When a visitor lands on your homepage, it takes a fraction of a second to form an opinion and decide whether or not to engage with your website’s content. The best homepage design should act as a guide to direct visitors to the information that they are looking for while also establishing trust with your brand. This is accomplished through user-friendly web design, intuitive navigation, and relevant website content.
Imagine being in a grocery store that does not have their aisles labeled. You would either spend a lot of time hunting around for what you are looking for, or go to another store that provides a better experience. On the web, your visitors will most likely hit the back button rather than bother with an unpleasant experience.
Benefits of a Well-Crafted Homepage
Enhanced user engagement and conversion rates
When your homepage is well designed, your visitors are more likely to stay longer and explore more of your content. This increased engagement will improve the chances of a visitor contacting you, making a purchase, or completing a lead generation form.
Building credibility
A vital aspect of homepage design is to prove to your visitors you can help solve a problem that they are facing. Whether it be finding the right makeup or the best lawn care service, building trust with your visitors will give them the confidence to do business with you.
Informing your visitors about your offerings
Your homepage is the front door to your business. This is a great place to provide an elevator pitch about your company, a list of services, and the benefits of doing business with you.
How to Create the Best Homepage Design for Your Website
Below is a breakdown of content to include in your homepage layout, along with recommendations for where they can be placed on the page. We have also combined these sections into an awesome infographic that you can use for quick reference!
1. Create an amazing Hero Section with a Call to Action
This is the very first thing that your visitors will see when viewing your homepage. A standard hero section will include:
- A catchy heading that tells about what you do or what problem you can solve. The heading should include a primary keyword or key phrase that you are targeting for your homepage.
- A sub-heading with 2-3 sentences that act as an elevator pitch for your business. The sub-heading should also include a variation of your target keyword. If you are targeting local customers, you will want to include your target city/town here as well.
- 1-2 calls to action that direct visitors to sign up and/or learn more about your offerings.
- A beautiful image or video that showcases your business offering and helps start the story that you want to tell on your homepage.
2. Show what you offer
This can be a list of services, product categories, etc. This section should sit close to the top of the homepage and offer visitors a way to learn more about an offering that interests them.
3. Promote your benefits
You want to show how your offerings can make your visitor’s lives better. This section should sit close to your offerings and describe the positive outcomes that a person will experience if they choose to do business with you.
4. Add a blurb about your business
This is a chance to provide more information about your business and add additional SEO keywords. The business blurb section can sit lower on the page as a reinforcement to your offerings and benefits sections to help build trust.
5. Explain your process
The best homepage designs provide clear steps for a visitor to get started and/or detailed steps on how you will deliver your offerings to your customers. This is an opportunity to continue building trust with defined steps that set clear expectations.
6. Show off testimonials
Social proof is the best way to earn trust with your website visitors. Displaying testimonials throughout your homepage (and across your entire site) gives you the opportunity to show off successful engagements with your customers.
7. Display contact information
Your website should have an easy way for your visitors to contact you. 50% of website visitors prefer to call or email a business directly instead of filling out a contact form.
8. Add a lead capture form
Another way to convert visitors is to add a lead form to your homepage. Your lead form should be simple and only ask for the minimum amount of information needed to respond to the inquiry. The position of a lead capture form on your homepage can vary based on the content. Choose a spot that is relevant to the information that surrounds it.
Examples of the Best Homepage Designs
Every website needs a unique homepage design that is tailored to your industry and business goals. We’ve curated a list of the 15 best homepage designs for your inspiration.
