7 THINGS YOU MUST HAVE ON YOUR WEBSITE HOMEPAGE

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This cliche not only applies to human interactions, but it is as important as in the human world. Whether they have landed via social media or google search it takes a mere 0.05 seconds for a user to form an opinion about your website. A great first impression is critical. In order to make the visitors navigate through the website for a long time, consider the following 7 elements.

Every website is different
Depending on the purpose, every website has different features. In order to make it appealing to both business and clients, every homepage has its own essential features. One size doesn't fit all. Even if one of those features are missing, you'll miss your loyal clients and readers.

Consider these 7 things, your webpage must do:

1. Rich Media:
Our brain processes visual elements faster than text or sound. In fact, studies have shown that we process visual information 60.000 times faster than text. Using high-quality images gives the website an aesthetic quality for users to explore the page further. The better photos you use, the more engagement it drives. Use images that are customized to your brand. Avoid images that are not of correct dimension.

2. Compelling Call to Actions (CTA):
Call to action leads the visitor to the webpage. They are the easiest way to convert a visitor to clients. The call to action must be clear and stand out. Be specific as much as possible. Think about the action you want them to take i.e. "Subscribe," "Buy," "Download for free," etc.

3. Navigation:
This is the primary gateway to the rest of the website. Navigation breaks or makes the user experience. So it is important to note that the website acts as a simple way to explore the rest of the sites. The navigation has to be logical and intuitive. It is a good method to reinforce the key links of the website within the footer of the website.

4. Social Media integration:
Social media buttons should be visible at the top or bottom of the webpage. This is the easiest way to build trust between you and the user. By getting connected through social media, a business can be promoted which in turn generates a lot of leads and followers.

5. Contact Information:
Contact page plays an important role when customers have questions and try to contact you. Every homepage should have a contact page/form. Make it easy for people to contact you. Include detailed information such as phone number, mailing address etc. Another easiest way is to add a contact page to your site and link to it from your navigation menu.

6. Testimonials:
Testimonials area great way of building credibility. A customer who is unsure if to sign up for your product might get swayed by seeing the positive testimonials. This is a great way to build trust, reputation, and authority. Start collecting reviews from customers and clients who are happy with your services or products.

7. Active News/ Blog feeds:
A blog is a perfect medium to share your professional thoughts. Having a blog is a good way of showing to customers that you are active on the website. Update your blog for a couple of times in a month. Additionally, the comment features enable two-way interaction which makes them actively engaged. This, in turn, drives traffic to the website.

A great homepage is more than artful design

Building your personal website might take time, but committing to this task is really important. Before designing, ask yourself as, what your audience is looking for? Does your design impress them to take action? And finally, make a great impression.

And here is a bonus pointer ! Having the perfect landing page is a must for your website. Read more.