There are a lot of website optimization articles out there, but not a ton that solely focus on your website's homepage.
Everyone knows that your website homepage is one of your customers' first impressions of your brand. Once a visitor lands on your homepage, they see it all: your logo, product visuals, your value proposition, a great headline, customer testimonials, and more.
It's important to cut out all the fluff on your homepage and only present the most essential information above the fold. This is the best place to make your case on why your prospects should purchase your product.
This is easier said than done, so that's why I wanted to talk through the perfect homepage. This blog post will highlight some of the elements that come together to create that perfect, high-converting experience for a potential customer.
Your homepage's purpose
Since your homepage might be your site visitor's first encounter with your brand, you need to understand its focus and what you're trying to accomplish with it.
The purpose of the homepage is to do a few things:
- Educate someone who has no idea of what your product does or what your brand sells and emphasizes
- Make it easy to purchase (ideally by giving them a good "starter pack" style bundle/product)
- Show validation, credibility, and/or social proof that you are legitimate
- Properly convey the problem and solution they are solving for
- Make it obvious why they are better than competitors and anything else on the market that currently exists
We make sure all of these points are addressed when we think through new homepages at Sharma Brands.
In addition, all of the elements among the web page's layout (headlines, images, photography, copy, taglines, pricing, featured bundles/products) are only there because they have proven to work.
The headline in the hero section of the site should have proven results that in testing it had the highest CTR (click-through rate), and the four featured products should be the products with the highest sell-through rate (aka best sellers). By testing each of these elements in your web design, you will improve the user experience, decrease your bounce rate and increase sales overall.
Validating your consumers' wants and needs
When it comes to validation, you have to keep one thing in mind: when consumers are shopping, they assume you are guilty until proven innocent. What does this mean?
It means you, as the brand, need to give your target audience all the validation that they are not making a stupid decision by buying what you're selling. You don't want your customer to be embarrassed that they made a silly purchase when the box arrives or their friend asks for a product recommendation.
This is why I push the idea of reviews, UGC, and press snippets/quotes. You, as a brand, saying you have the best product doesn't mean anything. However, GearPatrol or Michelle Hayden saying the same thing means the world.
Personalizing your web experience
If you want to take your website to the next level, think about how your homepage changes for people from different cities.
For example, if you sell skincare, focus on pushing products and a business message that aligns with the location of someone coming to your site. If you sell flavored water, focus on pushing flavors that do well at different times of the day.
This involves creating a website homepage design that is personalized to different buyer personas. In the end, the personalized approach might be just what the shopper needs in order to convert.
Provide value no matter what
One last tip is to think about how someone can learn something from your homepage that benefits them. It doesn't matter whether or not they end up becoming a customer of yours.
For example, at JUDY we push emergency preparedness guides for consumers to at least know the bare minimum of what to do and expect in the case of emergencies that may affect them.
The easiest way to do it is to think about the problem you solve and address it with a digital solution. Not only do you create something they'll remember, but you increase time on site and might get a second chance to sell them down the road.
The perfect homepage
It can be stressful deciding how you want to structure and design your homepage.
You have to worry about everything from the navigation menu to the call-to-action buttons (CTAs) and more. In addition, you need to make your messaging and design pop, while still ensuring that all the keywords are optimized for SEO.
With these tips and a dash of inspiration, you can create a compelling homepage that provides a great mobile experience and drives sales for your company.