It’s been six months since we started our website critique service and over that time we’ve seen a pattern of common mistakes.
A lot of these mistakes occur on the homepage. Most people spend the majority of their time thinking about their homepage design, how it will look and what impression they want to give. But they forget the simplest rule:
The purpose of your homepage is to get your user to the next page.
It’s rare that someone will land on your homepage, pick up the phone and buy from you. Your homepage should act as a hub for your website. A reception area, if you will, which is designed to guide your user to the places you want them to go.
So, with this in mind, what are the most common errors we see on homepages?
1. You don’t make it clear what you do
This is the number one error we see. You haven’t told us what you do and why we should care.
The second we get to your homepage you need to clearly describe what it is that you do.
We call this a BIG BOLD STATEMENT.
Thinking of one for your business is harder than it sounds, so I’ve included some great examples below.
Freshbooks
Freshbooks say they offer ‘Small business accounting software that makes billing painless.’
You gain so much information from this one statement alone: their target audience (small businesses), what they do (accounting software) and their USP (painless billing).
Imagine if they didn’t have that statement and you had to figure out what they did from their business name?
Content Marketing Academy
CMA asks, “Ready to grow your business with content marketing?” and their sub-headline is “At the CMA we teach forward thinking business people and marketers to master content marketing, get better customers and increase revenue.”
Again, you get so much information from their statement: their target audience (forward-thinking business people and marketers), what they do (teach you how to master content marketing) and their USP (help you get better customers and increase revenue).
Users are lazy and impatient, and I can get away with saying that because I’m the worst. If I don’t see what I’m looking for within the first 3 seconds, I’ll hit that back button and go to another website. Don’t lose potential customers through something as simple as not explaining what it is you do!
How to fix it
A handy little tip to create a big bold statement for your business is to think about your products or service as a solution to your prospective customers’ problems.
We help [these types of people] get [this solution] by [feature of product]
We help [kids] get [more exercise] by [making it fun]
We help [business owners] get [invoices paid on time] by [sending reminders automatically]
There are many ways you can come up with your own statement, but the most important thing is clarity. Do you make it obvious who you can help? And how you can help them?
2. No Call to Action
Remember what I said earlier about your homepage acting as a reception? We’ve come across so many websites that give their users no clear direction.
I’m not talking about the top navigation bar; I’m talking about the pages you want to show your user. It’s best to keep these call to actions above the fold, so your users know where to go once they land on your homepage.
You could send them to service or product pages or your latest blog post. But think about the buying cycle. Don’t just shove your about page there because you feel that’s where it should go. Your user is on a journey and your aim is to shimmy them along to the end.
Good examples of this include:
SEO Moz
SEO Moz does a fantastic job of this. They combine both a call to action and clear instruction. As soon as you land on the homepage you have two options: one, ‘Get Started with Moz’ and two, ‘Get my free listing score’ – a very tempting call to action, especially with the word free!
They’ve clearly thought about their user’s journey, which goes a little something like this…
Homepage ——– Get Started With Moz ——— Start My Free 30 Day Trial
And that’s it. 3 steps and they have your details (including your card details).
Hotel Chocolat – ‘Exam Success’ Call To Action
Marks and Spencer ‘Back To School’ Call To Action
I always hear how e-commerce websites are different to ‘standard sites,’ but there’s no reason e-commerce businesses shouldn’t be directing their customers to their preferred web pages.
Both Hotel Chocolat and Marks and Spencer do this well. On their homepage, they’re predicting what their users will need. It’s Summer holidays, so both have identified that ‘exam success’ chocolates and ‘back to school’ supplies, will be something that their users will be looking for. Instead of having to traipse around the site, the user is presented with exactly what they want on the homepage.
Of course, getting a designer to design new images and then uploading them to your site can cost time and money, but it’s worth it.
How to fix it
Think about the one thing you’d like your users to do when they visit your website. How will you convince your visitor to take the next step with you?
Ideally, it would move them closer to becoming a customer, e.g., book a free consultation, check availability, etc., but at the very least your call to action would allow them to build up more report with your business and help them to consume more of your content.
3. No Lead Capture
Your website users will very rarely buy from you straight away. You’ll need to build up some trust before they do. This is why it’s a good idea to offer them something in return for their contact details.
This could be in the form of a tempting offer such as a discount on the first order, free delivery, free trial, free e-book/video, etc. Not only do you get their contact details but you also build trust, getting them comfortable with potentially making that first order or enquiry.
Good examples of this include:
Hubspot
Like Moz, Hubspot instruct what they want their users to do with an attractive call to action, offering free access to their products with a clear ‘Get started’ button. From here, they capture your details, and you’re now in Hubspot’s (very helpful) email machine!
If I could only critique one thing, it would be to make the text, ‘Free versions of every HubSpot product. Start now and upgrade as you grow’ larger, as I didn’t spot it right away. But, hey. They’re Hubspot. They know what they’re doing!
