Your homepage gets more traffic than almost any other page on your site, and it has less time than any other page to make its case. Most homepages fail the same way: they try to say everything, so a visitor learns nothing quickly. Here's what actually belongs on it.
What goes above the fold
Before anyone scrolls, they should be able to answer three questions: what is this, who is it for, and what do I do next. That means:
- A clear headline stating what you do, not a slogan that requires context.
- A short supporting line clarifying who it's for or what problem it solves.
- One clear call to action: a button, not three competing ones.
If a first-time visitor can't answer those three questions in five seconds, the top of the page isn't done yet. This is the same discipline that makes a good landing page work; your homepage is just handling it for a wider range of visitors.
What belongs further down the page
Proof. Logos, testimonials, review counts, or results; something that answers "can I trust this" before a visitor has to ask.
A summary of what you offer, not the full detail. Link out to dedicated pages rather than explaining everything on the homepage itself.
Featured work or examples, if you have them. Showing is more convincing than telling, especially for design, creative, or service-based businesses.
A second call to action. Visitors who scroll to the bottom without converting are still interested, so give them another clear next step instead of leaving them at a footer.
What usually doesn't need to be there
- A long company history. Save that for the about page.
- Every service or product you offer, in full detail. Link to dedicated pages instead.
- A slideshow of rotating banners. Most visitors never see anything past the first slide, and it usually slows the page down. This connects directly to why website speed matters; a heavy homepage is often the slowest page on the site.
- Stock photography that doesn't say anything specific about your business.
Homepage copy is doing more work than the design
The layout can be perfect and still fail if the words on it are vague. "Quality service since 1998" tells a visitor nothing. Being specific about what you do and who it's for outperforms being clever almost every time. This is worth its own attention; see how to write website copy that converts for a deeper look at getting this right.
Homepage design should reflect your brand, consistently
The homepage is usually the first place a visitor experiences your visual identity: colors, type, photography style, tone. If that doesn't feel consistent with the rest of your marketing, it creates a small but real moment of doubt. That consistency is exactly what a brand identity is meant to solve.
The bottom line
A good homepage doesn't try to do everything. It answers what, who, and what's next, quickly and clearly, and lets every other page do the rest of the work.
Not sure your homepage is pulling its weight?
If you have a homepage that's not converting the way you'd expect, get in touch, and I can take a look and tell you specifically what's working against you.