Ever had one of those awkward moments at a party where you try to impress someone with a joke, but it falls flatter than a pancake, and you're left standing there, wishing the floor would just open and swallow you whole? (Just us? Okay 👀). First impressions are tough - whether at a party or online.
Just like that joke, your homepage has only a few seconds to grab attention and make a positive first impression! It’s where potential clients decide if they want to stick around click away faster than you can say, “Wait, come back!”. According to Adobe, 38% of visitors will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive, so nailing that homepage design is super important!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to transform your homepage from party pooper to guaranteed crowd-pleaser. We’ll give you the tools to create a clear, engaging, and action-oriented homepage that gets visitors pumped about what you offer and ready to mingle (or, well, convert!). Let’s get this party started!
Alright, listen up! Before you go wild with colours and fonts, nail down your mission statement. Who’s your page for and what’s it all about? Getting clear on these questions will help guide all the design decisions to come.
What's your goal? Are you aiming for a fan base bigger than Beyoncé’s or just want to pack out a masterclass like a pro? Design your page and pick features that’ll help you get there.
Who are these groovy people visiting your site? Are they data nerds who speak fluent spreadsheet? Or meme-obsessed millennials who live for cat videos? Research your audience with surveys, questionnaires or focus groups to find out more about them. Use this intel to tailor your homepage design, content and SEO to their needs and preferences.
Want to know if your homepage is a hit or a flop? Set some specific targets, like getting people to stick around longer or boosting those conversions, so you can suss out how your homepage is performing.
We’ve all been there - landing on a website and feeling like we’ve walked into a circus with flashing banners, autoplay music, and an explosion of widgets. All you want to do is hit the “back” button and run for the hills!
Stick to 2-3 colours that fit your brand’s vibe; one main colour for the big stuff, one accent colour to add flair, and a neutral colour for backgrounds and text. This way, your homepage looks sharp and put-together!
Make sure the most important info grabs your visitors' attention first. Use large fonts for headlines, medium ones for subheadings and small for body text. And don't forget to make those CTAs pop with bold colours so visitors can’t miss them!
Use grids or alignment tools in your design software to make sure everything is neatly aligned & looking snazzy. This creates a clean, professional look and makes that amazing content of yours easier to read.
Give your content some room to breathe. It makes everything easier to read and gives your design a polished, organised look.
Keep those flashy animations and autoplay videos on a short leash. Use animations only when to draw attention to juicy details or to enhance the overall experience. Add clear play buttons so visitors can hit “play” on their own terms, instead of feeling like they’ve accidentally walked into a techno rave.
Let’s face it, nobody likes getting lost - especially online. Even if your visitors find their way to the deepest, most dusty corners of your website, your homepage should always be a click away!
Make sure your navigation menu has a clickable logo AND a 'home' link, that both take them back to your amazing homepage.
Make your URL simple and easy for visitors to remember - ideally yourcompanyname.com (after all, you want them to tell all their friends about you!)
Use tools like Dead Link Checker to identify and fix any broken links on your homepage.
For the full lowdown on how to design an awesome navigation menu, check out our blog post: "Beginner’s Guide: How to build a navigation menu in 8 simple steps"
Your hero section needs to be eye-catching and make visitors want to jump right in! Don't just let your headline do all the heavy lifting - throw in some visuals to really grab their attention.
Use professional, high-quality images or videos that show you, your work or your clients in high resolution. Just make sure to compress your files, to avoid slowing your site down!
Pick out visuals that fit with your brand’s tone and style. If you’re a cool, hip brand, maybe lay off the pics of people in pants suits. But if you’re a more traditional, corporate brand, they might just be the perfect fit!
Don't let visitors admire your hero image in silence. Pair it with an eye-catching CTA that tells them exactly what to do next (e.g. "Book your free strategy call!")
Feature sweat-inducing phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “X spaces available” to encourage your visitors to take immediate action!
Your headline is your first impression so it’s gotta be clear, snappy and make people want to know more. You don’t want visitors giving you the cold shoulder!
Make a bold statement, ask a question that makes ‘em think, or promise something irresistible.
Your headline should only be around 20-60 characters so make every letter count! For a bit of extra spice, include power words like "discover," "master," or "unlock" that invite your visitors to get involved.
Add a subheading between 70-120 characters to complement your headline & tell your visitors more about your value proposition.
Visitors need to know what amazing things you offer, fast. Clearly display your main products or services to keep them hooked & stop them from hitting the back button!
Create a featured section to show off your top products or services where they can't be missed!
Use clear titles and snazzy images or icons for each service or product so they know exactly what's on offer. Don’t leave your visitors guessing!
Hit visitors with a short and sweet description (2-3 sentences) that explains the key benefits of what you offer. Avoid any fancy jargon and use simple, straightforward language that your visitor's will click with.
Your value proposition tells visitors why they should choose you over the competition. It needs to be clear, compelling and be framed in a way that directly addresses their needs.
Forget just rattling off features - tell people how your product or service will make their lives better. Show them how it solves their problems, makes things easier or even adds a sprinkle of joy to their lives!
Create comparison charts that clearly show how your offering stacks up against the competition. Highlight key differences & benefits in an easy-to-digest format so visitors can quickly see why your product or service is the best choice.
Use bullet points to make it crystal clear why you’re the perfect solution to their problems, and why they should pick you.
The internet is fully of shady characters! That's why building trust with visitors is essential.
Let your satisfied clients do the talking! Feature testimonials with names, photos, or video clips to show potential clients that you're the real deal.
Got any shiny trophies or certifications? Don't be shy, flaunt them like a proud peacock.
Worked with big names or cool clients? Put their logos on your homepage to prove you’ve got some serious street cred. Just make sure they're relevant to your current client base!
Use a portfolio or case study section to provide detailed insights into your best work. This gives your visitors a sneak peek of the awesome stuff they can expect from you.
Add an FAQ section to answer those nagging questions before they become deal-breakers. This not only clears up potential confusion but also removes obstacles that might prevent visitors from converting. Cover the basics like pricing, approach, and eligibility. The goal is to make sure no one’s left wondering and everyone’s ready to hit that big, beautiful CTA.
With half of web traffic coming from mobiles, having a mobile-friendly homepage is super important. Don’t lose out on leads because your website looks wonky on a phone!
Make sure your homepage adapts to different screen sizes, like a digital chameleon!
Take your homepage fora spin on different devices from teeny tiny phone to huge desktop, to make sure it looks & works like a charm.
Use a mobile-friendly menu - like the classic hamburger menu - so visitors can easily find their way around without getting lost. Make sure your mobile menu are easy to access and navigate with touch interactions.
Designing a perfect homepage is like creating the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe - it takes a little tweaking to get it just right (and no we're never going to stop making everything into a dessert analogy).
Don't be afraid to experiment! Use A/B testing to compare different versions of your homepage elements (like headlines or calls to action) and see which ones perform better.
Use tools like surveys or user testing to gather regular feedback from real visitors. Listen to the people!
Set up Google Analytics to track key metrics such as bounce rate, session duration and conversion rates. You can also use apps like Hotjar to see where visitors are clicking and scrolling on your page. Pool all of this juicy intel to make targeted improvements to your page.
Congrats! You've just completed homepage hero training. By following these steps, you've built a foundation for a homepage that not only looks amazing but converts visitors into leads. Now, go forth and make some homepage magic, you design superstar!
