6 features of a winning website homepage

6 features of a winning website homepage

Nov 18, 2022

Want to create a winning website homepage, but no idea where to start? If your website is the ‘shop front for your business, then your homepage is the equivalent to your shop’s virtual front door. Your website homepage is responsible for drawing in the majority of your website’s traffic so it needs to a lot of the heavy lifting work.

If you’re rethinking a website rebuild or even a refresh, your homepage is a good place to start. Let’s dig in and see how you can do this for your business with these 6 features of a winning website homepage.

Hero section

Your hero section is what your website visitors will see when they land on your homepage. It only takes your website visitors 2.6 seconds to make their first conscious impression of your site and 94% of first impressions are made based on a website’s design and visuals. This really is the most valuable bit of real estate on your site, so make it count! The content of this section is equally important as the visuals to engage your website visitors and drive them to take the next step towards your website goal. Before embarking on a website design or refresh, it’s so important to consider what the main goal or goals are for your website. What do you want your visitors to do? FYI they won’t guess! You need to tell them.

Your homepage hero section is the part of your homepage above the fold. This means the section that is immediately visible before any scrolling. In this section you should have an attention grabbing headline, a description of what you do and who you do it for and a call to action that considers your website goal. Is it for them to shop on your website, get in touch or maybe sign up for something. All this should be easy for your website visitors to do without trawling through information before you make it clear what you want them to do. Take a look at some more detailed tips I have on creating your homepage hero section here.

Compelling, fun and interesting copy

As with the rest of your website, your homepage copy is much more important than you might think it is. Your website is the place to set the tone and to tell your dream customers why they should hire you or buy from you and not the next business. When I work on website audits for my clients, I often see sites with very little or no copy at all. This is a problem for a number of reasons and might be the result of a couple of things too. So many business owners tell me they couldn’t think what to write, so they didn’t write anything, or the idea of having any words on their site escaped them completely because their website template didn’t allow for it.

Your homepage copy is a good place to start and to set out how your tone of voice will sound across the rest of your site. I recommend that you work with a copywriter or at the very least, have a copywriter take a look at your copy to help you make the most out of it. They will give you pointers on how your website copy can be written strategically, SEO optimized and work hard to convert your website visitors into customers, and that’s what we want, right?! Find out more about working on your website copy here.

An introduction to you

Stop hiding! While it’s important to have an about page on your website, it’s equally important you tell your website visitors to go to it. Having a section on your homepage that introduces you and/or your team will help to humanise your brand and entice them into learning more about who the faces are behind the business. Actually it’s very common for website visitors to go to an about page before they make the decision to buy, proving that people buy from people and want to know who you are. And, let’s be honest, we are nosy and that’s one of the main reasons we want to know more.

Your about page is the perfect opportunity to rather than just talk about yourself, to tell your website visitors why you are the one to solve their problem. It should actually be seen as another ‘sales page’ and is a great way of getting people to relate to you and at the same time, repel the people who don’t. Make sure your homepage features a section introducing you and then a call to action to take them to your about page.

Benefits list

Why should your website visitors work with you or buy from you? Tell them! It’s important to mention, not only what you do but why what you do matters to them. Your website visitors want to know what the benefits are of buying from you and that’s the thing that will make them stay on your website and be keen to find out more.

Start by listing out the benefits of working with you and then create a section on your site devoted to these. A winning benefits section will be clear and easy to read with headings and text that is written in the language of your ideal client.

Client love

Social proof, testimonials, reviews, whatever you want to call this bit, it’s so important to have the words of those who already know, like and trust you and have worked with you on your site. This includes on the homepage where it’s a good opportunity to introduce the kind words you have from your customers. You could have a short quote from one of your clients here and have a call to action leading into other testimonials on another page of your site. However you do this, make sure the social proof is there for all to see on your homepage.

Navigation section

This goes for your homepage as much as all the other pages on your site. The navigation plan for your website is so important in taking your website visitors towards that goal it is you have, whether it’s getting sales or more leads. Make sure your website visitors never come to a dead end. What I mean by this is if they get all the way to the bottom of a page on your site, are they told what to do next?? If your website visitors don’t have something to do, they’re likely to get distracted and lose interest and ultimately leave your site altogether.

Have a section on your homepage that takes them somewhere next bearing your goals in mind. Give them options here too. Do they want to learn more about your services, about you, or get in touch. Lead them to those pages and ultimately to those actions from your homepage so they don’t get lost. If your main goal is for your website visitors to get in touch with you, make sure they can easily do that with clear calls to action and drive them there rather than leaving them lost and having to hunt through your site for a way to contact you.

