Your website’s homepage is the most important first impression you can make. Having a strong first impression acts as a conduit to bring the viewer deeper into your content.It is essential that your homepage and all website pages be representative of your brand. The homepage should highlight your business image and what you have to offer. That is smart branding!The experience a visitor should have when interacting with your website ought to be impressive in order to create interest by conveying an understanding of what you and your product/services have to offer.

That is the #1 objective of a strong homepage and cohesive website. Check out your bounce rate (the number of people that leave your homepage from that same page. If your website and homepage is successfully designed, the bounce rate can be decreased.That being said- the best jumping point is to start at the beginning: the

• 1. Easy Navigation

  • There needs to be an intuitive, fluid, ease of navigating through the homepage. Links that lead them to essential information should be clear and user-friendly.
  • The navigation menu should be effortless and easy to use via a simple layout and drop-down menus
  • Keep your content organized and not too heavy
  • Every aspect of your website needs to be mobile friendly, cross browser tested and responsive mobile friendly.

• 2. A Catchy Headline

  • Create a headline that captures the visitors’ attention the also shows who you are and that you have to offer; this will help create converting leads
  • Keep any media (content/videos/images) clear and concise and make sure they don’t distract the visitor from your message. First impressions count; make it a good one
  • Clearly and simply emphasize your headline since it should be the most prominent thing on your homepage promoting what your business does

  Answer the WWWH questions:

  • What do we do?
  • Why it’s wise to work with us?
  • Who do we do it for (ie your demographic)?
  • How do we do it at an expertise level?

• 3. Benefits

  The homepage should address what areas we can help with your business to alleviate slow business flow. We ask specific questions and the answers you provide help us to tackle said problems and offer a solution.

  • We will advise you on how to highlight your business’s assets (as well as product features) by using a great homepage and website so your potential clients can feel confident in going with you.

• 4. A Call To Action

  The goal is to convert an interested visitor into a new client that takes action to get more information or get in touch with your business
  That being said, your homepage is where you catch a potential client by leading visitors to take action. As mentioned before, these points are essential:

  • Headline and description that showcase “Why us?”
  • A “call to action” (CTA) button or form that is clear and specific
  • A reminder that isn’t too overbearing or aggressive, but incentivizes them with details of what they have to gain by completing an action, i.e. “Subscribe to Our Newsletter”, or Get a Free Trial”) using catchy design that stands out from the rest of the website

• 5. Contact Information

  The visitors should effortlessly be able to get in touch, input their contact information and access your company’s contact information on your Homepage. The visitor should not have to click to many different internal pages, but rather see the information quite readily available. Transparency, trustworthiness, availability and respect for an interested visitor’s time really does make an impact and a great first impression!

• 6. Copy

  The website does need to have written content, but not too much. With the short attention span we have this day in age, it is clear that no one wants to read though excessive paragraphs and dense written content. It couldn’t be more important not to make this mistake on your Homepage!
  Every word and phrase should be clean, have a specific purpose and convey your message to your potential lead. Any blog or content needs to reflect your voice, your company’s mission and be delivered in a unique tone and style that would be appealing to your best customers.

• 7. Proof

  Testimonials are very important for inbound marketing, but by utilizing the power of social feeds and social media you can give your visitors a sense of the community you have.
  This also lends more credibility to your homepage, which can help a lead feel more comfortable, and that they came to the right business who can serve all their needs.

Everything you’ve read may be an overwhelming number of factors to keep in mind. Remember, the best rule of thumb is: keep it simple and clear. All of the elements should flow and compliment each other seamlessly and appear effortless. When executed properly with all of these factors accounted for, it will ensure for a pleasing, easy user experience.