Thoughts

Every business is different, with it’s own needs and objectives, but there are some simple guidelines that can help all businesses improve their homepage. Of course, not everyone will enter your site through the home page, but we’ll deal with that in another post.

These are just a few insights to get you on the road:

1 Who are you targeting?

Write a list. Pull out the main one or two audiences your really want to reach. Now, personify them. Get a pencil and write down “Steve is a self-employed builder, Susan is a mother and works part-time as a nurse.”

2  What do they want?
Step away from your own viewpoint for a moment and put yourself in the position of the visitor. They’ve just typed something into Google, or followed a link in an email or a referral; Why did they do that? What are the things that they are looking for and will they find it on your page?

3  What do you want?
Now that you have Steve or Susan looking at your home page what is the absolute key thing you want them to do?

If you want them to buy your service, put a big, obvious link somewhere prominent.

If you want them register for something, make it really, really simple for them to do that one single task.

If there is more than one task, make sure that they do not clash with one another.

4  How much time do they have on their hands?
Many people will make a decision about your site before it has even loaded; If it takes too long they are gone. If they’ve stuck around for a while, the chances are that they’re trying to find something. Show them something interesting straight away; keep your text brief and to the point and don’t use too much too much jargon.

5  Will they bother clicking on anything?
Possibly not, so try to give them everything they need with no interaction. Put prices, special offers, a big video or whatever will satisfy your audience’s needs right there.

6  What does ‘conversion’ look like?
A successful home page will ‘convert’ your audience from a casual surfers to ‘converted’ customer. The only way to do this effectively is to be clear what it is you want them to do and channel them along that route so it feels completely natural.

7  Do you have a complex sell?
Sometimes it’s difficult to explain exactly what it is you are offering. If that’s the case, don’t make the visitor sit there thinking ‘what exactly do these guys do?’, put it right up at the top in big letters.

8  Why Choose You?
Are you offering a product or service similar to other businesses? If so, differentiate yourself by saying ‘we are different because we do X, Y, and Z’ and put it somewhere obvious.

9  Where are you?
The web is international so it can be confusing for visitors to know where your business operates. If you want international clients, make that clear and don’t waste people’s time by putting it in the footer. If you’re mainly serving a specific region or area be up front about it – it may even help with your SEO.

10  Is your audience in your industry?
If not, don’t expect to understand your jargon. Technical and industry terms can confuse and give visitors the impression that you’re a faceless big organisation. Be human, friendly and speak their language.