The home page of your website is a landing page for people who find the page. You should treat it like any other landing page. You don’t want to leave them in the dark wondering what to do.
What is your main offer?
One thing you need to know when creating your website’s home page is what your main offering is. When someone lands on your home page, they need to see in seconds what you do and for whom, and there must be a clear call to action.
Answer these questions on your home page:
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What company is this?
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What problems do they solve for me?
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What stands out about this company?
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What can I do on this page?
If people visit your site and have no idea of the value you provide, they will simply leave.
Focus design and copy on your ideal client
Developing a customer persona can help you create a home page designed just for them. That includes design and copy. To create the persona, think about these questions:
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What is your main problem or pain point?
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What is your demographic?
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Who is your ideal client?
Once you answer these questions, you’ll be able to design the right website for them instead of you. It’s their website but it’s made for them.
Create public friendly navigation
What you include in your home page navigation is important. It should only be your most essential information that you want them to see and act on. To maximize lead capture, you’ll need to keep your navigation options low.
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Limit top level options
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Avoid dropdown menus as much as possible
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If you use dropdown menus, use visual cues
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Keep the header height small
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Make sure your page is responsive
The best homepages only have options like Contact, About, and the blog. If you have a store, you can also include a Store page in the main navigation links.
Include a call to action
Many people don’t include a CTA on the home page, leaving their visitors confused about what to do. You shouldn’t just have one CTA on your website, you should have several. You want multiple entry points to collect the maximum number of leads.
Mobile friendly design
Make sure your website offers a responsive design so it can be viewed on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Today, there’s really no reason why your website shouldn’t be responsive. If not, you won’t get as many customers because most people will just walk away if they can’t figure out what you can do for them in seconds.
