Although it may be a bit cliché, first impressions count. It is human nature to make instant judgements. Whether it’s a person, event, or website, the most vital time for winning over your audience is in the first few minutes – or even the first few seconds.

Occasionally, you may win over visitors with a website because the content is actually pretty good. However, more often than not, surfers just won’t invest the time it may take to look past an overly busy, flashy, or simply unfathomable website home page. So what makes a great home page?<!–more–>

Employing Home Page Essentials
Your website’s home page is your invitation to stay and see some more. As such, it has a number of roles to fulfil: tell your visitors who you are, what you offer, how you can help them, and where to find additional information. Each role is important and should be prioritised in accordance with your website goals. Following, in no particular order, are 4 tips to help fine-tune your home page.

1. Clearly Identify Who You Are
A well-devised logo will enable you to immediately introduce your brand – and maybe even convey your USP. Your website colours and style will also have an immediate impact on that all-important first impression.

Your company name should be prominently displayed, taking away any guesswork in identifying who the website represents.

2. Set Out Your Stall
This is your ‘elevator speech’ – what do you do? Make it short, punchy, and to the point. The fewer words the better. If your introductory paragraph (or two) successfully does its job, then you will have more opportunities to wax lyrical about your products once the surfer extends his or her visit.

Keep in mind that your website should be an extension of your normal business demeanour. A cleverly written home page introduction can also convey the tone of your website.

3. Include Clear Calls to Action
Don’t be shy. Make it clear where you want your website visitor to go next. Your navigation menu provides access to all the areas of your site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t direct visitors yourself.

A strategically positioned image can work wonders as a “call to action,” instantly indicating the benefits of following your suggested path rather than following any other link from the home page.

4. Don’t Get Busy
Be selective with your home page content. In most cases, less is more. Establish your main website objectives, then organise your home page content accordingly. Here are some tips:

• Use white space liberally to differentiate between your content; this will make it easy to quickly hone in on the most relevant messages.
• Be selective with your images. The right pictures can instantly get your message across. Too many and your home page may lose some focus.
• Consider using video. A well edited video message can be a fun and effective way of sharing your elevator speech.
• Keep your most important messages “above the fold”. Your visitors shouldn’t need to scroll down to learn what you are all about.

Remember, too much content crammed into your home page can be confusing at best – and downright annoying at worst.

Your home page is perhaps the most important page of your site. It can make or break that all important first impression. If you would like help improving your website home page, call us on 01484 690430.