Anatomy of a Successful Homepage

First impressions are always important.

But when you only get around 3 seconds to make an unforgettable impression before that potential client clicks away, well that first impression becomes critical to your business success.

Knowing that to include, and what not to include on your website’s homepage can be overwhelming.

Some sites seem to put everything, as in their whole site, on their homepages. While other’s take a more minimalist approach. Neither of these approaches is right or wrong, but there are some common guidelines both would do well to follow.  

Make sure you have a super compelling Homepage “Hero” section

The very top of your homepage that visitors see before scrolling down is THE most impactful part of your website. This section is often called the “hero” section because it is truly that important.

This small but mighty section is what helps people decide if you can help them or not, and therefore if it’s worth sticking around to learn more about you and your offerings.

So, you’ll need to grab people’s attention quickly and clearly show what it is you do, how you can help them and what action they should take next if they are interested in going deeper. 

A catchy headline spelling out what you do and who it’s for is key!

You’ll also want to make sure you’re sharing a super clear Call to Action in this section of your homepage to lead people towards their next logical step.

Make your offer abundantly clear

Make it abundantly clear what it is you are offering. If you can make it clear that you are offering exactly what they want, your website has already done 90% of its job.  

A great way to share your offering is with a powerful headline in your “hero” section. You can also reiterate your offering further down the homepage, especially if you have several different products or services.

Empathize with their struggle

Most businesses offer a solution to a problem. So by sharing the kinds of problems your clients are struggling with you show them that you get it, and that you feel for their frustrations.

It may seem a little mean to bring up your potential customer’s pain points, but it is one of the best ways to show them that you can truly help them since you actually understand their struggles. 

After all, if you don’t know what they’re struggling with how could you possibly help them?

Share the results they can get with your help

Now that you’ve empathized with their problem, you can share how your product or service can help them. Paint a picture of what their lives could look like after they’ve worked with you / used your product.

You’re showing them the “after” that they’re craving and some proof that you can get them there.

Don’t let them just take your word for it, share a few testimonials from your happy customers! And if you can show their faces, even better!

Make a connection

Once you’ve talked about your offer and shared what life could look like for your potential customer with your help, now is the perfect time to introduce yourself.  

A good way to think about writing your “about me” sections is to keep your customers and your biggest mission as the main focus. Speak to why you help the people you help, why you created this offer and what it means to you to help them overcome their struggle. This takes the pressure off of you writing about yourself, but also keeps things interesting and engaging for your potential customers.

Remember, they’re on your website looking for answers, so as nice as it might be to learn about the person behind the business, they ultimately just want to know how you can help them!

Oh, and sharing a photo of yourself, even if you aren’t selling a 1:1 service can be a great way to build trust and create a connection between your customers and yourself.  

Clear-as-day call to actions

Tell the people what they should do next!

Help those potential customers take the next step forward. Offer a clear next step to move them towards your end goal, without being overly pushy or aggressive.

If your ultimate goal is to have people buy a product from you, then send them to your product page. If you are selling a service, take them to your detailed service page.

The idea is to keep them on your website and to help them learn more about your offering, so if it is a good fit for them, they’ll move forward again in your sales process to either buy from you or book an inquiry call. 

Quick tip: Make sure you keep your interested potential clients on your website. Don’t send them off to social media sites, that would be a step backwards in terms of getting to know your offering and we don’t want that!  

Show don’t tell – when you can!

Beautifully photographed photos will do a lot of the selling for you, so make sure to feature them prominently on your homepage.

If you are selling a service then your customers will want to connect with you, and what better way to build that connection than by showing your smiling face! I know, it can feel uncomfortable sharing your photos online but this is truly one of the best ways for people to connect with you.

After all, we’re all just humans and we love connecting with other people!

Share relatable social proof

It’s scary to be the first person to try something, so help reassure your potential clients by sharing testimonials from your previous clients or places where your work has been recognized. This helps establish you as an authority and as an established business worthy of their trust.