Homepage Essentials: Part Two

As September draws to a close, we’ll be wrapping up our latest mini blog series. We have been focused on websites this month, and last week we zeroed in on some essentials for the homepage of websites. We discussed why the homepage is such an important element in itself, and we also went through a few essential elements that should be included above the fold. Today we’re continuing with some homepage essentials for below the fold and just a few general tips to keep in mind for your homepage’s content. 

So, which elements should be below the fold on your homepage? 

1) Overview of Services/Features 

A brief explanation of your services/features/products is essential for pretty much every business. These brief overviews should be just below the fold but not too far down the page for potential customers to overlook. Your online visitors need to be able to find the information most pertinent to them, so we would suggest putting these not far under your header. 

2) Images of Success 

While not necessarily images, every business should have some measure of their success on their homepage below the fold. These examples of success help lend credibility to your organization, which new potential customers usually need. You can showcase this with badges of industry awards, logos of companies you’ve helped, or even testimonials from current and past clients/buyers. Whatever method you choose, these examples should be showcased on your homepage. 

3) Secondary Calls to Action 

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about calls to action this month, and while we mentioned that the primary call to action should be somewhere above the fold, it is usually a good idea to include it toward the bottom of your homepage as well. Below the fold is also the perfect place for secondary calls to action. These secondary calls are a great opportunity to build rapport with those not ready to jump to your primary objective. A common secondary call to action is the call to download a free resource, which gives your visitors a valuable resource while also giving you their contact information. 

4) Footer Information

It might seem easy to overlook your website’s footer, but it, too, plays a role on the homepage. It’s commonplace for the footer to hold contact information and social media links, and most people will instinctively look for those items there. Make sure those items are included, and make sure that the social media links lead to active social media accounts.  

Tips: 

-Keep your text to a minimum. Online visitors don’t have much patience for paragraphs. Most people will scan your page and move on, so keep your text short and succinct. 

-Make sure there is cohesion to your homepage. Like we mentioned last week, your homepage is the first impression many visitors have of your business, so make sure there is thought behind the flow of it. 

-Images and video are important elements of your homepage and particularly helpful in retaining traffic. Make sure you follow the file guidelines of your hosting website so that your visuals don’t have trouble loading. 

So, what other elements would you consider essential for any homepage? Any other tips you would recommend? Comment and let us know. 

Also, stay tuned last this week as we kick off a new blog topic for the month of October.