What To Put On Your Homepage To Make it Authentic

Whoever said that the first impression lasts is not wrong. You will never have a second chance to make that first impression – so you have to make sure that your homepage showcases what your entire website is all about.

When someone opens your website, the first thing they will notice is its face value – the homepage. Do you think your audience likes what they see? For any company or brand, the website is the front door. If the visitors like what they see at first glance, they won’t mind clicking on the content, but if they don’t, no doubt they’d hit the back key or exit their browser all-together.

Well, what is it precisely that makes anyone’s homepage authentic? Legit? Lit. Or whatever new millennial term it is, that means brilliant.

By now, you should already know that more than looks, a homepage has to work well. Just like in beauty pageants, the contestants win not only for their beauty but for their brains as well.

Let us talk about the ways that will make your homepage authentic. Achieving this authenticity will need work – but once you do it right, know that the visitors will stick to you like glue.

Logo

This is a no-brainer – the first thing your audience will see is your logo. It is usually located on the top left side of your homepage. Don’t overthink where to place it or crowd it with unnecessary visual elements – make sure it is large enough for people to see the details so that it will stand out.

Hero Shot

A hero shot is a web phrase that means the main image. The hero shot of your homepage is usually the largest, most prominent, and most crucial element on it.

Make sure it blends well with the entire homepage while still standing out. Keep it simple, real, and a job to do – which means it should inspire and encourage your audience to interact further into the website.

Value Proposition

Tell your visitors what it is precisely that you do in a clear and easy-to-find value proposition. This should be a no-brainer, but there are tons of sites that do not have one.

Set the tone of your site early on with a brief and on point value proposition. If your visitors do not understand what your brand or company is, what makes you think they’re there to unravel it and waste their time? Yes, you know your brand and your visitors want and need to know that when they visit your site too.

Social Media Links

Everyone is on their phones checking their social media accounts, so you must place your links in a very easy-to-find part of the homepage. Whether it is on the header or the footer – you decide. It is great to allow your visitors to follow and engage with your company outside of your website.

Sometimes, having a social media manager helps in increasing the content and following your social media accounts because it means there are more people that you can reach. Updated social media accounts is also a factor for some visitors to come back and visit your website.

Contact Details

If you have never needed to contact tech support or customer service, you might think that this is not important, but if you did – you know it is. These numbers or email addresses saves lives and money.

The contact information is at the bottom part of your homepage or a drop-down from the header.

Client Testimonials

Readers trust a site if it has a lot of positive reviews and testimonials. Recommendations or praises posted on the website garner them more views and visitors. So, if you want more views or followers, capitalize on the positive reviews that your clients or readers have sent you and post them on your home page.

Potential customers, clients, or readers will read the accomplishments, and they will visit your website more and even recommend you to their family and friends too.

High Quality and Original Images or Videos

Using stock images is convenient, but it will not build the authenticity and credibility of your brand. Use photos that you took or that of your team. High-quality photos and videos show professionalism and attention to detail, which is preferred by more audiences.

Services or Features

Your value proposition and content will give your audience a brief overview of what you, but they still need to know your products or services.

Having this information present on your homepage offers more details for prospect audiences, customers, or clients. Plus, it helps your website rank higher for those services in search engines.

Call to Action

It should be clear what ‘action’ you want your audience to take next. Your homepage might have multiple calls-to-action, but it is vital to make sure you make one visually prominent for your audience to see.

Offer

An effective way to generate leads from your homepage is to feature an offer or a lead magnet. You have so many things to choose from – free ebooks, free trials, discount coupons, etc.