It's true what they say about first impressions; you never have a second chance to make one. Think about it. Can you successfully sell a home with a broken front door, an unkempt yard, and a damaged driveway? No, right? It's exactly the same thing with a website's homepage.
The homepage serves as the "virtual front entrance" to your company; it’s probably the most important page of your website. The natural instinct of a new visitor is to click the "back" button if they don't like what they see. Many people's initial impressions of your website are formed while they're waiting for it to load, so it's important to make a good one.
Elements of a Great Website Home Page
Of course, looks aren't everything. You want people to take action after visiting your homepage. If you don't incentivize conversion with calls to action and make the browsing process as simple and straightforward as possible, people probably won't convert.
Knowing what elements to include on your homepage is the first step in attracting more clients. After you've gotten the hang of these, it's time to start looking at successful homepages to get a sense of what kind of design layout works best for your industry and target audience.
All of the examples of homepage designs listed below include some or all of the following features. Although no website is without flaws, the best landing page layouts share certain common characteristics:
It provides a clear response to the questions about what the company does and what the visitor can/needs to do. It's true that if your company or brand is already widely recognized, you might not need to explain who you are or what you do, but the reality is that the vast majority of businesses need to do so. Visitors won't stick around if they can't figure out what it is you do within the first few seconds.
It is effective at reaching its target audience. A homepage must be highly targeted, speaking to the appropriate audience in a language they understand. The greatest home pages minimize unnecessary information and stay away from corporate jargon
it conveys an enticing value proposition. When a visitor lands on your homepage, they should feel compelled to keep exploring. Making a strong first impression on visitors (through your copy, design, and layout) is essential if you want them to explore the rest of your website rather than leave for a competitor.
Constantly changing design Even the best homepages change up their design every once in a while. A few of them are dynamic, evolving to address the concerns and issues of their audience. A/B testing and dynamic content are also used to generate new home pages for some websites.
The design includes at least one call-to-action (CTA) All of the featured homepages expertly guide readers to the next logical step by including both primary and secondary calls to action. Free Trial, Schedule Demo, Buy Now and Learn More are all examples of calls to action. Keep in mind that the homepage's purpose is to encourage users to explore the rest of the site and ultimately convert. To prevent customers from being confused or disoriented, CTAs provide clear instructions for what they should do next. More significantly, calls to action transform your webpage from a brochure into a lead generation machine.
It has a responsive design You won't find any "flashy" or overly complicated examples on any of the recommended homepages here; instead, you'll find only straightforward designs that don't get in the way of the user experience. Furthermore, many of them are optimized for mobile use, which is crucial in today's mobile-centric society.
The overall design is excellent Trust, value and the ability to guide visitors toward the next step are all facilitated by a well-designed page. Therefore, these homepages make good use of design aspects like CTA placement, layout, whitespace, color, and font.
Here are examples of well-designed homepages for your perusal and education.
Everything about this website’s homepage says professionalism and class which is important for a Non-profit. The layout clearly prioritizes the most important information, and there are various calls to action throughout the homepage.
The American Planning Association has a wide audience from the private, public, non-profit, and academic sectors, and it's important the homepage reaches each of those audiences accordingly hence the generous use of text and images, with specific calls to action.
Mint
Industry: Internet Financial Services
Mint's homepage is simple in style and layout, and the title and secondary headline are both powerful and jargon-free. The homepage strikes the right balance between professionalism and openness, which is especially important for a company that deals with money.
The placement and appeal of the call-to-action "Sign up free." is excellent for potential customers to easily make a decision and the secured lock icon in the CTA's brilliant design drives home the safety and protection message once again.
Gymshark
Industry: Clothing and apparel
Gymshark's homepage is slick and modern, perfect for showcasing the company's distinctive athletic wear. Gymshark isn't just a clothing company; it's also a catalyst for its consumers to "perform at their max" and realize their full potential, particularly in the area of physical activity.
See how the models reflect the lifestyle their brand is trying to create and images emphasize the attention to design detail in their clothes.
Slack
Industry: SaaS
Slack's homepage features images of their mobile and desktop interface, and you can’t go wrong with this because it shows users how the app works in real-time. The tagline "Great teamwork starts with a digital HQ" captures the essence of the product in a clever way.
The call to action is crystal clear on the homepage. Customers can either log in or create an account. Here, you'll see a wider variety of navigational choices than you would have on Dropbox, all of which contribute to making it easier for users to find what they're looking for.
Industry: Branding and Design
This is a great website (if we do say so ourselves!)
Our bright colors and vibrant illustrations convey an image of sophistication and modernity, befitting a company that provides a wide range of brand and design solutions.
The hero text and call to action sound confident, and invite the visitor to a conversation. This is a great way to show our visitors that they are interacting with real people, which is crucial to establishing trust. Everywhere you look on the homepage, you'll see the same bold blue, white, and black themes that we use to highlight links and calls to action.
The writing style is light and the content is simple, making it easy to communicate with buyers on their terms.
Conclusion
There is no set formula for creating a decent home page. A few of the highlighted homepages above contain some similarities, but overall they are quite distinct.
In reality, breaking the rules of conventional web design can help you out, so long as you don't get in the way of your visitors. Bold design decisions are encouraged, but should never be at the expense of functionality.
You don’t need to copy someone else's website. Invest in a website designer like CS Pro Media who understands your target market and takes care to present your products and services in the best possible light, emphasizing their most salient features.