You only get one shot at a first impression. Where many companies fall short when it comes to making a good impression is their homepage. while you’d hope that your website is so good, people convert immediately, that’s not gonna happen.
So then why are so many companies using basic homepages that do…nothing?
How to Kill and Replace Your Boring, Static Homepage:
- Your design has to be on point. According to a recent study, first impressions are 94% design related. So while imagery, typography, and overall aesthetic are very subjective, it just cannot be boring. Do the visuals convey the feeling you want? Does it inspire the visitor to take action? Does it guide a user’s eyes and scroll appropriately?
- Check your site speed often. Page load times have the biggest impact on your website’s first impression. A 2-second delay can be a deal breaker to the majority of users! Check your server and site health often.
- Focus on the customer experience. Direct users to your critical content and messaging “above the fold” so it’s the first thing they see and can navigate to.
- Avoid flicker. This is tied heavily to you site speed, but “flicker” is when a webpage loads in one state and then quickly transitions to show a different website experience. It’s common for dynamic variations and personalized elements. To avoid this, use strong development practices and optimized image loading.
- Personalize it, even for anonymous visitors. Machine-learning-powered personalization is great for dynamically customizing your message or product or image shown based on firmographic, behavioral and contextual data. So be sure to create dynamic content for visitors that you only know surface-level anonymous data on (often location).
Need help with this? That’s kind of our jam as a digital agency partner.
Check out the full post by Search Engine Land for more tips on creating a great first impression.
