Every website design have a main landing page of the domain. We call this the homepage. The homepage of your website introduces your brand. It includes important elements, which help new as well as existing customers navigate through the website and find the information they need. Thus, businesses put in special effort when they have the homepage of the business designed.
The designer is explained every detail regarding the objective of the business, target audience and the unique selling point. The web designer works towards putting up the best design, so that the first impression is strong and encourages action. The goal of the homepage might be anything – to capture email subscribers or to sell products, the design is crucial.
Homepage Designing – Why You Shouldn’t Copy Another Design
You might simply love another homepage design and wish your website too had something similar. But remember, a homepage might work just perfectly for a business, but it might not be the best one for you. While designing a homepage, a few questions need to be answered, so that you the homepage serves the needs of your business perfectly.
- What the visitor needs to do? Will your visitor purchase something or join an email list?
- How easy would you like the process to be?
- What will be the steps towards completion of the goal?
- What information will be needed to move to the next step?
- Do you think you can remove a few steps to make the process easier?
When visitors land on a specific homepage, they might know what they want but at times, they are not quite sure. The homepage design needs to be user-friendly, simple and offer every kind of assistance to the visitor. The main objective of the homepage design should be to ensure that the visitor finds the navigation convenient and reaches the information quickly. However, this needs to be in alignment to the primary goals of the business.
The First Impression Matters
People judge any business from the first impression and when they land on your homepage, they do it quicker. Survey suggests that approx. 46% people mentioned that the homepage design is an important factor – based on how comfortable they are, they choose to further navigate and trust the business. If the website is not optimized for mobiles, it can be disastrous for the business. Just a few clicks and the visitor quickly move to the competitor website. Thus, remember the design of the website plays an important role in deciding how the business performs.
What Makes a Good Homepage Design
The design and the placement of different elements on the homepage often takes weeks and sometimes months to complete. If the homepage is visually pleasing, it helps in retaining the visitor and helps the visitor to interact with the brand, business and site. Visuals usually grab the attention of the users which can be a strong image or a phrase or a wording which is memorable.
Some elements which visitors often look at on any homepage are:
- The primary graphic or the image – Is it of the right size? Is it oversized or too small to read?
- The logo of the brand
- Navigation details to know what the website contains
- Message or the text – what it conveys
- Footer for contact information
Homepage Design Tips
Designers often consider the following when they think about an effective homepage design:
- Clarity is Important – You need to ensure that your customers are aware of what you are offering. Visitors are impatient and if they are not able to find what they are looking for, they will quickly leave. Thus, ensure that you are clear about your offer.
- Loading Time – The site loading time is important. If your homepage doesn’t load quickly, your visitors might not have the patience and move away. Plus, a slow loading site isn’t good for SEO.
- Effective Content – Visitors look for useful information. The homepage content needs to be smart, creative and convey the message clearly.
Call to Action – This should never be missed. No matter, how good the design is, if your customers do not know how to contact you or where to click, it is not going to help your business. Call to action button needs to be clearly visible as well. - High-Quality Images – Remember images should be clear and original. No one likes hazy or blurred images. People will not have confidence in your brand if they find it perplexing.
- Real Photos – If you are selling products, it is specifically vital to add real images of the products. Users do not like sketches or mockups – instead, before making a purchase, they would like to have a clear idea of how the product looks like.
- Maintaining Balance is Crucial – You need to ensure that the design of your homepage maintains good balance and structure. Loud colors or awkward graphics will decrease your brand value.
- Updating is Necessary – You need to keep updating the homepage design and content from time to time. Keeping the homepage relevant and fresh will help your business in many ways.
Remember to hire the right people to design your website and ensure they have all the needed information. Talk to our web design experts to understand how you can make your homepage appealing to visitors and convert visitors to sales.
