What should a home page include? And why isn’t my home page converting more site visitors into prospects and customers? Good questions. I have answers.
Why Isn’t My Home Page Converting More Site Visitors into Customers?
I get this question from almost all of the businesses that reach out to me. First thing’s first — what does your home page look like, what information does it include, how clear is that information, and where is that information located on the page?
The hard truth: Many home pages aren’t designed to convert.
As with a resume, a home page (or website) often doesn’t seal the deal, but it can get you in the door. Now, let’s say you’ve submitted your resume for a job you really want. And let’s say the company calls you in for an interview. Do you show up in a bathrobe and curlers? Flip flops and ripped jeans? A red shirt, green pants, clown shoes, and an estate sale’s worth of flashy jewelry?
How you show up for an interview depends on the company in question and the job you’re seeking. First impressions matter. For the most part, people get that. What many people don’t get, however, is that their home page is the first impression they make on many prospective customers or clients. It’s their calling card. Welcome to my business, dear site visitor. That’s what your website might as well say. Spend some time here and get a sense of who I am, how I operate, and, most importantly, how I can be of service to YOU.
When a home page looks dated and poorly designed, site visitors may wonder how you can possibly be so awesome when you don’t seem to care how you show up. Many home pages include too little information, leaving site visitors confused about what you do and what benefits you provide. Or they include walls of text that would scare most anyone who comes calling.
Fonts and font sizes shift inexplicably. Color schemes are erratic. Links are broken. Content is filled with typos and seems thrown together. The logo and site images are blurry. The blog includes only two posts, both from 2019. That weird “under construction” symbol is flashing.
The stakes are high for most businesses, but the rules can vary. A designer with a poorly designed may have trouble converting site visitors into customers. A copywriter or content strategist with a poorly written site may have better luck converting businesses looking for bargain basement pricing. A marketing agency with a dated site and a blah brand message won’t attract savvy business owners looking to make a name for themselves.
What Should a Home Page Include?
A lot depends on who’s visiting your site — and how they got there in the first place. Generally speaking, however, your home page should include the following:
- Hero image
- Tagline or services summary
- Calls to action: Include two calls to action to address the needs of different audiences.
- Featured services and products: List them and link to subpages.
- Benefits: List 3-4 key clear benefits or pain points. Help site visitors see why they should spend more time on your page — and why they might ultimately buy from you.
- Process: Summarize the process of working together in 3-4 clear steps.
- Free resources: People like free things, especially when those free things provide value by helping them solve real problems.
- Client logos and testimonials: Proof of who you’ve worked with can help greatly, particularly when your site visitors don’t know you from Adam (or Eve). Until you’ve built trust and credibility with your site visitors, you’re just another face in the crowd. Give them some of the reassurance they’re seeking that you’re the real deal.
- Industries: List the industries you support if it’s relevant.
- Links to your social media pages
- Concluding call to action
Eliminate the Guesswork
You don’t have to go it alone. This free home page blueprint will show you exactly what to do.
