You’ve spent lots of time building your website or blog, creating engaging content, and adding eye-catching graphics. But despite all of this effort, you still aren’t getting many leads and sales. What’s the problem?
One key possibility is that a page on your website or blog isn’t doing its job. In the past, I’ve talked about how to boost the performance of your landing pages, services page, sales page, and contact page. These may seem like the most important pages to focus on because they’re pages that are designed to drive conversions. But there’s another page on your website or blog that’s just as important to focus on: your home page.
How do you make sure your home page makes a solid first impression with your audience? Be sure to include these 9 things on the home page of your website or blog.
Want more subscribers or sales from your website or blog?
Download my free cheat sheet on the 8 key places to insert calls to action on your website or blog.
1. A strong headline
What’s one of the most important things to do on your home page? Communicate exactly what your biz or blog is about. And how do you do this? But placing a strong headline front and centre on your home page.
In addition to writing a solid headline, you want to make sure it stands out. Here’s how to ensure the headline on your home page is impossible to miss:
- Use an attractive font. Be sure it’s large enough to catch your visitors’ attention.
- Make sure there’s lots of white space around it. Important information stands out when there’s nothing right next to it. As a result, white space will make your headline even more prominent.
- Use on-brand colours that stand out. To make sure your headline doesn’t get lost on your home page, be sure to place it in an on-brand colour that isn’t used in its immediate vicinity.
Need help coming up with a magnetic headline to tell your visitors what you’re all about? Download my 72 free headline templates.
2. A navigation bar that’s simple and clean
If you have lots of pages on your website or blog, you may be tempted to list all of them in your navigation bar. But when your navigation bar is packed with text, it can clutter your home page.
To keep your home page clean and simple, aim for minimalism with your navigation bar. Include your logo and links to only the most important pages of your website or blog. If you want to make it easy for your visitors to navigate to other pages, you can always incorporate dropdown menus.
3. Your elevator pitch
I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But the cold hard truth of online marketing is that most people who land on your home page won’t visit any other pages on your website or blog. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to include an elevator pitch on your home page.
Whereas the headline of your home page summarizes what you’re all about, your elevator pitch outlines the problem you address and describes how you solve it. It tells your visitor about the benefits of choosing your biz or blog and exactly how you differ from your competition.
4. Contact information
You may include your contact information only on your contact page. After all, isn’t that where your contact info belongs? But remember that because some visitors won’t navigate beyond your home page, they may never come across your email address, phone number, or contact form. And you wouldn’t want to lose a customer to a competitor just because you made it hard for them to get in touch with you, right?
To ensure your visitors can get in touch with you even if they don’t head to your contact page, include your contact information right on your home page. Make your contact information accessible but not distracting by placing it in the footer of the page.
Related: 10 key things to include on your contact us page + free template and example
Want more subscribers or sales from your website or blog?
Download my free cheat sheet on the 8 key places to insert calls to action on your website or blog.
5. An opt-in form
Just because your home page isn’t a sales page or services page doesn’t mean it can’t give you conversions. Although you may not sell something on the home page of your website or blog, you can use it to collect leads or build that all-important email list.
The best spot for an opt-in form on your home page is above the fold, which is the portion of the page your visitors can see without scrolling down. Make sure your opt-in form or button stands out so that it’s hard for your visitors to miss.
Related: 10 effective opt-in incentives that help you grow your email list + free tip sheet
6. Social media links
Want to build an engaged community of subscribers, clients, or customers? Make it easy for your audience to connect with you. How can you do this on your home page? Include links to your social media accounts.
To keep your home page clean, use linked icons for the social media platforms you use to promote your biz or blog. These can include Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any others.
Related: How to write compelling social media posts + 7 free social media copy templates
7. Links to your blog posts
Whether you have a standalone blog or a website with a blog embedded in it, you can generate more traffic to select posts by linking to them on your home page. To do this, include links to a few of your top posts or your latest posts. When you include links to your blog posts on your home page, you provide value to your audience right off the bat. You also get to showcase brand new content or your most popular posts.
8. Visible calls to action (CTAs)
Placing an opt-in form on your home page is a great way to leverage the page to generate leads. But you may also want to use your home page to encourage your visitors to take other types of actions. For example, you may want visitors to learn more about a service, watch a video about a product, or sign up for a free trial.
To boost your conversion rates, include clear CTAs that tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do. Make sure your text stands out on the page and your CTA buttons are large and easy to click.
In addition to increasing conversions, CTAs on your home page can encourage your visitors to navigate to other pages on your website or blog. So you want them to be clear and impossible to miss.
Related: 7 call-to-action design tips that boost sign ups and sales + 80 CTA templates
9. Customer testimonials
You can tell your audience how great you are. But it’ll mean much more if they hear the same thing from your clients, customers, or subscribers. That’s why it’s strategic to include testimonials on your home page.
In addition to building trust with your audience, testimonials make the benefits of your products or services more tangible for prospective customers. They also help prospective customers figure out whether you’re the biz or blog for them.
Of course, if you choose to include testimonials on your website or blog, make sure they’re from real clients or customers. When you’re trying to build trust with your audience, the last thing you want is for them to find out that you’re deceiving them.
Make your home page memorable
Your home page can make or break your ability to acquire a new subscriber or customer. A solid one can boost your conversions and encourage your visitors to check out other pages on your website or blog. A weak one, on the other hand, can make it hard for your visitors to understand your brand. And it can even drive them away entirely.
To ensure your website or blog makes a solid first impression, use the tips I’ve shared above to create an irresistible home page. They’ll help you show your audience what you’re all about, earn their trust, and turn them into subscribers and customers.
Have ideas about additional items that would be great to include on a home page? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!
Want more subscribers or sales from your website or blog?
Download my free cheat sheet on the 8 key places to insert calls to action on your website or blog.
