4 Fast Ways to Optimise Your Website Homepage
Your website's homepage is a key player in converting your website visitors into sales. It's responsible for making sure people know that they’re in the right place and can find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible.
So, if your marketing strategy is bringing in the right people in droves, but your only customers are your mum and Aunt Sue, it's a proably a good idea to make sure your homepage is pulling its weight.
Today, I’m going to highlight 4 homepage elements that are easy to add, and can make a huge difference to your conversions.
1. A call to action button
When someone lands on your site, you’re probably hoping they will fall in love with your offering and then take the next step— whether that’s buying something from you, booking a meeting, finding a stockist, subscribing or starting a trial.
But, people aren’t going to take action unless you make them an offer, so don’t forget to ask with a clear call to action.
You can place your primary call to action in multiple places on your homepage, but common places people expect to take action include the top right of the page (read about Z-Shaped reading patterns for more on this ), below the primary headline (e.g. Stripe's website below) and towards the bottom of the page (especially on longer sales pages).
When crafting your call to action, make sure that—
- It grabs attention. Make it a different colour, bold the text and make sure it looks clickable.
- It includes specific, action-driven, compelling copy. This isn’t the time to be vague, make sure you tell people what will happen when they click the button.
2. Compelling headlines
Ever been on a website for a good 5 minutes and thought 'I still have NO clue what these people do!’ It’s probably because their website copy is vague or confusing. A lot of the time this is due to the knowledge gap between the person who wrote the copy and the person reading it (sometimes called the 'curse of knowledge').
I think it’s important that people get a good idea of what you do and how it will benefit them as soon as possible after landing on your website. This makes your first ‘hero’ headline and image crucial.
Take some inspiration from Bellroy (ecommerce), Spotify (SAAS) and Oscar (service). Each of these serves up a concise, clear and simple headline that tells people what they do and why it matters.
- Company: Bellroy
- What do they do? Considered carry goods.
- Why should the customer care? It will enhance their everyday items.
- Company: Spotify
- What do they do? Music for everyone.
- Why should the customer care? Millions of songs for free. No credit card.
- Company: Oscar
- What do they do?: Health insurance for you, your family and business.
- Why should the customer care?: It will help you feel better.
Beyond the initial headline and image, most people are skimming, scrolling, scanning their way through your website, so you’ll want to hook them in with engaging headlines in an easy to read layout. As the user scrolls, give them information in bite-sized pieces with clear, distinguishable headlines throughout the page.
3. Imagery that sells your value
Finding the perfect imagery for your website can be a challenge, but is well worth the effort. It’s the first impression of your brand and can work to build trust, or leave people wondering whether you’re legit.
When choosing an image, remember who the hero of your brand story is— it’s not you, it’s your customer. Put yourself into your customers’ shoes. What are their deepest desires? What would it look like if their problem was solved? What would they be, look like, experience or have?
For Sodashi, their end value is beautiful skin and a luxurious skincare experience— this image sells both.
Airbnb are selling ‘unique homes and experiences’ and showcase an example of this in their hero image—a secluded converted fire lookout station in Southern Oregon, built in the early 1900s and propped 40 ft above ground.
4. Social proof
When they first meet you, your customers are looking for clues that you’re trustworthy and credible. This is why it's a good idea to include social proof (or evidence that other people love and use your offering) on your homepage.
Including testimonials on your home page is a great way to build trust, and if you have a stellar client list, you can consider using their logos on your page enhance your brand’s credibility too. Check out how Mailchimp have carefully selected customer quotes and logos on their homepage below.
I hope this has given you some inspiration and ideas for your own website, BUT, before you jump in and make any changes, make sure you've setup free tracking software like Google Analytics and Hotjar so you have a baseline to evaluate whether your modifcations are a success.
When you're ready for your updates, consider using clear call to action buttons, compelling headlines, imagery that sells your value and social proof elements to optimise your homepage.
What do you think— will you be changing anything on your homepage in the near future? What else would you consider to be an ‘essential’ on your website homepage? Let me know in the comments! And, if you found this post helpful, we’d love it if you shared it with your friends or followers too.
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