When it comes to your website, first impressions are everything. Users often leave a web page within 10-20 seconds, which means you have little time to capture their attention and sell your brand or service.

Your website’s home page will get the bulk of your traffic, which is why it needs to be great so you can prove your company’s value and convince potential customers that your company is worth their time and money.

9 Things You Need to Include on Your Website’s Home Page

Are visitors abandoning your website as soon as they arrive? Worried your home page isn’t providing the content and value needed to capture the interest and attention of users? Here are 9 critical elements your website’s homepage needs for your business to be successful.

A Great Headline

The first thing customers will see when they land on your website is the home page headline. Depending on the device they’re using, it may be the only piece of content they see upon landing.

A great headline invokes a sense of belonging with customers and makes them feel like they’ve come to the right place. It captures the essence of your brand in a quippy way. And it encapsulates the feeling you want users to have as they explore your website.

Writing a great home page headline is hard. You may want to task a brand copywriter with writing it. If you don’t have that resource, try to be as straightforward and brand focused as possible.

A Clear Value Proposition

Whether a customer ends up on your website by chance or purpose, you need to make your company’s value immediately clear to them. Customers need to understand what your company does, how it does it differently, and how it can help them achieve their goals. You can set this up with a simple value proposition.

Your value proposition should summarize why someone should buy your product or service. It should convince them that it will improve their life, and that is better than what your competitors offer. Think of it like the elevator pitch that will capture their interests and convince them your website is worth exploring.

An Overview of What You Do

A great value proposition will tell you why customers should buy from you. But you also need a business overview that explains what you do, and the features, products, and services you offer. This information helps customers immediately determine if you have the specific kinds of products and services they need.

Great Navigation

Navigation is an essential part of any home page. If users don’t have a clear path into your site or no clue of what they can do, they’ll bounce before they’ve reviewed any of your content. That’s why you need clear navigation so they can get where they want to go fast.

You should link to the most important pages on your site, and include a site map, so users can find their way to the information they’re looking for. Try to use dropdowns in your navigation menu, so they can quickly understand the information architecture of your website. And if you can, include a search box, so they can efficiently navigate to wherever they’re trying to go.

Accessible Contact Information

You’ve got to make it easy for customers to get in touch with you if you want to earn their loyalty and trust. Customers don’t have the time or patience to click through your website looking for contact information. That’s why you should include it in either your universal header or at the very bottom in the footer.

Customers have different preferred methods of communication, so if possible, you should include multiple ways for them to contact you. These methods can be phone, e-mail, or even chat if you offer that service. This is important because if you don’t offer their preferred mode of communication, they may not contact you at all.

Also, if your support team is only available during certain hours, make that clear by listing your hours of operation.

Proper SEO

What’s the point of having a good website if no one’s going to end up on it? You need good SEO so that your website is actually discoverable by a search engine.

You can do this by practicing proper SEO techniques like:

  • Using proper keywords
  • Displaying links
  • Naming page titles and URLs correctly
  • Embedding proper images and videos

By taking these simple steps, you can improve your search engine ranking, and appear higher up on search results.

Excellent Content

Content is key when it comes to a website home page. It demonstrates that your website offers quality content and that you’re an expert authority in your field. It’s also what helps you rank higher in SEO.

Content can be a lot more than just words. It can be high-quality photos, social media feeds, videos, blog posts, and even news articles and awards.

Testimonials

Does your company have positive reviews from your current or previous customers? If so, include them on your home page! These testimonials build trust with your customers and show them that other people have already experienced success with your brand.

Testimonials are especially helpful if you’re a newer company. They make your products and services more tangible to site visitors and help them determine if those products and services will meet their needs.

A Solid Call-to-Action

So, you’ve managed to land some customers on your home page. What do you want them to do now that they’re here? Your home page should clearly outline the next steps you want them to take as customers.

Think about what you want customers to do. Do you want them to subscribe to a blog or request a consultation? Decide on one or two max paths you want customers to take. If you have more than that, you’ll clutter your home page, and ultimately confuse customers.

Ready to Redo Your Website?

Building your website's home page isn’t easy. But by keeping these 9 things in mind, you can set yourself on the path to success.

Is your website in need of an overhaul? We can help you make a mobile-friendly, custom website in no time! Contact us now for a free 30-minute consultation to see how we can help you build your dream website.