There's No Place Like Home...page
- Sebrinia Welch
- Sep 27, 2023
- 5 min read
Menu:
When we walk through the front door of a place, I believe our initial reactions can tell us a lot about how we want to interact with the space.
Think about the last store you visited and recall the first few steps from when you walked in - what were your initial thoughts?
How did you feel when you walked in - Did you feel welcomed? Did the vibe match what you expected?
How were things organized - Did it look easy to navigate, like you could find what you were looking for pretty easily?
Did you see or at least know exactly where to go to check out, if you decided to make a purchase that day?
The homepage of a website is the digital front door for a small business or nonprofit and those impressions are what your visitors will think, feel and see in those first few moments they spend on the page.
If a visitor likes what they see and feels comfortable with their initial impressions, they are more than likely going to be curious and continue to explore more. If a visitor has an immediate negative impression, they are probably going to bounce (leave the website) before engaging any further.
Creating a Welcoming Home
By setting up a strong and compelling homepage, you can set the tone for the experience of your target audience as they continue their journey, as well foster immediate connection and trust.
You can also set up your homepage in a way that helps your visitors navigate to other parts of your website or to the desired action that you want them to take through how you organize your content.
And let’s not forget, with the limited resources most of our small businesses and nonprofits have, having a well-crafted homepage is a cost-effective, efficient, and powerful foundational tool for our digital marketing effort, as we can optimize it for search engine visibility, convey our core messages, direct traffic from other platforms to its central location, as well as manage our conversion efforts.
Top 5 Elements of a Strong, Professional Homepage
It’s important to think about what type of experience you want your visitors to have when they first show up to your homepage. There is a lot that can be done, however it is crucial that you process through what you decide to publish on your homepage.
Here are few elements to consider:
1. Clear Branding & Value Proposition: A theme that should be coming through is that “first impressions” are so, so key! You want your visitors to not just feel comfortable that they want to continue engaging, but that they will remember YOU!
Make sure your logo is prominently placed and you have concise messaging that quickly communicates your organization's purpose, mission, and the value of what you offer.
2. Clear & Intuitive Navigation: Make it easy for visitors to find their way around your website with an organized and uncomplicated menu. Whether it's about product categories, services, events, or client stories, having clear navigation reduces bounce rates and elevates the user experience.
3. Engaging Visuals & Content: “A picture is worth a thousand words…” Capture the attention of your visitors with quality images, videos, and graphics that they can connect with and positively associate with the message and identity of you small business or nonprofit.
4. Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs): Did you know that 70% of small businesses don’t have a CTA on their website homepage?1 Make sure you add CTAs, like "Donate Now," "Shop Today," "Learn More," or "Sign Up for Our Newsletter" to help guide visitors towards desired actions.
5. Trust-Building Elements: Testimonials, “featured in…” statements, endorsements, and awards help to build credibility for your visitors. For nonprofits, this could look like client success stories, data infographics about your impact, or badges from professional associations. Small businesses might consider displaying customer reviews, product ratings or a photo gallery of customers using your products.
While it can be tempting to add a lot to your homepage, it is also important to remember that
1.) too much information might be overwhelming and potentially a deterrent for visitors, and
2.) you have other pages to add additional information. Again, think about making a positive first impression - we want them to stay, engage and click other pages!
RESOURCE: Guiding your Homepage Build
Whether you are building the homepage of your website from scratch or you are updating an existing one, processing some initial questions at the forefront can be extremely helpful in building your strategy, as well as creating better alignment to your overall digital marketing plan.
Here are some questions to consider as you design and create your homepage:
1. Purpose & goals for your homepage:
What is the primary goal of the homepage? (examples: driving donations, selling products, providing information)
What do you want visitors to do immediately upon landing on the homepage?
2. Audience perspective:
Who are your target audiences that you are trying to drive to your website?
What are their interests, needs or pain points?
How do you want visitors to feel when they visit your homepage?
3. Identity and messaging:
What content or assets does the homepage need to help communicate your identity through colors, logos, and design?
What is the value you offer or your mission statement that needs to be communicated to first-time visitors?
4. Navigation & organization:
What are the most important pieces of information or sections that your audience needs to access quickly?
5. Calls to Action (CTAs):
What primary action(s) do you want visitors to take? (examples: call a phone number, complete a form, make a purchase or donation, download a file, etc.)
6. Visual appeal & multimedia:
What images, graphics, and other multimedia elements can help connect with visitors and convey your messaging?
How can you create a balance between text and visuals to ensure you’re not overwhelming visitors?
7. Trust & credibility:
What elements can you add to establish trust immediately (examples: reviews, certifications, impact stories)?
Do you have any partnerships or endorsements that you want to highlight?
For small businesses and nonprofits, where every impression counts, a well-thought-out homepage becomes a key strategy for effective digital marketing. It helps set the stage for inviting your audience, letting them know who you are and that they are welcomed in.
If the thought of creating or revamping your homepage feels daunting or overwhelming, remember that a website it like a living document - you can always make changes and adapt slowly. Any effort you make, no matter how small, works to get you closer to an optimized open “door” for your small business or nonprofit!
1 Source: Business2Community
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