Also, notice how they also use the same, ‘Get Started’ button on the top right and bottom left? As the user’s eyes roam the page, they’ll be hit with both call to actions loud and clear.
Mum’s Meal Planner
We did a similar thing when we designed the Mum’s Meal Planner website. We crafted the words ‘Weekly Meal Plans Straight to Your Inbox’ along with a tempting lead capture offering a free sample in exchange for the user’s email address.
Notice again how there are buttons to sign up on both the top right and bottom left? Similar to how Hubspot does it, and yet they look completely different.
How to fix it
To be able to capture your prospects contact information, you can use anyone of these popular email marketing tools;
Aweber – Free Trail
ConvertKit
MailChimp
Each of these services will allow you to add an email signup form to your website and start gathering contact information.
Don’t forget to tempt people with a freebie of some sort in exchange for their information. And yes, it does need to be more appealing than “join our newsletter”!
4. Contact details
How would you like your customers to contact you? A phone call, contact form, carrier pigeon?
Whatever you decide, you need to make it obvious for your website visitors. I can’t tell you how many websites get this wrong.
If you want someone to pick up the phone and give you a call, put your phone number in a very prominent position on your homepage (and on every other web page for that matter).
Good examples of this include:
Jammy Digital
On our website, we feature a clickable phone number and option to contact us for a ‘quick chat’ via our contact form.
You have to be careful not to overwhelm people with too many ways of contacting you, but it’s a good idea to feature two or three. This is because some people may prefer phone or skype, but they might like to email instead.
How to fix it
You need to respect your visitors time, and making them scour through your website to find your details is going to frustrate them. This goes back to your call to action. Make your intentions clear and direct people without pissing them off.
Get your web designer to add your contact details on the top of each page including your homepage. 50% of searches are now completed through a mobile device. So please, make it easy for people on the go! Display your phone number clearly (as text, not an image) and make it clickable for people to call you
5. Attack of the logo
Logos are important. There’s no doubt about it. They encompass everything you are as a brand. People are proud of their logos, and I get that. But your web user is looking for information fast. You don’t need a humongous logo on your homepage, taking up all that valuable space!
Have a look at the brands below with logos hailed as the most iconic logos in the world. Look how small they are in comparison to the rest of the website. That’s exactly how logos should be displayed.
Good examples of this include:
McDonalds
FedEx
BMW
How to fix it
Speak to your designer or web developer about resizing your logo if it’s too big. Our logo at the top left is 317px by 65px.
It’s big enough to see and read but not too intrusive.
6. No Unique Selling Points
Yeah, I know, industry jargon. But highlighting your unique selling points is a grand idea. You don’t have to do this high up necessarily but have it somewhere on your homepage. And actually think about what makes you different from others. This does NOT include the following:
- Delivers excellent customer service
- Have been in business for over fifteen years
- We provide solutions to your problems
Think about what makes you stand out from your competitors and list them on your homepage.
Good examples of this include:
Grammarly
Take Grammarly, for instance. They state that they’re far better than a normal word processor and they that they can correct your grammar and spelling in email and everywhere across the web.
How to fix it
Think of what will appeal to your target audience and what concerns they may have about working with you – address those concerns head on.
You’ll need to think about what you do that no one else in your industry does and shout about it.
7. Social Proof
The term ‘social proof’ is not to be confused with social media. Social proof is about influencing people in a positive way. In business, social proof is used to make your potential customers feel more comfortable investing in you. It’s about gaining trust by providing proof that your product or service will be valuable to your audience.
Good examples of this include:
Social Media Examiner
Social Media Examiner uses some compelling phraseology to get you to sign up to their free report. They say ‘Join more than 620,000 of your peers’.
How powerful is that? It’s the kind of thing to get you thinking, well if so many other people like me have joined, why shouldn’t I? It’s a hugely influential phrase, added in bold for extra oomph!
Marie Forleo
Okay, so it might not be possible to get a photograph with Oprah Winfrey or Richard Branson. But Marie Forleo does a great job at presenting her social proof on her homepage.
If you can gain the attention of industry leaders, then it’s certainly a good idea to feature them on your homepage. This also goes for big companies you’ve worked with too.
How to fix it
There are many different kinds of social proof you can feature on your homepage, including:
- AUTHENTIC Customer testimonials
- Links to case studies
- Feeds from review websites such as Tripadvisor or Trustpilot
- Think about what will build trust in you and your business and showcase this prominently.
Summary
These are just a few examples of common mistakes people make on the homepage of their website.
However, please be aware that we’ve barely scratched the surface!
If you’d like us to tell you what costly mistakes you’re making on YOUR website, then book a website critique and receive a 30-minute, personalised video.
Over to you
Have you encountered any of these mistakes on your website? Or, is there anything you think we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below…
Web designer & marketer for small businesses. Martin is an experienced search engine and web design specialist, with over a decade of experience working with large corporations to small businesses.
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