The customer and audience today have a very short attention span. Thanks to the ever-increasing endless scroll feed. And unfortunately, that has percolated to websites too. So if you plan to put information about your startup scattered over the website – you are wrong. It’s like going for a 7-10 years Saas-Bahu series in the age of Web-Sweries. In fact, nowadays single pages are getting more popular. So it’s important to capture the attention of your visitor on the home page itself. Here are 15 startup home page essentials that will hold the visitor’s attention.
01. A clear and compelling value proposition
You never know what brought a visitor to your website. So it’s important to help your visitor get an idea of what the website is about. This is a short statement that explains what your company does and how it can help its customers. It should be prominently displayed on your home page. If possible above the fold (the area of the page that is visible without scrolling). This helps visitors quickly understand what you offer.
02. A prominent call-to-action (CTA)
If you are an e-commerce store – you would want visitors to purchase your product, if you are a service – you probably look for leads, if you are a blog – subscriber is what you would want. Any text or button that encourages the visitors to take any preferred action is called a call to action. Some examples can be buttons like – “Drop in your e-mail address to know more”, “Buy Now!”, “Subscribe to our Newsletter” etc. It should be prominently displayed on your home page. Also, make sure that it is in a contrasting color to draw attention to it.
03. Testimonials or customer reviews
Testimonials, reviews, and ratings are great options to build trust and credibility. Positive feedback from your past customers can help in converting new visitors to customers. So having quotes, ratings, or video testimonials to showcase the experiences of real people who have used your product or service on the home page is a great way to build trust.
04. Social proof
Seeing is believing. For a new startup – for which there are not many external details are available, it’s best to put forward any evidence that shows that your company is trusted and respected by others on your homepage. This can include the number of users or customers you have, media mentions or partnerships, or industry awards and certifications.
06. A clean and visually appealing design
One of the most important rules of designing is – white spaces are equally important. This is true for webpages too. A webpage that tries to clutter everything is proof of poor design skills. Such web pages can be off-putting and can prevent visitors from converting. It is very important that the webpage has enough white space to breathe. Also, it’s important to ensure design consistency. The fonts, colors, design elements, spacing, font size, etc. should reflect the branding guideline and should be consistent.
07. A search bar or navigation menu
Along with design and aesthetic elements, technical and functional elements are equally important. Elements like easy navigation, home-page link, search bar, etc. are a must so that visitors can easily find the things they came looking for. Also, it’s important that the basic rules and standards of UI and UX must be followed to make the page familiar to new visitors.
08. A clear hierarchy of information
Hierarchy is everywhere. Be it organization, nature, or even the content of a book – hierarchy in order. The same is true for web pages. The most important information on your home page should be at the top, with less important information below. Also, headings, subheadings, and bullet points are a must to organize information as per hierarchy.
09. Responsive design
There was a time when websites were made primarily to be accessed on a laptop or desktop. However nowadays with more and more people accessing the internet on their phones and tablets, it is important that your website looks good and functions properly on a variety of devices. If you want to be more accessible – you can also go for AMP pages. AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages and is a lightning-fast website. This is particularly helpful for news startups.
10. Link to “About Us” page
We have included the page as one of the startup home page essentials because it provides more information about your company’s mission, values, and team. It is a good place to share your company’s story and give visitors a sense of who you are and what you stand for. So it’s a good idea to put a link and a short version of About Us on the home page itself.
11. Contact information
Contact information and social media links are a must for most businesses. Make sure the home page either contains this information or contains a link to the contact page and make sure it is easily accessible. For some types of businesses like e-commerce websites – having a clear contact page with links to customer care are a statutory requirement. Make sure you follow the legal requirements of your state as far as contact details go.
12. A video introduction
Although this is not a requirement, a video introduction works great. Nowadays people are more attracted to visual mediums – particularly audio/video. It also helps to grab the attention of the visitor quickly and can hook them. So a short video can be a great way to quickly introduce visitors to your company. However, make sure that the video loads quickly and is optimized.
13. A newsletter sign-up form
Whatever business you are into, one of the essential elements of a webpage is the newsletter subscription form. If you have a newsletter or email list, consider including a sign-up form on your home page. This is very effective in growing your e-mail marketing and remarketing list. This can also potentially increase sales without actually spending anything on ads.
14. A FAQ section
When you are a new startup – chances are that visitors and potential customers can have various queries. Answering common questions that visitors might have can help them feel more confident about your company and its offerings. Creating a dedicated FAQ section is a great way to answer queries. This can also help reduce the load on your chat support and e-mail support.
15. A Link to resources or blog section
Maintaining an informative blog is a subtle yet effective way of showing your customers your expertise. This also increases your credibility in the field you are working. Apart from that informative blog can increase footfall in your blog. Blogs can do wonders for SEO. Do make sure you link your top blog posts on the home page.
16. Customer support information
If you are into selling products or services make sure you have an easily accessible link to customer support on your home page. This can include a phone number, email address, or chat widget. Providing easy access to customer support can help build trust and credibility with visitors.
Other Startup Home Page Essentials
Last but by no means least – make sure you give your web designer enough time and resources to study your brand and suggest the best blocks, sections, and information that the designer thinks best for your business. The above list is just a helpful list. Actual requirements will depend on the brand and what you plan to achieve with your brand.
If you are looking for a website designer or content writer for your startup website – do leave us a comment or drop us a line. We are available for a free discussion.
