Techblog
Eight top tips on how to improve your homepage design
Pay attention to the design and user experience of your homepage and you're much more likely to get customers to stick around and ultimately convert. Here are eight top tips.
When someone lands on your homepage, you only have a few seconds to convince them that it's worth sticking around - and hopefully clicking around. With so much riding on that first impression, make sure your homepage is drawing visitors in, not pushing them away. Here are eight ways to do just that.
1. Keep your CTA above the fold
With studies showing that users spend most of their time "above the fold" - that is, the part of a webpage that is visible without needing to scroll down - experts recommend keeping your call to action (CTA) as well as other important design elements above the fold in order to grab attention and increase clickthrough rates.
2. Use responsive design
With the number of mobile devices set to outstrip desktops this year, websites must cater to mobile users or risk losing business. Google recommends the use of responsive design, which dynamically adjusts the elements on your homepage to create an optimal experience for the user regardless of the device being used. If you're a myBusiness member, you can try this out on your user dashboard. Resize the browser window and see the changes to the page layout.
3. Don't force users to think
It should be obvious what your business and brand are all about as soon as someone reaches your homepage. By providing a clear focal point, intuitive navigation and unambiguous content, you reduce the number of potential question marks a visitor has about your site, making it less likely they will abandon the page due to confusion or frustration. If there's too much information, make it clear where they can find it.
4. Stick with conventions
People tend to like the familiar and the known. When designing your homepage, stick with conventional design elements that people can instantly recognise, such as social media links, search boxes in the right-hand corner, prominent menus, side bars and a site map at the bottom.
5. Use relevant keywords
Because your homepage will have more inbound links than any other page on your site, having an abundance of relevant keywords there can help your site rank higher in search engine results. The use of keywords should not be abused or overdone, but rather incorporated as part of an overall strategy of providing quality content.
6. Limit the number of adverts
Don't overwhelm visitors with too many adverts on your homepage. For websites selling products and services, it's better to remove all adverts from the homepage altogether as you don't want to compete with your own offerings.
7. Track your metrics
Viewing your metrics with Google Analytics and other tools can provide you with invaluable information about where people are clicking on your homepage as well as other parts of your site. With this information, you can experiment with different layouts and elements to determine which are most effective.
8. Make use of templates
With the plethora of affordable and professionally designed templates on the market today, there is simply no excuse for having a poorly designed or dated website. In particular, WordPress offers thousands of free and professional templates for use on their platform, making great-looking websites a breeze.
By paying attention to the design, usability and overall look and feel of your homepage, you can provide a positive first impression that will make people want to click around and get to know your business.
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