Website design can be made simple. It doesn’t have to be super elaborate or fancy. In fact, most of the time simple is best. Let’s start with the home page. The goal of a home page is to get the user to stay as long as possible and take a specific action. You want your home page to be clear and understandable. How many websites have you been to that frustrated you? I think we can all relate. There are five features to include on your website’s homepage. When these five features are included, the user’s experience is more enjoyable and they are much more apt to come and visit again.
5 Features to include on your home page
- Your Logo. A logo is sort of like your signature. The logo should be placed somewhere obvious so the user immediately sees who you are. Your logo is associated with your business. Every time the user sees your logo, they think of you and your business. That’s what you want! I recommend getting your logo done by a professional designer, but I realize that isn’t in everyone’s budget. For a fairly low cost, you can get a brand package through freelance sites like fiverr.com. Another great tool for basic logo design if you are doing it yourself is Canva.
- Contact Information. Have you ever been to a website where it was literally impossible to find the contact information? Yeah, me too. It can be frustrating. So in order to make the user’s experience simple, make sure to include the contact information on the home page. Generally, I’d suggest placing it somewhere in the top right corner. Some ideas for what to include are a phone number, email, or address. It’s important to make sure they can see it easily. Don’t make them work for it.
- Description of Your Business. This would be a great place to write a mission statement explaining your purpose and what your business is all about. Customers want to purchase from someone they trust, and from someone with similar values, so make sure your mission and values are in plain sight.
- Brand. I cannot stress this enough: You are your brand! Branding is the ticket for streamlined, professional, and personalized marketing that gives future clients confidence in you. Your website is about YOUR BUSINESS. The more that users can relate to you, the more likely you will get those visitors to take action and purchase your services. I highly recommend finding a designer to create your brand for you. Branding is more that just a logo; it can also include a color palette, different file types of your logos and art, Instagram templates, Facebook template, letter designs and more. But if you are on a tight budget, check our canva. They have great resources for branding.
- Call to action. So what’s the point? Do you want the visitor to buy your art? Book a massage? Get their car detailed? Buy a puppy? If you want them to take action, make sure it’s obvious and easy. One idea is giving them the option to book an appointment with you right away. Have your calendar available so they can see exactly when they can make it work. A tool like Calendly offers free booking and works seamlessly with Outlook or whatever calendar tool you use. Whatever the action is, it’s important to make sure they have access to book the appointment in the moment.
What action can I take?
If you are a DIYer, trying to juggle your storefront, and your website, spend some time making sure your home page has these 5 things.
If you want help, give us a call or contact us today. We’d love to make managing your business’ online presence one of the easiest things you do. With unbelievable service, at an affordable price, what stops you from reaching out?
