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By Nicola Nott Your homepage is the online shop window to your business and should communicate your core message instantaneously. Nowadays, we quickly scan a homepage making instant assumptions, picking out key words, sentences and images. Here are my top tips for getting that first impression right.
1. Imagery
TheCanapechef.com - Images by Katherine Fell.
High quality media images - photographs, video or graphics - will make the BIGGEST impact on your home page. I recommend investing in good quality images that tell your brand's story. These images can also be used across your business, in social media and marketing collateral - so they're a good investment to make.
If you can't afford a professional photographer, you can buy images on sites such as istockphoto.com, shutterstock.com, unsplash.com.
Don't forget to label your images correctly - this will help google to find them!
2. Key Messages
Having a killer strap line is a must. It immediately explains your website to both the viewer and Google. A welcoming paragraph can also be a good idea, and don't forget the language you use speaks volumes about your brand.
Top Tip: if your business is all about you providing a personal service, consider writing the copy in the first person which adds a 'human' element. If you're a larger company or wish to present the brand as such, write it in the 3rd person.
3. Branding
On your home page, this could be communicated via logo / imagery / font / colour pallet / key words - all of which should effortlessly tell your brand's story. Consumer habits have changed in recent years. When we shop for a service or product, we often 'touch' the brand on multiple points before buying - such as a business card / social media / in-store / packaging / website. Your brand should be seamless across each platform so that your customer journey is consistent and the messaging more powerful.
4. Mobile Friendly
It is essential that your site is optimised for mobile. Always test it out yourself and see how it functions on your own mobile to make it as user friendly as possible.
5. Call To Action
Whether it's signing up to your mailing list or purchasing a product, make it as easy as possible to navigate through your site by including a CTA button.
If you are interested in getting your business online, or perhaps in need of a website refresh, please do get in touch. Our website design services can be tailored to fit every budget.
To find out more, email nicola@thecreativeduck.co.uk