Is there a problem? Surely it’s simple…isn’t it? A logo, navigation, a welcome message, that’s all you need? Yes? Well, perhaps it’s how the average home page is designed, but do you want to be average?
Actually a homepage must achieve a lot in a small amount of space, ideally the space above the fold, so the visitor doesn’t need to scroll down the page. After all, it’s the page that everyone sees, and It’s considered to be the most important page on your website by the search engines too.
So, what is it we want to achieve on the homepage? It does depend on the purpose of your website, but typically you will want to include the following,
- Identity – what is this site about and why should I stay here?
- Navigation – what does the site have to offer and what will I find here?
- Site search – a simple search box so I can find what I want
- Teasers – short content teasers to entice me inside the site
- News – latest industry news or timely content
- Specials – special deals, discounts or introductory offers
- Sign-in – access to members, accounts or customer pages
- Copy – sales copy showing the benefits the visitor will gain
And to help your visitor you needs to show him where to start. This is especially necessary if your site has so much to say your visitor could be easily overwhelmed by all the choice.
Don’t forget to establish some credibility and trust. All good copywriters have several techniques they use. For example, well known branded logos and images, testimonial letters or stories and case studies by other people.
Okay, you see the problem now? That’s a lot to achieve in such a small space. So there’s more to this than meets the eye.
