The homepage is arguably the most important of all the pages within a website that web designers create.
Given that most visitors to a business website land on the homepage first, this page has the job of instantly connecting and engaging with visitors. If it does so, it will keep those visitors on the site, hopefully with them then taking the desired action. If not, they will click away almost immediately and likely never return.
With this in mind, website owners must ensure that when their business website is being designed, they know what elements should be included on the homepage to maximise visitor engagement. To help them, we have selected some of the most effective ways of doing so in the seven tips outlined below.
Make It Obvious What Your Website Is About
Before they land on your website, visitors will have clicked on a link on another website, such as social media, an online business directory, or even a paid ad. When they do so, they will have an expectation of your website, so the homepage must immediately make it clear what your website is about.
Ensure The Content Resonates With Your Target Audience
Every business with a website should know its target audience, but more than that, it should have a website design that will appeal to and resonate with the audience. That is especially so for the homepage, where the text, images, and other content and features must be congruent with the business’s audience.
Ensure Your Homepage Loads Quickly
This is one of the most talked-about principles of web design, but amazingly some websites are still slow to load. To ensure that your homepage engages your website’s visitors immediately, it is essential everything that can minimise load time is implemented, such as reducing image file sizes and removing sluggish plugins.
Give Visitors A Clear Pathway
A homepage should not be forcing visitors to second-guess what steps they should take to explore and consume the content within the website. For this reason, your homepage must include clear signals as to how visitors should proceed using calls to action, visual guides, and clear navigation.
Choose Your Colour Scheme Carefully
Did you know that colours can have a psychological influence on people? For example, red can suggest urgency, white is purity, blue is trustworthiness, black is elegance, yellow is optimism, and green is health and wellness. Whichever emotions you wish to invoke in visitors, the colours on your homepage can assist.
All Text Must Be Easily Readable
The majority of the content on most homepages is likely to be text, and as it is often the first thing visitors see when they arrive, it must be easily readable. Complex and artistic fonts, which look like they have been written in hand using a fountain pen, will most certainly not be engaging.
Your Homepage Must Display Properly On Mobile
You are hopefully aware of most internet access switching from PCs and laptops to mobile devices. This has led to the need for websites to be made responsive to function properly with mobile software and display correctly on smaller screens.
