Your homepage is the landing page for the entire rest of your site, so you want to make sure it is top notch. As the first thing your visitors and potential future customers see, your homepage should be as optimized as it can be. That first impression is oh so important to visitors and thus yourself alike.
Your primary goal is always to keep your visitors engaged and wanting more. Optimization is the key here, and there are certain strategies that work better than others. Here are some tips to remember when designing your homepage, so it can be the best it can be.
User experience, also called UX, is what makes a homepage navigable and understandable to everyone who visits it. Your homepage should be friendly and easy to access, with incentives and graphics that keep visitors returning.
Your homepage should clearly show who you are, what you do, and what kind of products or services you sell. You want visitors to know right away what you can offer them- you don’t want them to be confused. A clean and simple homepage can be done- don’t get caught up in too many traps to make your website ‘pop’. Focusing on the basics is enough.
Visitors love to skim, and frankly, so does everyone. You want to make sure that your homepage can be easily skimmed but your visitors will still have all the information they need. Use simple words, accessible graphics and language, and you’ll be able to relate to people far better than if you try to show off. Lists are great, as are concise sentences and images.
Make sure visitors know right away what your motto is- place it on the top of your webpage, put it in bright colors, whatever you need to do. Action verbs are great here. Narrow yourself down to one memorable call to action, and your visitors will instantly know what to do. Connect the call to action with a link that allows visitors to click on it and then do exactly what the call to action says.
Search Engine Optimization is not to be ignored. Use SEO to target certain demographics of your audience, learn more about them, and market better to them. You want higher click rates and time spent on your site, so it will rise up in Google searches.
More than half of internet traffic comes from, you guessed it, mobile users. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you need to get on that stat. Making sure your site is accessible to everyone is vital to your business’ success.
Have contact information readily available on your site so your visitors and customers can contact you. This provides human interaction and warmth. Your users want to know you are reliable and real, and that you can help them with any issues they have.
Make sure your site’s navigation bar is clear and takes visitors to where it says it will take them. Your Contact section should be obvious, as should your About and Support and Product sections, etc. Less is more.
Don’t say “we,” as you’re not involved here. Talk about how you’re helping your customer directly- address them as you. Make people listen by talking to them directly- it will show you are focused on them and that you really care.
UX, or User Experience, is vital for making sure your visitors have a good experience on your site. Make sure they remember you fondly, so they’ll come back again and again.
A beautiful homepage is a great homepage. Have eye-catching images and graphics, animations and gifs, and visitors will want to stay around longer simply to look around. You want an aesthetically pleasing experience.
Don’t stick to black and white, unless that’s your thing. Using colors draws visitors' eyes all around your page. Colors help keep your information eye-catching and interesting. Don’t go overboard, but even a splash of color helps.
Your brand must have some sort of personality, right? Let it shine. Being real and relatable will allow visitors to connect with you and your brand. You need to have a stated presence that will draw an audience to you. This will help you build relationships, especially if you blog alongside your main product sales. Make everything personal.
Moving images and videos are huge for a homepage. As long as you don’t have twenty videos on your main page, animations and videos can really do you well. Visitors can interact with them and see your brand’s story and message. GIFS, effects, background videos, and the like will help your homepage stand above the rest.
Use your first impression wisely- make headlines interesting and fun to keep visitors engaged. By being unique and easy to understand, you will stand out from the competition and gain a bigger audience.
Have a game plan in mind when it comes to your site, and make sure every aspect of your site sticks to your main message and story. Everything has a strategy. Overall, make sure your homepage showcases your personality and passion. Once you do that, sales will follow.
There you have it! Easy strategies to make your homepage UX stand out in a crowd.