It goes without saying your website should also, of course, feature images that reflect your brand, the work you do or the product/ service you deliver. The homepage of your site is the first glimpse your customer will get of your business and before they make up their mind to become a customer, so make sure it counts.

And if you want more help with creating a winning website get in touch and find out more about how I can help you.

get in touch

About the designer...

Hi! I’m Katie. Helping busy business owners create bold online brands and stand-out, non-boring websites is my jam. I’m passionate about giving once-upon-a-time-website DIYers, ambitious entrepreneurs and founders back the time to focus on doing the things they love the most in their businesses, giving them clarity in their online presence and the confidence to grow big!

Through this blog and on social media I share my advice and best practices with business owners on how to build strong brands that will start attracting their dream customers and website that work by focusing on strategy and business goals.

When I’m not working with inspiring business owners or designing wedding cakes, you’ll probably find me dreaming of what my next meal will be, the best fruit garnishes for a gin and tonic or where we’ll travel to on our next adventure.

The latest on the blog

How to craft your brand message

Crafting a brand message is essential to connecting with your target audience and establishing a strong brand identity. Your brand message should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. So, what is your brand message and why is it important? Your branding goes way beyond just the visuals and having a brand message that’s consistent across platforms and everywhere you show up is key. You can...

Designing at desktop computer aerial view- Studio Lago Design

The Road to Branding Success: Avoiding These 5 Common Pitfalls

As a small business owner, establishing a strong brand is essential to success. There are several common branding pitfalls that small business owners often fall into that I have seen all too often in action. These can have a negative impact on your brand image and business. Avoid these 5 common branding pitfalls as a small business owner: Inconsistent Branding Inconsistency in branding is one of...

Studio Lago Design- Abstract Events Desktop website view

How to keep visitors on your website for longer

As a website designer, one of the most important goals I need to consider when designing, is how to keep visitors engaged and interested in the content on your site. A website that is able to do this will not only increase the time visitors spend on the site, but it will also lead to higher conversion rates and a better overall user experience. Here are some effective strategies that I consider...

What is brand messaging and why is it so important?

As a branding and website designer, I see first hand the importance of brand messaging for small businesses. Brand messaging is the process of crafting a clear and consistent message that communicates what a business stands for and what it offers to its target audience. A strong brand message can help small businesses stand out in a crowded market, build trust and credibility with consumers, and...

How many pages should your website have?

If you're at the stage where you need a website for a new business or perhaps updating to a new and improved one, one of the questions you may be asking yourself is how many pages should it have? This can be a difficult question to answer as there isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are a few factors to consider that can help you make an informed decision. What’s the...

Why you should have a clickable email signature

You probably use email as an essential communication tool in your business, to exchange information, make appointments, and to establish and maintain relationships with customers, colleagues, and partners. With all of the email messages that we send and receive, it's important to make sure that we're taking full advantage of the opportunities that email presents. One way to do this is by making...

Studio Lago Design digital business card

Why you should hire a professional branding designer

Branding can be the key to success for any business, big or small. It’s the way your customers perceive you and your business and the experience you offer your clients when they work with you. A strong brand identity can differentiate your business from your competitors, create trust and loyalty with your customers and can make your business instantly recognisable. That’s why it is essential to...

Humanising your brand

As a branding and website designer, I see how important it is to help my clients create a brand that connects with their audience in an authentic way. In such a fast-paced digital world, consumers crave authenticity, connection, and relatability. A humanized brand is one that creates an emotional connection with its customers, and this connection can drive long-term loyalty and repeat business. ...

The importance of brand tone of voice

As a branding and website designer, I get the importance of creating a strong brand that speaks to your audience. But beyond the visual aspects of branding, such as colors and logos, lies a crucial component that often gets overlooked: tone of voice. Your brand’s tone of voice is how your brand communicates with your audience, and it can greatly impact how your brand is perceived. Let’s look at...

Studio Lago Design- Claire Owen Cakes Desktop website view

Why a website is just the beginning

You’ve got a business so you need a website, of course. And a website is an essential part of establishing an online presence for any business or individual. However, it's just the beginning of a much larger process. Once your website is launched, that’s the start of something much, much bigger. Just because a website is live, it doesn’t mean anyone is going to know it’s there or just stumble...