20 Content Ideas For An Awesome Website Homepage

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As a business owner, having a website is a necessity if you want your venture to take off. Through your online presence, you can easily reach the whole world while you sit in comfort at home. Owning a website gives a business credibility, and it shows you are serious about becoming successful.

Owning a website is easy these days, thanks to the tech revolution. Even if you don’t know how to create one, there are thousands of freelancers that can help you design your website at a reasonable price, or you can watch videos online to guide you through the process.

If you have a rough idea of what you want the homepage to look like, all you need is help on how to finalize the content - and make no mistake, the content is what will make your site a success.

Your homepage will be the most visited page of your website, so it very important that you pay attention to it. It should direct your potential visitors through to other pages of your site.

We have put together some useful tips that will assist you in creating a top-notch website homepage. Follow these guides, and it will be one of your best decisions ever.

1. Logo

A logo is the number one thing to consider when creating your homepage. Any visitor to your site should see your logo first. The best position for it is at the top left corner of your homepage. Let it stand out by surrounding it with enough negative space.

2. Menu

Create an interesting menu that showcases only the most useful pages. The menu should allow visitors to promptly navigate to their areas of interest. The menu is important because around 50% of visitors that reach your website via referral will use the it to acquaint themselves.

3. Special Entry

This may not be necessary for all sites, but if your website needs to give private access to its members or a special group of members, special entry will be needed. All you need to do is to devise a stylish way for users to log in, and it is best to have it at the top of the page.

4. Hero Shot

Hero shot is also referred to as ‘main image’. Your hero shot should keep the right visitors engaged, and discourage the wrong visitors from further navigation. Don't make it too complicated. A simple, genuine photo will do just fine. Avoid trite stock photos.

5. Headline

This is another crucial thing for the homepage. Your headline is the most significant passage on your site. It should come above, below, or within the hero shot. Your headline must be very clear and benefit-focused.

6. The Inevitable Call-To-Action

We call this inevitable because you can't afford to leave it off your homepage. Your call-to-action must be visually prominent, and the button should be placed below your hero shot. State the benefits of using the button, and always use active language.

7. Introduction

Start a dialogue with your visitors by using friendly and benefit-oriented copy. Your introduction should give your audience ample reason why they need to navigate to other pages. Optimize the page by using keywords, and if possible, internal links.

8. Portfolio

If you run a business that offers products that can be translated into images, it would be great to include a portfolio. Most website visitors will want to see your portfolio gallery on your homepage.

9. Blog

Having a blog on your website is a nice way of informing your audience of the latest happenings in the business. Consider displaying recent or popular posts on your homepage as a way to direct users to your blog. You can do this with thumbnails, a stack of rows, a list, or grid of tiles.

10. Pods

Present helpful pods or sections, to include everything your visitors would find valuable, such as awards, clients, products, books, news, staff profiles, etc. Thirty-eight percent of website users will stop engaging with a site if the content is unattractive.

11. Social Proof

Demonstrate credible social proof that shows approval of your service or product. Consider award emblems, testimonials, press mentions, reviews, stats, trust seals, and client logos.

12. Features and Benefits

Virtually every person that visits a website does so with one thing in mind - benefits. Highlight the main features and benefits of your products as a list, in rows, or as a grid of pods. The right/left Ping Pong presentation is a great choice.

13. You

The "You" feature comes into play depending on the kind of website you have. If you are using a website to support your personal brand, it would be nice for you to feature on the site. Consider a bio, photo, quotes, video, or introductory passage.

14. Subscription

If you are an affiliate marketer, it is a taboo not to have an email subscription column. Subscription is not limited to affiliate matters alone; all businesses need email subscription for sending important emails to their visitors. You can do this as pop-ups, embedded forms, or call-to-action on the landing page.

15. Offer

You can generate leads from your homepage by using lead magnet offers such as eBooks, free trials, guides, coupons, etc. There are different ways to present the offer in your hero shot; either as a call-to-action, or in a section of the page.

16. Resources

Resources are always placed in a specific section of a website. Not all websites have this feature, but if yours does - be it free or paid - you can boost click-through rate by dedicating a section to show your resource library.

17. Search Functions

This is another must-have feature for website owners, especially if your site contains a lot of information. A search feature helps users find what they need easily and conveniently by simply typing it in the search box. The conventional place for this feature is top right.

18. Additional Call-To-Actions

You may want to add other CTAs to your homepage to meet your audience's information needs. Using links and buttons with contrasting colors will help to draw their attention to them.

19. Keywords

The importance of keywords to website owners can never be overemphasized. If you wish to reach out to a large number of people, you must take keywords very seriously. You can optimize your homepage by placing keywords in the headline, title tag, body copy, behind images (as alt img tag), and menu items.

20. Footer

The footer of a homepage is most likely to be a standard feature throughout the website. Consider including important elements your audience may want instant access to, such as your contact information.

This is a list of content ideas needed to have an awesome website. If you are a business owner without a website, it’s time to change that. You can go through courses that will guide you through building a website, or hire freelancers to get it done for you. Remember, building a website is not the main deal, the content is what matters most.

If there are questions you'd like to ask, you can drop it in the comment box below.

Posted 12 September, 2017

TomCoulter

Designer // Writer // Creative

Tom is a Design Correspondent for Freelancer.com. He is currently based in Melbourne and spends most of his non-work moments trying to find the best coffee.

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