A superior homepage is critical for getting high-quality clients. Your homepage is the front door to your company’s virtual presence — it helps visitors determine whether they want to step inside or stay as far away as possible. Unfortunately, many business owners and decision-makers struggle to get it just right.
So, how can you tweak your homepage to capture, engage, and convert your target audience?
The answer lies in standout design. We’re here to show you just how valuable your homepage is and how you can develop one that captivates your audience and sets you apart from the competition. Let’s get right to it!
Why Should I Care About My Homepage?
Listen, first impressions matter. They matter a lot, especially in business. You wouldn’t show up to a job interview in your pajamas unless you didn’t want the job, and you wouldn’t direct your leads to a poorly-done homepage unless you wanted your bounce rate to skyrocket.
A carefully-curated homepage can be the game-changer you need to solidify your branding and boost your online presence. Here are some of the other rewards you can reap after giving your homepage a bit of TLC:
Better First Impressions
It only takes a site visitor an average of 50 milliseconds — or 0.05 seconds — to form an opinion about your homepage. Afterward, they’ll either keep scrolling or they’ll leave.
If you want to lower your bounce rate and keep viewers on your site, you have to make every interaction count. Once visitors leave because of a bad first impression, they probably won’t be returning any time soon.
Improved SERP Rankings
On the topic of lowering your bounce rates, guess who notices when your bounce rates drop and your user engagement rises?
It’s not just you — search engine giant Google keeps an eye on these things, too. When the algorithm picks up on your reduced bounce rates and increased conversion rate, you’ll gain the trust of the AI and validate your homepage as a valuable digital space for your chosen keywords. Finally, some recognition!
Boosted Brand Recognition
Your homepage gives you a unique opportunity to introduce your brand to your visitors. You can use this to tell them who you are, what you do, and how your company can provide them with more value than any competitors in your niche.
This creates an instant connection with your potential customers, which is the first step to winning them over and even turning them into brand advocates down the line.
Increased Credibility
One of the greatest gifts that the internet bestowed upon the world is research, and few people take that lightly. A whopping 81% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. For these studious shoppers, their best resource is going to be your website.
Once prospects visit your homepage, they should feel reassured and confident of your legitimacy as a company. If your copy is poorly written, your design is shoddy, and your homepage is full of desperate attempts to make sales, you’re going to scare these prospects off like frightened deer.
Instead, give viewers a sneak peek into your organization. Showing them the human touch behind the brand name is a great way to reassure them that you aren’t some faceless scammer.
Easier Navigation
Sometimes, website owners forget that their homepage needs to direct users to other areas of the site — the most gorgeous and well-written homepage in the world won’t help you if you don’t have a way for customers to continue down your sales funnel.
What Should I Include in My Homepage?
Remember what we said before — you have 50 milliseconds to win over your audience. Make them count by prioritizing the following pieces of the puzzle:
A Snappy Headline
While you can get into the nitty-gritty details in the body of your copy, your headline needs to be short and sweet. As quickly as possible, explain who you are, what your business does, and why your audience should care. This needs to catch your visitor’s attention before they leave, so put enough love into it that it’ll convince them to stay.
Compelling CTAs
Usually, websites aim to convert audiences. Whether you want audiences to purchase a product, subscribe to a service, or sign up for your email list, remember to actually ask them to do so with a call to action. You can use a button or plain text, but these components have to stand out against the other elements of your homepage to be effective.
Tantalizing Testimony
Social proof — user testimonials, business credentials, earned media, and the like — is a powerful tool for building trust with your audience. A jaw-dropping 92% of consumers trust non-paid recommendations more than they do paid advertisements.
It’s okay to make claims about how effective your products and services are, but of course, you’re going to say your own company is awesome. Make sure that potential clients believe you by showing them where other consumers have backed you up.
An Undeniable USP
While talking about your brand and your story is important, you can save the bulk of this for your about page. On your homepage, you’re still trying to convince your audience that you’re worth their attention — tell your viewers what’s in it for them if they stick around. Show off your unique selling proposition (USP) and how they’ll benefit from working with you instead of your competitors.
Pristine Pictures, Vivacious Videos, and Intriguing Infographics
If you want to stand out from the competition, you need to provide your audience with value at every point of contact. So, how do you make your homepage valuable?
Break up the blocks of text on your homepage with videos, images, and infographics. Having a variety of media on your page means there will be something there to catch every visitor’s attention, and it overall makes for a more interesting web design.
Make Your First Impressions Count
Your homepage can make or break your digital marketing efforts, so make sure that you put time and care into curating a page that represents your brand in an honest, flattering, and attention-grabbing way.
Need a hand with web development and content creation? We can help you out.
10com Web Development is a one-stop shop for web design, graphics, SEO, and more. Request a free, no-obligation quote from our team today to see how we can help you revolutionize your brand’s digital presence.