Your business's homepage is your virtual storefront. To attract more customers, you want your homepage to engage your target market while at the same time helping you rank highly in search engine results. Here are four ways you can improve your website's homepage:
- Use responsive design: According to Statista, in 2020, more than 90 percent of people who used the internet accessed it via a mobile device. This illustrates that it's critical to leverage a responsive design that allows users to view your website equally well on a desktop, tablet, and smartphone.
- Optimize the page for search engines: Prospective customers are more likely to find your website if it's SEO-friendly and ranks highly with search engines like Google and Bing. To make your homepage SEO-friendly, use keywords and key phrases that are highly relevant to your service or products. If your business caters to a local market, remember to include names of cities, towns, and neighborhoods. It's also advisable to post images and videos on your homepage. If possible, avoid stock images and videos. Instead, opt for unique imagery and include descriptive metatags, as well as alt text that makes your homepage more accessible.
- Make sure your homepage loads quickly: The longer it takes your homepage to load, the fewer visitors you'll retain. People are used to getting the information they want immediately, so, if they have to wait for your homepage to load, they're more likely to go a competitor's site. You can check your loading speed by taking the speed test. This page also has a diagnostic function that offers suggestions to make your page load faster.
- Include a lead generation form: One of the best ways to improve your homepage is to leverage it to gain more leads. You can do this by including a sign-up form that offers visitors something of value, such as a discount, rebate, newsletter, or eBook in exchange for their email address. This builds engagement with your brand while also creating more opportunities for you to interact with customers and prospects—and as a result, remain top of mind for when they're ready to make a purchase.
By improving your website's homepage in these ways, you can often attract more visitors, keep them on your site longer, and entice them to come back more frequently.
