Your website’s homepage is the digital front door to your business. Sometimes it’s the first impression potential clients have of your brand, making it arguably the most critical page on your entire website. A well-designed homepage for a website doesn’t just look cool; it strategically guides visitors towards becoming customers. And it does this while communicating what makes your brand so amazing.

Why Your Homepage Matters

Since a lot of providers don’t have brick and mortar spaces, it’s helpful to think of your homepage as the lobby to your digital office building. When you walk into a building with a cluttered space lacking clear direction, how do you feel? You might turn around and walk right back out. A homepage for a website should have the same inviting, organized, purposeful atmosphere you’d hope for in person. 

According to a study in Behavior & Information Technology, it only takes 0.05 seconds to form first impressions of a website. You have to be intentional from the moment people land on your website.

Elements of an Effective Homepage for a Website

1. Brand Messaging that Resonates

A homepage for a website should immediately answer the question: “What does this business do?” Within seconds, your visitors should understand

• Who you are as a brand
• What services and/or products you offer
• How you solve clients’ problems
• What makes your brand great (even if you offer the same services as your competitors)

Effective brand messaging isn’t just about describing your products and services; it’s about communicating your values and connecting emotionally with your audience. 

Consider how I approached this challenge for my client Hardwood Alchemy. I could have written an above-the-fold tagline that said something along the lines of “Handmade furniture in NYC.” That would have gotten at the who and what of Hardwood Alchemy, but it lacks emotional resonance necessary to make the brand stand out from the moment people land on their page. 

Instead, I crafted the above-the-fold tagline “The alchemy of artisan woodworking.” Alchemy and artisan communicate an elevated level of skill, aesthetics, and customization. It lands differently for clients who want their homes to feel singular.

Your unique value proposition should be front and center, ideally above the fold. Keep your messaging clear, concise, and focused on benefits rather than features. You can get into those on your Services page. Visitors care less about what you do and more about how you improve their lives.

If you’re not sure where to start with articulating your brand messaging, take our Brand Messaging Superpower quiz! You’ll get insights into what makes your brand stand out so you can get to work on your homepage.

2. Strategy that Encourages Exploration

A well-designed homepage for a website acts as a roadmap, building visitors to the information they need. Your copy should dictate design. This ensures that your design supports your brand messaging instead of distracting from it. Your branding, copy, photos, and web design should work together as much as possible. (Mushaboom Studio has a great series on this.)

Rather than overwhelming visitors with every detail about your business, your homepage should drive curiosity with glimpses that encourage deeper exploration. Consider these principles for your web copy and design:

• Visual Hierarchy: Use size, color, and positioning to emphasize the most important information on your homepage.
• Strategic White Space: Give content room to breathe. Make your page easy to skim and digest.
• Consistent Navigation: Make menu items intuitive and keep them consistent across your site.
• Compelling CTAs: Use action-oriented buttons that stand out visually and guide visitors toward desired actions.

In most cases, all of your links on a homepage for a website should be internal. Link to featured blog posts, service pages, and contact forms. Each CTA should logically connect to the copy above it.

3. Client-Centered Content that Connects

Here’s the thing about your homepage: It isn’t about you; it’s about your clients. To create content that resonates with them,

• Speak directly to their concerns. Address specific challenges that your ideal clients face without poking at their pain points unnecessarily.
• Use their language. Incorporate vocabulary and phrasing that’s familiar to your audience.
• Showcase social proof: Incorporate testimonials, reviews, and case studies from happy clients. Avoid putting all of your reviews on one page separate from the rest on your website. People tend never to click on those pages.

Understanding your ideal clients’ tastes and concerns requires research. Analyze your competitors, conduct surveys, review social media comments, and engage directly with your audience. The insights you gather will help you craft messaging that will feel like it was written specifically for each visitor. 

Maybe you’re thinking, “Wait, wait. Who even is my ideal client?” Not to worry! I’ve created a workbook to help you figure out who your ideal client is so that you can start crafting marketing that resonates. Download Your Ideal Client Workbook for free!

Crafting Your Homepage Strategy

Creating an effective homepage for a website is an ongoing process of refinement. These steps will put you on the right path:

1. Define your goals. What specific actions do you want visitors to take?
2. Know your audience. Develop an understanding of your ideal clients using Your Ideal Client Workbook.
3. Map the journey. Plan how visitors will navigate from landing on your page to conversion.
4. Create compelling content. Develop messaging that speaks directly to your audience.
5. Design for impact. Make sure that your visual elements support your messaging goals.
6. Test and refine. Use analytics to track performance and make data-driven improvements.

Small business owners tend to think of their homepages as static. The truth is that as your business evolves and your understanding of your audience deepens, your homepage should evolve, too.

Create an Impactful Homepage

Creating an engaging, effective homepage for a website requires strategic thinking and careful execution. It’s about supporting your messaging with user-centered visuals and web design. You have to balance laying out the fundamentals of your brand with addressing your clients’ needs.

You can craft effective, strategic homepage copy – even if you’re “not a writer.” Brandcendent’s Web Copy Template provides a proven framework for writing homepage content that converts visitors into clients. With step-by-step guidance and pro copywriting techniques, you’ll be able to transform your homepage into a powerful business asset.

Get your copy of Brandcendent’s Web Copy Template and take the first step toward a homepage that truly works for your business.