Top 5 Components of Your Homepage

Your homepage is the first thing potential clients or customers see when they get to your website. Let’s look at 5 components that will help your homepage achieve maximum impact!

1. Consistent Branding: We generally read from left to right, top to bottom, so let’s make sure everyone knows whose site they are at right off the bat with your logo in the header. You should also use a consistent color scheme to accentuate your branding. Use the colors in your logo or if you only have a single color logo, take a look at Adobe Kuler for some color palette suggestions.
2. Contact Information: Make sure your phone number (and any other important contact info) is above the fold-that is, before the user has to scroll.
3. Clear, Easy-to-Use Navigation: You want everyone to be able to get to your valuable information. The easier it is to get to and understand the more likely people will be to access it. People WON’T spend time looking for things. To be user friendly, aim for no more than 2 clicks to get to key information, don’t bury it in layers and layers of subpages.
4. Attention-Grabbing Headlines and Images: You have about 5 seconds to capture your audience and keep them on your page. A well written headline and image will help get them interested and keep them on your site to learn more.
5. A Unified, Concise Message: When it comes to content (ie. Headlines, images, copy) on your homepage, make sure that it has a cohesive, definitive message. A potential customer should be able to tell at a glance who you are and what you offer. Users make decisions in a few seconds, and WON’T read between the lines.

Design is an important factor on your homepage but don’t forget about content.  Great design can pull a user in but they won’t look twice if the content isn’t useful and well organized. What’s that old saying…”You only get one chance to make a first impression.” Make sure your website gives your audience what they are looking for.

Please let us know what you think is the most important element of your homepage below. If you would like to see some more homepage design examples take a look at our portfolio.