As a creative entrepreneur, how do you choose the right building blocks of an engaging home page? How do you decide what elements to combine in order to create an effective message for your small business? Keeping those pieces simple is the name of the game, so here are four ideas for crafting the building blocks of an engaging home page.
Use stunning images and graphics
Ever visit a website where you are immediately struck by the beauty of their images? The main photo or photo slider is totally on-brand and draws you into their site right away. Or have you ever been struck by the intriguing simplicity of their graphics? It creates a wonder and curiosity about their brand that urges you to scroll down and explore just what they’re about.
This is why the right visuals are so important to drawing in your ideal client and customer. If visitors to your website don’t like what they immediately see, there’s a good chance that they’ll hit that back button and keep browsing Google. Don’t want that, y’all! So catch their gaze with some stunning images.
Compelling copy
Copy is the text–the words–that speak to your audience. It’s a part of the grander scheme of content, and can also make or break your prospect experience. Choose words that speak to the hearts of your audience. Understand their struggles, frustrations, and pain points and write copy that acknowledges those, but more importantly shares how you can help or transform that with what you offer.
Just as stunning images draw in your website visitor, compelling words (think: unexpected, meaningful, impactful statements or questions) can do the same.
Guide them to your most important thing
This really depends on what industry you’re in. When I design a website, a conversation I have with my client is what their focus is on. What is the most important thing to direct their prospect to? Bloggers obviously want their content to be displayed in all its glory: the various topics should be attractive and easy to navigate, and one piece of content should lead seamlessly to others. But service providers need their visitors to be interested in their Services page, or other area that highlights how they can help, solve pain points, or transform. This is the same with online shops: use your homepage to guide them to your products.
Don’t distract with too many “things”
This is important. Have you ever visited a website’s home page that just has everything going on? You see beautiful images and learn about what they do, but you’re also directed to their blog posts and their online shop and their About page and how to contact them on social media and *phew*.
Don’t get me wrong–these are all important things and, in the right space and capacity, vital to a website and even a homepage. (Sheesh, you don’t want people bored with an empty home page and not clicking forward to anything). But don’t overwhelm. Don’t distract your prospects with blog posts when you really want to direct them to your products or services. So, the question is: is your home page filled with too many “things” and yet not enough of the right things?
Focus on what is most important to the life and vitality of your business, and use the other elements (not less important, just less prominent) to complement the design and direction.
