Marketing

What to Put on Your Homepage — Top 8 Must-Have Elements

Your homepage is the heart of your website. It’s where you make an instant connection with the user. To make a great first impression, you can follow best practices and build a positive relationship with your audience. 

Like any business strategy, building a solid homepage combines creative design, technical expertise, writing and business savvy. Many marketing experts have experimented with this formula and come up with outstanding solutions.

This guide offers eight key tips for what to put on your homepage so you can skip guessing and get straight to creating content that will wow your users.

What to put on your homepage to boost its performance

Web designers and marketing experts have been perfecting homepages since the beginning of the internet. Our tips can help you engage your customers and keep them on your website. Learn about the top parts of a website homepage and inside tips for making them as effective as possible below:

1. Logo 

Your logo should be in a prominent place, typically in the top left corner of the page. The logo is a recognizable feature that welcomes the reader like a handshake. 

A brand logo needs to be memorable, colorful and vibrant. It’s key to make the logo small so that it won’t take over the screen. Avoid animating the logo, which lowers your loading speed and hurts your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

2. Site menu

Your navigation bar should be a user-friendly roadmap for your website. Before launching your site, have beta testers try reaching a designated part of your website from the homepage. Is navigation challenging to the average user? Keep refining this process until it’s a snap for your visitors.

3. Headline and subheadline

A website heading tells the reader what the website can offer them in a few seconds. The window of opportunity is short, so a catchy header is a key to success.

For example, the Evernote software website says, “Tame your work, organize your life,” and the subheadline beneath says, “Remember everything and tackle any project with your notes, tasks, and schedule all in one place.” These headlines tell the reader the function and the practical benefits of Evernote software in two sentences.

4. Call to action

The ultimate goal of the homepage is to compel the user to take action. A well-placed and visually striking call to action (CTA) can convince your reader to follow the next step in the marketing funnel. 

5. Features and benefits

Features and benefits explain what your product can do and how that will improve the customer’s life. Like a sales pitch or a brief television commercial, these important details should be front and center on your homepage. 

Netflix makes this short and simple with their statement, “Unlimited movies, TV shows, and more. Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime.” They’ve told the user that they are a flexible video and television streaming company with virtually endless content in only two sentences.

Including this type of homepage content will help you put your best foot forward and can even push your visitors closer to a conversion.

6. Images and video

90% of the data our brains receive is visual. Images and videos are necessary to help your audience envision and remember your product. For example, a restaurant can appeal to the senses and the brain’s wiring by using a mouth-watering image to promote their dish. 

The color scheme also tells a story about your brand. Bright, colorful images can evoke playfulness, while darker tones can add professionalism to your website. It’s vital to pick multimedia that matches your tone, color palette, branding and packaging.

7. Social proof

One of the most vital parts of a website homepage is social proof. Social proof is a powerful way to tell people about the quality work done at your company, whether you have a large or small business. 

A large corporation may partner with other big brands like Microsoft and Apple. A small, local business may have hundreds of positive reviews. Both businesses use connections and reviews to leverage their product and showcase their expertise to potential clients. 

8. Keywords

Keywords are vital for leveraging search engine optimization (SEO) on your homepage content. It would be best to focus on a small set of powerful keywords where you want to rank. For example, a small donut shop could write “The Best Local Donuts You’ll Ever Taste,” but it would be more effective to include the donut shop location or other defining features. Finding and using targeted keywords on your home page can boost your website in the SERPs and make it easier to reach your desired audience.

You can check your keyword density and other vital SEO metrics instantly with our free tool. Just enter your URL to get started, no credit card required.

Take your homepage to the next level

Now that you know what to put on your homepage, feel free to explore our other web design resources to get your website in tip-top shape. And if you want some expert help improving your site, contact us today to hear from a strategist!

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