Asana – Homepage
Asana is a project management tool that offers a wide variety of features to keep teams on track. Their homepage design focuses on all of the ways it will benefit the users.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Offers a demonstration to “See how it works”
- Lists the features and benefits visually
- Offers interactive elements to keep visitors engaged
- Provides a list of applications that can integrate with the tool
Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud-based file hosting and sharing service that allows users to store and synchronize their files across multiple devices. With Dropbox, users can easily access their files from anywhere with an internet connection and share them with others by sending them a link. Their homepage focuses on features and uses of the tool.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Clear call to action at the top to sign up for a plan
- Lists the benefits and features toward the top of the page
- Provides examples of how you can use the tool
- Provides a list of applications that can integrate with the tool
Burt’s Bees
Burt’s Bees is a well-known brand specializing in natural personal care products. Their product line includes skincare, lip care, body care, and baby care items that are made with ingredients sourced from nature. Their homepage design focuses on large imagery of their products and the people that use them.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Shopping call to action at the top of the page
- Bright colors and high-resolution product images
- Benefits sprinkled throughout the design
- Amazing video testimonials
Lawn Doctor
Lawn Doctor is a professional lawn care company that offers a range of services to help homeowners achieve a healthy and vibrant lawn. Their homepage focuses on customer testimonials and service offerings.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Lead capture at the top of the page
- Social proof with testimonials toward the top of the page
- Benefits sit near testimonials creating a strong reinforcement of trust
IL MAKIAGE
Il Makiage offers a diverse range of foundation shades and other makeup essentials to cater to a wide range of skin tones and preferences. Their homepage focuses on the diversity of people using their products.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Interactive “look-finder” at the top of the page
- High-resolution closeups of people wearing their product
- Shop and Quiz call to actions for multiple ways to engage with visitors
- Lead capture with discount for subscribing
Gensler
Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm known for its innovative and transformative projects. Their homepage focuses on high-resolution images of architecture and informative blog posts.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Captivating hero videos
- Beautiful images and engaging content
- Authoritative articles
- Project Showcases
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald Charities (RMHC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and their families. Their homepage focuses on the positive impact that their charity makes.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Statistics of their impact near the top of the page
- Large focus on how donations are used
- Powerful call to action to donate
- Testimonials from families and charities that have been supported
MailChimp
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing and automation platform that allows businesses and individuals to create, manage, and send personalized email campaigns to their subscribers. Their homepage focuses on the uses and features of the tool.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Straightforward call to action at the top of the page
- Heavy focus on features and benefits right at the top of the page
- Pricing table below features that entices signups
- Detailed and interactive features sections
On The Border
On the Border is a restaurant chain specializing in Tex-Mex cuisine, offering a wide range of dishes inspired by Mexican and Southwestern flavors. Their homepage focuses heavily on menu items and online ordering.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Beautiful hero image with call to action to Order Now
- Call to action to download app
- Popular menu items
- Seasonal specials
Netflix
Netflix allows users to stream their favorite entertainment on-demand, providing a convenient and diverse streaming experience enjoyed by millions of viewers worldwide. When was the last time you actually visited the Netflix website? It’s pretty simple and straight to the point.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Call to action to Get Started right at the top of the page
- Popular streaming features and benefits
- Frequently asked questions
Mint
Mint is a personal finance management app that helps individuals track their spending, budget their money, and stay on top of their financial goals. Their homepage focuses on how their application will benefit users.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Clear call to action and app download options, right at the top
- App screen images that show the features of the app and multiple calls to action to sign up
Figma
Figma is a collaborative design and prototyping tool that allows teams to create and iterate on user interfaces, graphics, and interactive prototypes. Their website focuses on animated graphics that show the tool in use.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Unique font and color design
- Big “Get Started” call to action right at the top
- Scrolling list of other companies that are using the tool
- Animated demos of their features in multiple sections
Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium is a renowned public aquarium located in Chicago, Illinois. It houses a diverse collection of marine animals and offers educational exhibits and interactive experiences that promote conservation and raise awareness about aquatic life and ecosystems. Their homepage is focused on bookings and attractions.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Beautiful nature videos in hero section
- Multiple call to actions to buy tickets
- High-quality images of exhibits
500px
With a focus on high-quality imagery, 500px provides a platform for photographers to connect, explore inspiring content, and gain exposure for their portfolio while offering a marketplace for buyers to discover and purchase captivating photographs. Their homepage focuses on the empowerment of photographers.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Engaging imagery and Sign up call to action at the top of the page
- Benefits of signing up for the website
- Showcase of their photographer members
- Gamification of photography submissions to attract users
Ethereum
Ethereum is the technology that powers the cryptocurrency ether (ETH) and a digital playground where people can create new kinds of applications that can change how we do things on the internet. Their homepage focuses on awareness and uses cases for the technology.
Why this homepage is awesome:
- Call to action at the top of the page promotes education of the technology
- Cool hand-drawn graphics
- A section of call to actions near the top of the page that drives visitors toward using the technology
- A ton of features and benefits
- Statistics on the performance of the technology
In Conclusion
Creating the best homepage design is pretty straightforward, but takes some good content and design to convert visitors into customers. Is your website in need of a refresh, or looking to build a new website to attract customers? Our web design services are tailored to any business, any size.
