How To Build a Winning Home Page
When it comes to building a high-performance website, your home page is where the magic begins. It's like the face of your site, summarizing everything you have to offer and helping visitors find what they need. Think of it as a complete summary of your website, leading people to different pages and making their experience seamless.
Now, let's talk about the structure of your home page because it can make a huge difference in how people interact with your site and ultimately boost its overall performance. While every website is unique, there's a general structure that works wonders for most businesses, creating value and converting visitors into top-notch leads.
Hero Section: Grabbing Attention from the Get-Go
First impressions matter! Your hero section needs to be a real attention-grabber. It's the first thing people see, so make sure it answers three key questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- How can people buy from you?
As you add content, don't forget that it needs to load quickly too so all of your images or video files need to be compressed. Slow loading times can be a real buzzkill, so test your content and optimize accordingly.
Credibility/Results: Building Trust like a Pro
As visitors scroll down, you want to build trust before asking them to take action. Show off a simple review section or a quick overview of your portfolio. This adds credibility and shows people that your business is the best option when it comes to meeting their needs. If you've worked with some recognizable brands, flaunt their logos because that instantly boosts trust!
Details About What You Do: Getting Down to Business
Here's where you dive into the nitty-gritty details of your offerings and how they can help people. If you have a few services, create a section that showcases and explains what you can do for your visitors. It's like a shortcut to the information they're after. On the other hand, if you offer a bunch of services, organize them into categories. Instead of overwhelming your website visitors with every single service, create a section called category overview section that clicks through to an overview page.
Keep the text concise and guide people to other relevant pages. This helps reduce bounce rates, increase time spent on your site, and gets people to where they want to go as soon as possible.
Soft Call To Action: Encouraging Engagement
By now, visitors should have a good grasp of what you do and how you can help them. So, it's time for a gentle push to get them to call or fill out a lead form. Make it super simple and quick for them to express their interest in working with you. No need to be too pushy, just give them an opportunity to get in touch before they leave your home page or click through to another page.
More Results/Testimonials: Letting Others Speak for You
If visitors haven't explored other pages or responded to your soft call to action, it's time to build more trust. Share some impressive results, testimonials, or case studies. Let people see the concrete evidence of your success. Written testimonials, video testimonials, and solid proof go a long way in establishing trust with new prospects.
Value Add: Going the Extra Mile
Some people like to do things themselves, and that's okay! Cater to them by showcasing resources or blog articles that provide a deeper understanding of what you offer while offering them some practical advice to do it themselves. Sometimes, people try the DIY route only to realize they need a pro (that's you!). If you're just starting your blog or resource center, focus on offering practical advice that shows your audience you genuinely want to help them achieve their goals.
Strong Call To Action: Sealing the Deal
Now it's time to go all in and capture those leads! Create a strong call to action with a high-intent lead form that encourages people to submit a form or schedule a meeting. Remember, the more qualifying questions you add, the lower your conversion rate might be. Find a balance between quality leads and tire-kickers.
To boost conversions, you can even offer a special promo or discount. Make sure it's something valuable to your audience. Remember, the more value you provide, the more trust you build, and the higher your conversions.
And finally, let's not forget the footer.
Keep it simple with links to the rest of your site and basic contact information. The footer acts as a secondary menu, helping people navigate through your site effortlessly. To grow your email list, consider adding a basic email submission form for newsletter sign-ups.
Now that you know the key elements your home page needs, it's time to take action and give your home page the attention it deserves. Does your current home page include all the elements we've discussed? If not, there's definitely room for improvement!
If you need help or guidance in optimizing your home page, feel free to reach out to the Better Sites team today or as a question in our Slack Community.
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