Whether you are redesigning a website or starting a new site from scratch, these are the features you really must include on your home page.
Logo/ Branding
As soon as your website loads, your uses should be able to see your branding. Whether this is the logo, the color scheme or typography, users should be able to immediately recognize what site they are on. This logo and branding should be consistent throughout all of your company’s marketing collateral.
Clear, Concise Navigation
We always start our projects by defining what the navigation should look like. This includes arranging the pages into groups if needed and determining which links should go where. We don’t have a one-size fits all approach to this step of the process, we look at your specific site as a user and offer up our best suggestions on how to get users to the information they need, as quick as we possibly can get them there.
Photos
We all know the saying: a picture is worth a thousand words. So why not use this to your company’s advantage? Photos help engage users (more so than text) so put some gorgeous photography or quirky illustrations on your site to keep users engaged.
1-2 paragraphs about your company (at least)
Consider this your only opportunity to tell users who you are and what you do. If users can’t get that out of your home page copy, then you might as well just watch your bounce rate skyrocket.
CTAs
CTAs (call to action) should be used to highlight important information or get users to do what you want them to do. Want them to sign up for your newsletter? Need them to go to a certain page? Use CTAs (prominently displayed) to do just that.
Social Media Icons or Feeds
If you have any sort of social media presence, you should include links / icons from your website to each social page. If you’re super active on social media, consider even placing a feed on your website. Users can then interact directly with your pages from your website.
Contact Information
So users have decided that they like what you’re offering. How do they get in touch with you? If your home page doesn’t have any contact information or at the very least, a link to a contact page, they’ll move on to the next site that offers the same product or service as you.
If your current site is lacking in any of these areas, get in touch with us! We’ll provide you with a no-obligation quote on what it would take to make your site as great as it possibly can be.