Tips for designing an awesome homepage from the experts

As an asset, a company’s website is unquestionably one of its most important marketing tools.

The website should be seen as the core of digital communication, as it is from this platform that the company has the opportunity to showcase its profile, inform, engage and sell its products or services. The purpose of a company’s website can be very different depending on the unique situation, but it is basically about hitting its target audience and distinguishing itself positively from its competitors – and here the website is an increasingly important tool.

Follow the tips below from some of the world’s best web developers and marketing experts for a winning homepage.

Your key message must be clearly defined on your homepage

You only have a few seconds to make visitors interested in your website. The main message must therefore be served interestingly, clearly and where most people look first: at the top left of the front or on your landing pages. Users are browsing in a “Z” course, and the prioritization in the design of the website should therefore be built up accordingly.

The main message must therefore always be “above the fold” – i.e. on the top of the website. If the user has to scroll down to find the main message, they run the risk of falling off. It’simportant that you prioritize your messages, as too many messages steal focus from each other and make the page appear messy and incalculable.

With a good message that can be quickly and easily identified, you will buy valuable time and visitors will examine the website more closely.

Make it clear what the website is about

Visitors need to be able to quickly understand what the website is about and who is behind it. It is important to be honest about who you are and what you stand for as it gives credibility to the website. This is ensured, among other things, by the visual identity and the design. A low profile or identityless website, which may be based on a standard template, can be difficult to decode for the visitor. In addition, you run the risk that other companies have used the same template, which would be boring if it is your primary competitor.

Use typography which people find easy to read and which supports your brand

It goes without saying that you want your website copy to be as easy to read as possible for users so they can absorb information quickly without moving on because they can find what they need.

Take into consideration the different devices people will be accessing your website on – what looks great on a developer’s 32 inch widescreen 4k monitor might not look so great on a Pixel 2 mobile phone.

Typography is also an important part of your branding – it goes without saying, don’t use comic sans unless you are an auditioning agency for clowns.

Multiple clear calls to action

You want your website to be a lead generation powerhouse. This means giving visitors plenty of opportunities to hit a contact button, download a whitepaper or join a mailing list. Don’t over do it though, as you don’t want users to feel like they’re under attack.

Clear contact information

If the website does its job and arouses interest, the next step from the visitor’s page may be a desire to contact the company to learn more. Here it is important that the contact information is very clear. On many websites, contact information and other employees remain the most visited.

It provides reassurance if it is clear how to contact the company. It gives a good feeling that there are people behind a website. At the same time, it is a good idea to tell the story of the company on a sub-page or at the bottom, so that a potential customer can get a better sense of the business partner.

Social Media

Many companies and organisations have embraced social media. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. have become important elements in communication with the outside world. There is no doubt that there is a good synergy effect in being present on multiple media. This allows you to influence and interact with as many people as possible in the audience. It is therefore important that the company’s social media presence is a natural part of the web design. It should be easy to follow the company on social media, but it should only be based on a well thought-out SM strategy. There are many good opportunities to use social media for more “serious” purposes than in the past, and there is no doubt that it will continue to develop a lot in the years to come. It will require a constant focus on which social media makes sense to invest in, so it provides value for businesses.

Test, Test, Test the design of your website

A good and professional web design will only be optimal if it is tested by those it is targeting. What was ideal from the designer’s point of view is not necessarily the right idea when it comes to the practical use of the website. Web design testing can be done on many levels. It doesn’t necessarily have to be super scientific to work as intended. Sometimes a simple test in a group can be worth a lot in the process. At the same time, a web page should never be seen as a fully-fledged site. New usage habits and website options may mean that you need to regularly correct items on the website.

Web design can also have a major impact on the speed of the website and how it is experienced in the different browsers. A bad experience due to too slow load time or poor viewing in a browser on the different platforms can result in a lost sale. There are a wide range of tools on the web to test these things. Here we can among other things recommend Pingdom speed tester, where you can quickly (and free of charge) get an overview of the speed of the website and what may be of challenges with large images, JavaScript or otherwise. Google also offers an effective tool in the form of their PageSpeedInsights. Tests of websites in the various browsers are a little more uncertain, since one cannot rely 100% on the tools that lie the web. Here it is still most safe to test live in the current browser.

Keep content updated

The last tip is to keep your website content fresh and updated, especially on the blog. Potential customers frequently view the blog to see how active a company is, and if your last posts were 3 years ago, this can sow seeds of doubt.