By now you have probably realized that your home page receives the most traffic out of all the pages on your website. Why is this? Well, time plays an important factor and your home page is usually the oldest page on your website. This means it has had the most opportunities to rake in inbound links. It is also the URL that gets the most advertising on other channels and the starting place for your direct traffic visits.
So how much effort have you invested in your home page? The good news is that even if you have not given it that much focus it is never too late to start making changes and improvements. Here are our top tips for improving the experience for visitors that land on your home page.
Have A Clear Value Proposition Throughout Your Home Page
An effective home page has a clear value proposition that can be followed throughout the page. It shows visitors what the value of your solution is and why they should continue reading. Don’t know how to construct a value proposition? Just try answering these questions:
Why do your company and website exist?
What can your visitor do on your website?
Is your visitor the ideal client for your business?
If that person is your ideal client, are you giving him some good reasons to buy from you?
The more elements of a value proposition a home page can encompass the more effective the home page will be and the better its performance will be.
Focus Your Design And Copy On Your Reader
The website reader should be touched through effective copy and design. Think ahead and incorporate the most typical questions your site visitors will have and focus your efforts on answering them. This will allow your value proposition to come out a lot stronger, too.
Make Your Navigation Intuitive
Your navigation should support your value proposition by making it easier for readers to find out what they are looking for. Without the right navigation, it would be difficult for people to find what they are looking for, and they might just press the back button, which is something you don’t want them to do. Search Engine Journal provides the following insights on effective navigation:
Navigation starts with your choice of landing page in the first place. Most advertisers are sending clicks straight to the home page. Don’t do that. Use targeted ads and send your users straight to the most relevant page. You want them to see exactly what they expect to find based on the text of the ad. If they feel even slightly misled they will run screaming for the back button.
Call Your Readers To Take Action
It is highly likely that your site visitors have landed on your website with the intention of doing something – but they may not recognize what it is at this point. Your home page should propel visitors from the starting point of their buying process. Maybe they need more research and information first. Perhaps, they need to speak to your in-house expert before they feel confident about making a purchase. Your home page must instruct them to take the right action.
Promote Your Own Content
Your home page is the perfect place to promote all the different types of content you produce. After all, this is the place where most of your traffic starts out in their journey on your website. Your content could include anything: blog articles, resources, videos or sales pages.
One of the biggest reasons that people go to Google is to find information – they may have questions they want answered or problems they need to solve. Let your content help them meet these needs. A lot of helpful information can develop a reputation of credibility and trust.
Can You Convince Users To Choose Your Brand With A Pricing Statement?
Of course, the world of online commerce makes it quicker and easier for users to price shop. And if you want to stand out from your competition, a pricing statement can be very convincing. This is especially true if you already know that your products or services are priced higher than your competitors. Or, if your value proposition revolves around quality and not price.
So what should your pricing statement say? This excerpt from a Moz.com article explains what it should contain:
If they find it for cheaper you would match, particularly if you offer to match any better price even up to 30 days after their purchase. Or some people may have a value proposition right in their tagline, for example, High Fashion at Affordable Prices. Or you may be a luxury brand and want to steer away from this. Think about your audience, and take what makes sense for you from this article.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Put Additional Thought Into Your Home Page Design
Presentation is everything when it comes to enticing prospective clients and especially so when it comes to marketing. It should go without saying that your home page messages should be presented with some extra thought given to aesthetics. If you want to stand out from your competition your design should be more appealing. Hubspot explains how to invest extra effort into your home page design:
Examples of thoughtful design includes improving readability and use by leading the eye to areas most important to readers, giving space between elements to create separation of ideas for readers, mobile-friendly design and other approaches that enhance the usability of the page.
Invest In Trust
On its own, trust is a major factor in helping your website to fulfill its objectives, particularly if it is an e-commerce site. Perhaps, you should show a security certificate or demonstrate that you offer free shipping. Perhaps it is important to your audience that you show your industry memberships or affiliations. All of these trust can add even more credibility to your home page.
Ultimately, it comes down to knowing your audience and what your users need to push the purchase button or contact you to find out more about what you offer.