The key to a good homepage? Understanding who you are and what you do at a glance. If your visitors have to click around to figure it out, your page isn’t doing its job. At ZINNIG, we’ve worked on loads of websites, and we’re happy to share our best tips!

Grab their attention

Today’s web visitors have the attention span of a goldfish, so you’ve got to reel them in right away. How? With a catchy tagline, a clever question, or a targeted message. ‘Looking for green cleaning heroes for your home?’ Anyone on the hunt for eco-friendly cleaning products will feel instantly seen. It’s smart to identify your customers’ needs or tell them how your product or service can benefit them. This will make them more likely to click their way to your contact page.

Some great examples that hit the mark (some of them written by us):

• ‘Marketing in simple terms? You’re in the right place.’
• ‘Your admin is our action.’
• ‘Every drop counts. Your water expert, always nearby.’
• ‘If you can dream it, we can build it.’

Keep it logical and natural

A logical homepage structure is one that makes sense to you. There’s no one-size-fits-all. Do you want your visitors to see your case studies first? Put them at the top. Most homepages start with an ‘about us’ section, then unfold from there as you scroll. Whatever order you choose, make sure it fits your company. A formal homepage might look professional but can also come across as cold and distant. Keep it casual as much as you can, and those phone calls will come flooding in.

Give readers room to roam

A well-written homepage isn’t crammed with text. If readers don’t get a chance to breathe between lines, they’ll feel overwhelmed – and click away. Plenty of white space, clear subheadings, and short, concise paragraphs (2 to 4 lines max) is ideal. Bullet points are great for readability, too. Just don’t let the pendulum swing too far the other way. Stripping things down is fine, but too little information is frustrating.

Skip the jargon

Tempting as it may be to flaunt your knowledge, complex specialist terms don’t belong on your homepage. The average Joe looking to insulate his home isn’t going to know what a lambda value is. And legal jargon like ‘defendant’, ‘writ of summons’, and ‘arbitration panel’ sounds like gibberish to anyone looking for a lawyer. In short: these terms are fine when you’re chatting with colleagues, but have no place on a homepage. If you do have to use a special term, just be sure to explain it clearly.

Don’t drown visitors in CTAs

Your homepage is like an invitation to potential clients. And that’s just the where it starts. After the friendly handshake at the front door, you want to invite them in and get them to take the next step. That’s where your call to action comes in. Our advice? Be clear, not pushy. Don’t overwhelm your reader with a dozen different messages. Guide them to relevant pages on your website or to your contact info and make your call to action short, active, and appealing. ‘I want that e-book’ hits differently than ‘Request your e-book now.’ It’s the little things that make the biggest impact.

The bottom line? Your homepage should hit the mark. It should make people want to stick around and keep scrolling. Above all, it should make them want to reach out and get to know you and your services better.

Feeling stuck? ZINNIG is an expert in homepages and websites. We’d be happy to help!