The homepage of your website is the digital front door of your company. It has to make the right impression within 3 seconds by answering one crucial question of the visitor: what’s in it for me? But how do you do that exactly, make a good home page? Dazzle gives you a few handy tips & tricks.
The basic tips for a good homepage
Answer the 3 w-questions
KEEP. IT. SIMPLE. STUPID. It’s a design principle that is still hyper relevant. Don’t make people search for information needlessly. They won’t do that anyway. Look at the website with the eyes of an outsider and ask yourself three questions:
- Who are you?
- What are you doing?
- What problem do you solve?
Does your visitor get a clear answer to these questions within 3 seconds?
Give a 3-second message
Write out your home page in full. Create logical text blocks and find nice images to go with them. Then leave it for a while and think about your 3-second message. Now go back to your text and delete. Get to the absolute essence of your message.
Use good images
We live in a visual world. And that also applies to a good homepage. So use enough qualitative and relevant images or videos. But beware, don’t make your home page too busy either. Build in enough white space for your visitor to relax.
Good homepage essentials
Primary part of your homepage
A homepage consists of two parts: a primary and a secondary part. The primary part is visible on the screen without scrolling. Make sure your most important message is in this primary section:
- A clear and logical menu bar, including a search bar, that makes it easy for visitors to find their way around.
- Make sure your contact information is directly visible and give the visitor the choice of how to contact you. Be sure to make this part of your menu bar and footer.
- Think of a short, clear and simple title that tells the visitor within 3 seconds what your site has to offer. Answer the question: What does your company do?
- You should also come up with a clear and concise baseline that answers a second question: what problems do you solve for the visitor?
- Add clear call-to-actions that invite the visitor to do something, e.g. subscribe to a newsletter, request a quote, make an appointment, download something, request a trial period, etc.
- Customer reviews: very important and extremely effective. If you can also supplement the reviews with personal photos and personal names, you will hit a home run.
Secondary part of your homepage
The visitors who are really interested in your offer scroll further. In the secondary section, you have the opportunity to provide these captivated visitors with additional information, for example:
- A list of unique benefits. Compile your list of unique benefits with one clear question that’s on the visitor mind: What’s in it for me?
- Additional information linked to your product or service and a list of product specifications.
- Elements that inspire confidence, such as recognitions, diplomas, certificates, awards, press articles, number of followers on social media…
Usability is key
These are the building blocks of a good homepage. One last tip: make your website mobile- and user-friendly! Norman Nielsen Group has long cited the importance of web usability. After all, more than 50% of all web traffic is carried out on a mobile device. Dazzle makes all its websites in Drupal or WordPress, two platforms that are guaranteed to be mobile responsive and user-friendly.
