It only takes about 3 seconds to capture a person’s attention. If you can’t do so in about 8 seconds, you’ve lost your opportunity. That’s why we’ve developed this list of 9 critical elements your homepage must have to help you cultivate your audience.
If you’re a professional services provider looking for strategies to capture the attention of your target audience, then you should start with your website homepage. As we all know, the homepage serves as the virtual front door to your website and the content it houses. Its purpose is to capture the attention of visitors and encourage them to explore the site further. But, even though many understand its importance, still, some businesses fail to design it to both look great and be compelling for their specific target audience. The result: low traffic. That’s why, the Vimagery Team has curated this list of 9 critical homepage elements that every professional services business should consider incorporating within their website.
1. Unique Selling Proposition
You have only about 3 seconds to capture a person's attention. If it takes you more than 8 seconds, you’ve likely lost your chance. That’s why you should avoid beating around the bush and tell your visitors upfront about your unique selling proposition (USP). But, what is a unique selling proposition?
According to Neil Patel, a USP is the thing that makes your business better over your competition. It’s the one unique thing that separates your business from others because of what you stand for and who you serve. After all, every company wants to be known for something instead of being known for everything. And the best way to achieve that is to determine your USP.
A perfect example of a USP case study is Disney. Every time you hear the word “Disney '' we're pretty sure you automatically think animated, fictional films … adventure … magic. They transport children and adults alike magically to new worlds. They know exactly who they serve. They know exactly what they do for those they serve. And every member of their team lives that truth every single day.
Our USP is that with our digital solutions, Vimagery gives entreprofessionals an unfair advantage over your competition. We know what we do and who we serve and we make that clear on our homepage. You see, a good USP clearly states what you do and who you do it for.
Tip: Place your USP in an area where it can be easily seen by your website visitors. Be clear regarding what you do and who you do it for. For example: Providing The People of Los Angeles With An Unparalleled Criminal Defense (Criminal Defense Attorney) or Giving Your Child A Smile That Will Last A Lifetime (Orthodontist).
2. Headline
The most common mistake businesses make when trying to drive traffic to their website is to use a lousy and unappealing headline. This results in low traffic, or worse … no visits at all.
Whether it’s a Blog Post or an advertisement, the headline needs to capture a person’s interest and motivate them to click. Then the page they land on needs to deliver on that promise the headline offered. The headline can be short and sweet or medium length. Regardless, it needs to be compelling enough to attract people to click on it.
Tip: Although a compelling headline is the key to generating traffic, sometimes, the reason why your site, particularly your homepage, isn’t improving its traffic rate is because the font might be too small. In a website, font size matters so that users can read the text without strain.
3. Logo
Another great way to generate traffic and stand out over your competitors is via your business logo. Why? A logo grabs attention. It has the ability to make a powerful impression, and enables people to remember your business. It is part of your brand identity, and aside from USP, your logo is also something that separates you from others. Without your logo, then you might be missing out on a great opportunity to inculcate your brand to the minds of your target audience.
Tip: If you want to improve your website traffic, start by creating a unique brand logo that your visitors can come to recognize. If you’re challenged creating a logo that accomplishes this goal, a Vimagery Asset Architect can definitely help you.
4. Text Content
Professional service providers must remember that visitors navigate your site mainly because of the content it houses. And these visitors have short attention spans. They will quickly scan your site and if they haven’t found something they need, they’ll bounce right off to continue their search elsewhere. Therefore, try to use words that are easy to read and understand. Have copy that talks about and for them, and not about or for your business. Be relatable and relevant. Mention their possible pain points, problems, interests, and experiences. Connect with your audience members by having a brand voice that speaks on their behalf. And structure your content like an inverted pyramid that tackles the most important information on the top-most portion of the page, then gradually mention the specific, relevant content in the middle sections, and end it with a clear call to action that will trigger visitors to proceed.
Tips: An SEO homepage content strategy is a great way to ensure better rankings on Google and other search engines. Also, make use of Video and Image content; they are an effective way to make your audience spend more time within your website.
5. Contact Details
How many times have you experienced trying to contact a business, but unfortunately, their contact information was difficult to find or not present at all on their website? It's frustrating, right? Learn from your own frustrations. Don't ever put your audience in that same situation. Viewers should find your contact details on your homepage easily. It is most commonly found on the side or in the footer, so put it where visitors expect it to be. Some have landing pages specifically for their contact details and those pages are designed with conversion purposes in mind. In fact, email, phone numbers, and addresses should all be provided. By having this information easily accessible, you are opening your arms to more transactions. It also builds a sense of credibility.
Tip: Don’t relegate your contact details to just one page of your site. Make it easy for an audience member to reach out by having contact information available on any page that they land.
6. Mobile-Friendly Website
Most people are in a hurry, and the number of people researching via mobile devices is increasing. So, is your website mobile-friendly? Is the content easily viewable on a mobile device? Does the layout respond fluidly to the screen size the visitor is using to interact with your site? If not, you could be dissuading your audience from spending time on your site. In fact, Google even penalizes those websites that aren't mobile optimized. As a result, sites that aren’t mobile friendly are losing rankings not only on Google but also on other SERPs.
Tip: Use Google DevTools in the Chrome browser to virtually test your site’s mobile responsiveness for free.
7. Intuitive Navigation
Automatic and straight forward navigation is another crucial element of your website. It is best to have navigation that is both easy to see and simple to use. Also, the navigation menu should be visible and easy to interact with on both desktop and mobile devices. Your goal should be that whenever a visitor lands on your site and regardless of what device they use to get there they can quickly locate the content that they're looking for. Good navigation can effectively reduce your site's bounce rate. Therefore, you'll have a better chance of getting ranked on Google by implementing intuitive navigation within your site.
Tip: Make sure your navigation visually stands out from the content of your site. Choose a different font size and color. Also you can consider having it be interactive, by changing color on hover for instance.
8. Social Proof
The best form of advertising is “word of mouth.” People are much more inclined to take the word of other people they know or who are similar to them that have used your services and benefited from what you offer over anything your business is going to say on its own behalf. If you can display some good social proof in the form of reviews and testimonials on your website, you can leverage the best form of advertising and capture the attention and trust of your target audience.
Tip: Make it easy for your clients to leave reviews for your business. Teach them exactly how to do so and provide them with links that make it simple. Most importantly, create different spaces within which your clients can leave their reviews.
9. Clear Call-To-Action
When strangers arrive on your homepage, the first thing they will be thinking is, "Will this website help me?" If they find your site helpful, then the logical next step is … there should be a next step. Depending on exactly what your site is trying to accomplish, that next step could be to book an appointment or to download some additional gated content. A clear Call To Action (CTA) is what is needed. It is essential that your CTA is clear and encourages visitors to proceed to the next step. Keep in mind that your CTA button should stand out. Use large, bolded fonts and bright colors.
Tip: The most popular and most efficient websites at increasing conversions are those that use red, green, yellow, and orange call-to-action buttons.
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If you are overwhelmed by how to develop an excellent Homepage that will help you cultivate your audience, click here to see if you qualify for a Vimagery Strategy Session. Together, we can help you to gain an unfair advantage regarding your efforts to cultivate, convert, and close new clients in the weeks and months ahead.
