Elements that Every Home Page Needs
The Headline and Sub-Headline
When someone arrives to your home page they need to quickly identify what it is you or your company does. The headline states the business that you are in, and the sub-headline elaborates on the areas/services that the company offers. You want this to be congruent with the title and description that people see when they perform Google searches. If there it is not congruent, then organic search visitors will be confused. The same goes for all advertising campaigns that push prospects to your home page.
Benefits and Primary Calls-to-Action
For your benefits, it is best to list them out in a bullet type or list format. The example in the infographic uses orange checkmarks to draw the eyes, and it also uses white space between each benefit. Try and focus on the top 3-5 benefits on the home page. You can add a link to see all the features and benefits beneath it as one of the secondary calls-to-action. Your primary call-to-action should stand out and be easy to understand. If you need to explain the action further, then use a button. For simple services, you can include a short lead capture with three fields on the home page to eliminate the extra step.
Customer and Social Proof
Testimonials from past clients play an integral role in converting the visitor to an action. Use real pictures of your clients and customers next to their written testimonials. You will also want to use your social buttons either in this section or at the top of the page. When creating your Facebook share button choose "Recommended" as opposed to "Like." Having a button that says 10,000 people recommended this website packs a larger punch than 10,000 people liking it.
Success Indicators and Trust Indicators
This is where you place all of the awards your company had received and the organizations that your company is a member of. Unless you are a Fortune 5000 company, most visitors will not have existing trust of your brand when they arrive at your site for the first time. The quickest way to build trust is to leverage widely recognized brands that your company is affiliated with.
