A homepage is the face of your website. When you represent yourself in public, you want to look good and appealing, right? The same logic also applies to a website. Just like faces, homepages of different websites also differ in looks and functionality. In this article, we will discuss different important elements of a homepage on a generic website.
What’s a Homepage?
You got the basic gist of what a homepage is but let’s define it properly. A homepage is an important element of your website that defines the first impression and sets the identity of your online business. Furthermore, it also acts as a crossroad from which a visitor may choose to navigate to the different parts of your website for informational, entertainment, or transactional purposes.
That’s right!
It is a major part of your online identity. If a user accesses your website online, the first thing they are going to see is your homepage. A homepage generally includes:
- Business banner and logo (mainly on the header).
- Navigation bar
- Body content represents a short summary of the business, product highlights, reviews. This is the most creative zone on your homepage.
- Media content like images and videos.
- Contact and address information and other important links (footer).
A homepage is an important part of your online identity. It works wonders for your website’s retention rate and conversion if done right. Let’s get to know these important elements in detail.
1. The Header
The header and footer elements of a website remain constant across the entire website, but the first time they are going to see your header is on your homepage. Hence, this remains as one of the most important elements of defining your homepage in your website design.
The header may feature:
- Business banner.: A business banner may use multimedia elements like images, videos, or animations that are relevant to your business identity and activities. Also, don’t forget your business identity — the logo and the name. This is a must.
- Navigation bar (menu bar).: This is optional in a website design but many website designers choose to incorporate the navigation bar on the header banner itself. As the header is constant across all pages on your website, so will the navigation bar be.
Related: How to make website navigation effective?
2. The Body Content
The body content is where you truly have a chance to shine. This is where you can define different blocks and add a mixture of texts and multimedia elements to create a compelling home page. There is a lot you can do with this.
a. A precise introduction of your business.
This section will include a brief introduction or overview of your business, or your activities if you are a non-profit website. Keep the information honest and make sure it’s written in a compelling way. This will make visitors dig deeper into your website.
b. How about some Call-to-Action (CTA)?
Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons further compel visitors to dig deeper into your website. This tactic can be used to navigate visitors precisely where you want to be on your website. For example, you can put up product promotions, newly launched products, blog post updates, or news — depending on how and where you want the users to explore on your website.
c. A great, consistent design.
Consistency in your home page design and the website design overall will help establish an identity for your business online. Furthermore, if the design is attractive and compelling, it will make the users stay on your website for longer (better retention rate). Studies have shown how a bad aesthetic design compels more users to hit the back button.
d. Share your achievements!
The homepage is also a great place to display your awards, great testimonials, and other positive things about your business on the showcase. This establishes and reinforces trustworthiness towards your brand. When visitors see your achievement, they develop a sense of security for your business subconsciously.
3. The Footer
The footer is also another constant element of the website design that stays constant across all the pages. Footer generally includes the information about the contact, address, and additional links to important pages that you may want your users to explore. Many website designs tend to not personalise the footer at its full potential and we believe that is a mistake.
We have written a detailed breakdown of the important elements of the footer on a website. Please check this article for further reading on the same.
Conclusion
The homepage of your website is like a shiny door that is calling the visitors in. Now, even though we say not to judge a book by its cover, we tend to do so subconsciously. And hence, we highly recommend putting love and care on your homepage. The homepage is one of the most important elements of the website design you shall never ignore.
If you are looking for compelling, cost-effective, and affordable website designers in Cape Town, South Africa, we are here for you. Digital Lime Green is a website design and digital marketing agency in Cape Town, South Africa. Visit our website or connect with us for more information.