8 Critical Elements to Have on Your Homepage: Montreal Web Design

The homepage of a website is essentially the most important page of any website. This is the page where you make your first impression and often this first impression is deciphered in the first 3 seconds of landing on your website. The homepage is also the one page that commonly gets the bulk of your site traffic and can either encourage or discourage the visitor from turning into a lead and eventually a customer. That is why it is critical to ensure you know who you are marketing to and what it is you intend to deliver as a business and how. As such, our Montreal Web Design team has put together a list of elements we believe are critical to keep in mind when having the website of your business redesigned.

1. Headlines and sub-headlines:

The homepage of your business website should reflect the stages of the buying cycle which include:

• Awareness: when a visitor becomes aware of your product.
• Consideration: when a visitor starts evaluating solutions to their needs.
• Purchase

The top of your homepage will reflect the awareness stage of the buying cycle through the use of headlines and a sub-headline. Both should briefly and effectively demonstrate what it is your business does and what it has to offer for your clientele.

2. Supporting Images:

There should be high quality supporting images all throughout your website, but having such on your homepage is of primary importance. The majority of people are fairly visual. It’s crucial that you include visuals that very clearly demonstrate who it is you are and what your business has to offer. We encourage you to be authentic and choose imagery that captures emotion. Images that make your website visitors feel a positive emotion that relates to your product offered tend to further encourage the visitor to choose your product.

3. Good copy that reveals the benefits of your product or service:

As the visitor scrolls below the introductory section of your homepage that is normally within the header area, they should be able to understand the benefits in which your product or service offers and your experience level or how long you have been offering your service. This can be done by using lightweight and straightforward copy that is worded in the manner in which your clientele speaks. If you honestly demonstrate the benefits to your visitors and how long you have been offering such a service for, the chances of them going with your product and being faithful to it will be greater.

4. Show your visitors the way with links:

Your homepage should always provide your visitors with a direction to other significant features on your website. Part of your homepage should be dedicated to encouraging your visitors to click links to these important pages on your website such as products, services, blog and contact pages. It provides your visitors with the ability to easily navigate through your site and find what they are searching for. When you lead your visitors to the most important pages of your website such as the specific services or products offered using the particular keywords you are seeking to be ranked for, you’re helping Google find and rank your linked webpages accordingly.

5. Calls-to-action:

According to Hubspot, the call to action (CTA) is the link between the regular content which the visitor is interested in and the page that persuades this visitor to turn into a potential lead. The CTA is very brief in wording, consisting of no more than 5 action oriented words. Examples of a good call-to-action include:

• Contact us today
• Make an appointment
• Get a free consultation

Based on the content you have on your homepage, there should be a couple calls-to-action on your homepage.

6. Testimonials, reviews and success stories:

Your homepage can have every critical element in the book, but what will surely grab the attention of the visitor is if the positive statements towards your product or service are supported with proof. Proof consists of reviews, testimonials and general customer success stories that are visible on the homepage. All you need is a few of your best quotes from reviews, testimonials or success stories and you should be well on your way in demonstrating credibility through such indicators of success.

7. Your most recent Blogs and articles:

You should ensure that there is a section on your website that is solely devoted to a blog. This blog demonstrates that you care for your clients and want to provide them with helpful content that will better their lives in one form or another. Blogs are also great for using keywords that elevate your websites ranking on search engines (commonly known as SEO). Displaying your three most recent blog posts towards the bottom half of your website is an excellent way in showing your clientele that you are not only qualified in what you do but that you are a thought leader in your particular industry.

8. Link to your social media accounts:

Adding links to your social media accounts won’t only help increase the chances of your clientele finding you on search engines, but it also demonstrates to visitors that you are an actively present organization. Being active on social media can help you retain your audience and can also help make sure that both your target market and search engines can find you.

Contact Us

Our WSI Montreal team is keen to educate our clients of the most beneficial online trends, techniques and technologies to grow their business. If you would like help achieving the perfect digital marketing mix for your business or want to know more about our Montreal web design services, contact us today.