1) A Hero Section That Grabs Attention
Your “hero” section or header is the very first section of the page that’s visible before you scroll. Your aim is to have a hero section that immediately captures your visitor's attention with a scroll-stopping headline. This headline, and maybe short description below, should let your visitors know exactly what to expect, who you are, and what you do.
Your “hero” section should also match your brand image. For example, if you are a content strategist, your website header might include your company logo, a photograph of you and a headline like "Are you ready to finally create content that gets you clients?"
This headline is a clear call to action that identifies who your business is for and captures attention immediately. You’ll also want to have a call to action button underneath your scroll-stopping headline that takes your visitors to the next step or your main priority page, such as your services page.
2) Your Website Menu
Your website menu should be easy to find and very intuitive to use. It should include your most important pages, such as your homepage, about page, services page, contact page, and blog page. Ideally, you’ll want to keep the links to 5-7 total so you don’t overwhelm visitors or have them get stuck in decision paralysis.
Your menu bar should also be in an easily visible location on your website, for example, it could be at the top of your website or on the side. And on mobile, you can use the commonly understood “hamburger” icon of three horizontal lines to indicate that your menu is hidden and can be clicked to open.
Watch this quick video for more tips on optimizing your website navigation.
3) An Email Opt-in Form
After all of your hard work to get people to your website, it would be a shame to see them all go with no way to reconnect. So let's keep our visitors in our world a little longer and encourage them to sign up for our email list!
You can include your email opt-in form as a section on your homepage or your sidebar, or in your footer. It's up to you! Experiment to see what works best for your unique audience and don’t be shy to offer something valuable for free to entice the right people to sign up.
The goal of your opt-in form is to collect your visitors' email addresses so that they can join your list and you can continue to nurture those new leads, and you’ll need to make sure you’re being clear about what they’re signing up for to stay legally compliant.
Get 5 great tips to grow your email list on your website right here
4) Show Some Brand Personality
Your website homepage should be professional, but it's also essential to show your brand personality. Give those new website visitors a taste of what you’re all about and help them connect with you on a personal level.
Your visual branding and photos of the people behind the brand are fantastic ways to show off your unique personality and get people excited about the idea of working with you.
Want to see how my favorite French patisserie chef does this? Check out this article about why we love certain brands.
5) Internal Links to Your Most Important Pages
Make sure that your website homepage includes internal links to your most important pages. Think of your homepage as an index for the “book” that is your website. Your goal on your website is to help visitors navigate your website easily and find the information they are looking for. This can also help to keep them on your website longer, which is always a good thing. As an added bonus, internal links are great for SEO (search engine optimization) too.
6) Social Media Buttons
Your website homepage can also be a nice place to include social media buttons for your visitors to easily connect with you on their favorite platforms. This helps create a connection with your visitors and keeps your brand in their minds. You can include your Instagram feed or simply social media buttons, but make sure you’re offering up lots of opportunities for those visitors to find what they’re looking for on your website before sharing how to connect on social.
Final Thoughts
Your website homepage is your best chance to make a stellar first impression. Make sure that your visitors can see your brand personality and the value you offer right away! If you have these 6 must-haves things on your website homepage, you'll start to see your conversions and engagement increase.
