How To: Create a Dynamite Homepage

Nothing deters internet searchers more than a sloppy, disorganized website. Your landing page is literally your welcome sign to the virtual world, and if it is a shamble of information overload, most visitor will likely pass it over in search of more concise, easy to read sites. In order to create a homepage that is inviting and visually appealing, as well as informative, can be a daunting task, but if managed correctly, can do wonders for your online presence. Here are a few tips in creating a homepage that says everything you need it to, without out overwhelming your audience.
 
1. Be Inviting. Your first page should reflect the goals and ideals of your company. Make sure that it is welcoming and attention grabbing. Your logo and name should stand out, and visitors should know immediately what business you are in. A great headline should sum up for readers what it is they have stumbled across. Never assume that your readers are fully versed in your company’s work.
 
2. Keep it Concise. There is no need to show all of your cards on the first round. With any luck, visitors will be able to find any additional information they need by navigating around the rest of your site. The landing page should be just that: the face and name that users land on, from which they can gain precise, simple knowledge of the brand.
 
3. Avoid Superfluous Text. In this digital age,people are less inclined to read through paragraphs of text. Make your points simple and clear. Bullets, lists, and bolded statements are great ways to attract the reader to your main points without bogging them down with added information. You want your viewers to know what they are looking at, and where to go for additional information if they decide it is valuable to them. Forget everything you learned in your undergraduate English clashes. Your website is not the place for those million dollar words you’ve been keeping in your back pocket. Brevity is key.
 
4. Make Navigation Easy. The main killer of a good site is bad navigation.Categorize your information with the use of menu and side bars, so that visitors can easily search and find what it is they are looking for. An “About Us” menu tab can be a great way to provide additional info that you feel was too heavy for the landing page. Similarly, it is beneficial to include a link to contact info or question boxes so that users can feel connected to the site.
 
5. Keep it Visually Appealing. You want visitors to be interested in your company, and nothing attracts people more than a visually appealing site. A blank white page covered in black text will automatically lose a viewers attention, so keep it cool. Icons that redirect to your social media profiles, info-graphics that advertise certain aspects of your company, and quality photos that represent your business can be very appealing ways to organize information and keep a reader’s attention.