The website is the core of the digital marketing initiative for any business and it is the home page where everything starts. For very obvious reasons, the design of this page matters the most because this is probably the first point of contact with the audience. No matter how much traffic you are able to get for your website, it is the conversion that actually matters and the home page has a crucial role to play in this context.
Therefore, every marketer should pay extra attention to this page's design because one that excels on this front can definitely drive more business through the effective conversion of traffic. If you are interested in knowing all that needs to be done, here are some home page design fundamentals that you must absolutely stick to.
Highlight your value proposition clearly
To start with, your users should immediately understand your core offering as soon as they land on the home page. The idea is to highlight your value proposition clearly, probably within the first fold of the design. Be choosy about the elements you showcase in the header because this is the first design element that the user would see. Also, ensure that you create an attractive banner that uses cohesive visuals and text to convey the value of products or services that you are offering. If you are running a special offer for your audience, do have it placed prominently.
Ensure consistency with your brand
Your website should essentially be the replica of your brand so that the audience is able to instantly connect it with your presence across the offline selling channels. When you visualize the home page design, do keep brand consistency in mind. Have the brand logo placed right on the top of the page and use the brand colors in the design theme. The idea is to give your audience a consistent experience, whether they see your brand online, on billboards, magazines or in-store.
Place call-to-action relevantly
The home page is generally the first page where the users are made to land and you would obviously want them to take some action once they reach thereon. These actions could be diverse, from filling a contact form to directly purchasing the offering or reaching the other pages of the website. Unless you have clear and relevant call-to-action buttons on the home page, you will not be able to drive the users to move ahead. Relevant and contextual placement of these buttons is, therefore, a vital element of good home page design.
Content drives success for the design
Although content is not directly related to design, it does play a key role in making the latter more effective. Additionally, it is also one of the main strategies for home page SEO success as explained in https://seojet.net/blog/homepage-seo. Create a storyline as a part of the design strategy, adding each block of content as if you are taking the user on a journey. Besides blending content with design seamlessly, you should also provide a story that is genuine and valuable for the audience.
Emphasize typography
While high-quality and informative content matters a lot, typography is equally important because the content has to be readable to engage the audience. Choose the right font style and size for the home page to ensure that it is easy to read for everyone. Balance is the factor that matters the most when it comes to choosing a font that works. It is equally to have consistent typography throughout the website.
Use high-quality images
Another design feature that you must prioritize is images. Focus on showcasing high-quality images that blend perfectly with the color scheme of your home page. It is advisable that you use the original image to ensure that your site appears unique and credible. For your home page to be impactful, make sure that the images are aligned with the content to create a perfect storyline that sells. This is to keep the page attuned with the trend of storytelling in marketing.
Test the design on mobile devices
Responsiveness of design is as important as any other element. Unless the users get seamless and uninterrupted experiences across all devices, you cannot expect to hold them even with the best-looking website. Moreover, a majority of web traffic comes from smartphones these days, which is the reason why you cannot overlook responsiveness as a part of your home page design strategy. Do test it thoroughly to verify that it fits in all screen sizes without any issues.
Ditch the slider
There was a time when sliders and carousels were regarded as trendy design elements. But the trend is passé now as users prefer simplicity, particularly when it comes to the design of the home page. Avoid giving them an information overload which sliders usually do and the user may prefer to just bounce back rather than stay on your site. Moreover, these elements can slow down the loading speed, which can be another deal-breaker for the user experience.
Use plenty of white space
With the home page design, simplicity is the secret sauce to success. Marketers, web designers, and users, all love white spaces because they make the page clear and appealing to the eye. Also, all the elements that you want to showcase get highlighted effectively if you make liberal use of white space on the site. Plus, a clutter-free page that has minimal elements is capable of loading at a lightning speed.
Leverage user-generated content
When it comes to getting smart with your home page design, you can think out-of-the-box and leverage user generated content. Real reviews and testimonials of the customers are a good example of such content. Not only do they stand out as a part of the design, but also add credibility to your business and brand. User-generated content also gives you extensive benefits from the marketing perspective.
Now that you know all the elements that your home page design should have, you must reassess your site's page to identify the problem areas and address them. As a marketer, you must follow a comprehensive strategy that covers every aspect, from design to development, user experience, SEO and more.
