You probably want some interactive and flashy homepage that entices your users. It is important to establish the fundamentals of what creates a positive customer experience first. Remember that a proper balance between design and functionality is key when designing your websites homepage. If a user has to spend 10 minutes trying to find your contact information they’re not going to be very happy 🙁
Key Concepts and Statistics
- The first impression is all about simplicity.
- 75% of Internet users never scroll past the first page of search results. (1)
- 76% of consumers want a website that makes it easy to find what they want. (2)
- Highlight blog on homepage.
- Set up a 301 redirect, for SEO’s sake!
- Have a permanent redirect.
- Limit the amount of choices the consumer must make.
- If you offer 25 services, put those 25 under 4 overarching umbrella services so consumers will not be overwhelmed.
- Links to social networking pages are a must on home page.
Source: HubSpot, The Science of Website Redesign, June 2011
Takeaway
Your homepage is the face of your services or products. You only get one chance to impress that visitor, so make sure you carefully place the essentials you want them to know about on your homepage. It should also act as a launching platform to places where they can contact you in the future (i.e. blog, social media, etc.)
Sources, Unless Cited:
(1) MARKETSHARE.HITSLINK.COM, OCTOBER 2010
(2) Hubspot, THE SCIENCE OF WEBSITE REDESIGN, JUNE 2011
