. 

This is because people want to know that you have good products and services. After all, they would hate to give their time, money, and effort to someone who is an unknown entity or doesn’t know what they are doing.

You can’t make up a great homepage without testimonials and reviews. It’s like making chicken noodle soup without the chicken, or nachos without the cheese. 

Wait…does that mean nachos are just chips with salsa and sour cream? 

Well ha! Nice try Frito-Lay, but we know better.

By the way, don’t forget to include where those reviews coming from whether it is from google or somewhere, of course, they need to know that the reviews you are putting are real ones and not that you are making them yourself.

5). CALL TO ACTION

Ha! Those above mentioned? Are just warm-ups. Here we go with the real deal….

Call To Action – CTA for short, is a term that every marketer hears about and uses. But have you ever wondered what exactly is it? Why do marketers use it and how to use it effectively?

A homepage without a clear and concise call to action (e.g., like, sign up, or buy) can sometimes be an unfocused mess. The scattershot approach doesn’t do anything except make the visitor feel frustrated and that they have ‘lost’ on their website session. Still, many websites seem to do just this — scatter bits of content all over the place with no real focus or direction.

After all the efforts you put into your website and getting visitors to engage and convert, of course, tell them the part which is the reason for all of these. Call to action button.

The buy now button, bruh.

This is the point of all these, right?

Get them or you’ll lose the opportunity. 

What a Well-Designed Homepage Can Do for Your Business?

This should be common knowledge, but just in case, a well-designed homepage can help you out a lot. As a result, we’re always looking for ways to improve our businesses. This is, in fact, true, and there is a solid basis for it. The design of your website is just as important as the quality of your content when it comes to how well your website performs.

Human psychology is a major focus in the corporate world. Consumers aren’t completely logical beings who can be persuaded by facts and figures alone, and businesses have finally realized this. Customers are more likely to purchase from your website if you create a strong emotional connection with them through the design and content of your website. A well-designed homepage can aid in establishing a relationship with customers and fostering a sense of community among those customers.

A good home page doesn’t need to include all of the above mentioned, but if you’re missing one or more of these elements you’re missing out on a key component. Even though this guide isn’t written law, it will help you get started in the right direction when it comes to designing a homepage.

The good news is that there are plenty of good home page examples out there. 

The bad news? 

It can be tough to identify all the things that make a homepage great. 

That’s why going through lists like this one can be so beneficial. Use them to get some ideas, and then start thinking about how you can incorporate these elements into your own site. After all, if you want to make a good first impression on your viewers, your homepage has to be nothing short of excellent!

Wondering where to find a good web developer/designer that can help you execute all the 5 things every great homepage has?

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