When embarking on a mission to create an online identity, most businesses fail to understand the importance of design. Specifically the design of the homepage. Your company’s homepage is a crucial part of your business as it can serve as a full-time company representative who’s always willing to offer information. When designing your website's homepage, you should pay careful attention to these essential design elements.
Source: Mixbook
A website's headline is a brief description of the website's brand and services. It is usually located within is a small space just below the title of the site. The purpose and size of this headline may seem small, but it is way more important than you think.
Your website's headline is probably the most important copy on your website and is most likely the first that anyone will see. That's because it is located on the most prime real estate on the page which is right at the top. It is also a part of the website that can be seen all the time, even when navigating through to other pages and posts.
This is why the message you place here will be delivered effectively as it will constantly be seen by your website's visitors. This is why you should try to go with striking headlines in order to properly associate itself with your brand.
PayPal has a straightforward headline that sums up their entire business in just a few words. “The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid.” This headline is severe and to the point as the services deals with serious issues in regards to money. A lighthearted approach would work here, but it can be relevant to other brands.
Source: Paypal
Your headline can be a quick message describing your brand. Your sub-headline can be a more in-depth, supportive description of the actual services you offer. A websites sub headline can also be a perfect opportunity for the brand to highlight its customers' most common pain point which its services solve. This is just one of the reasons why a subheading is important.
The subheading has become less valuable to most established brands of late. Part of the reason for this is that customers already understand their pain points and just want to get to the service.
This, however, isn't stopping plenty of other website owners from adding expertly crafted subheadings. Websites with minimal designs are using the subheading portion as an excellent sales pitch just before the sites primary call-to-action button.
Call-to-action buttons are used to effectively navigate website visitors to different areas of your brand’s sales funnel. These buttons are usually located close to the most important primary and secondary offers on your homepage.
Call-to-action buttons must be clearly highlighted in a striking color that is preferably a color that isn't consistent with the theme of your website. This will cause a contrast in the color scheme of your site's design which will cause the visitor to take notice of the button.
Examples of call-to-action buttons are "Make an appointment" or "Sign up." These are usually placed towards the top of your homepage. These are the offers that will navigate visitors to your money making service. Depending on your current marketing campaign, you could even add free offers such as "Try for free" or "Free Download" up top or even lower down as supportive offers.
Placing an image on your homepage is a perfect opportunity to showcase your brand. Its advised that you should make use of a wholly relevant and professionally taken picture. The picture must help entice visitors to take up your offer.
Try not to go with generic stock photos here. It will be a waste to use a general picture here instead of being unique and special. Large, full wallpaper type photos will be perfect as it will look great on all devices. Just make sure that the file size of the picture is not too large as it can slow down your website’s speed. Try compressing the image first before upload.
This is the middle portion of your home page which you can use to discuss both your product (or service) features and benefits. Most successful websites are using this section to showcase their products features the same way you would on a physical brochure.
Stack high-quality lifestyle photos on top of each other with a clear description of the feature and how it will benefit the user. After creating and placing about four of these, you will end up with an excellent home page that looks like a catalog for a high-end product.
Website conversion and bounce rate are two essential elements of online marketing that can make or break your website. To be successful in your efforts, you need to clearly navigate visitors to the places of interest on your site.
There is no use having a useful blog on your website when there is no clear link on the homepage that will lead a visitor to it. Make sure the menu is clearly visible and navigating to other offers, and useful information is accessible.
People who browse your website will want as many options available while keeping navigation simple. This can be difficult to attain because the moment you have too many items on a page, it becomes overwhelming for readers. Try grouping similar items or departments.
Information is vital when developing a website. Information is needed for customers to understand your product as well as to gain trust with your site. Trust, and confidence plays a significant role towards completing a sale.
You can add more information in regards to your product, such as product list and comparisons. You can list the products and features side by side. Lower down the homepage is also another great place to have testimonials, trusted brands, and methods of payment. When customers see this, they will begin to have more trust in your brand.
Having a confident and well-designed website isn't at all that difficult to attain. However, it is a must. Especially if you wish to promote your brand to the masses. Going for a clear, minimal website with just information on your services isn't enough today. People who browse the internet expect these elements to be of a high standard to enjoy a great browsing experience.