What is the anatomy of a high conversion homepage? And how does it really work? What makes people click on CTA buttons or go to the checkout page on one site, while ignoring them on another website? There is a complex web of psychological impact and logical reasons stemming from the way a web page looks, and today we will try to untangle it.
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of a high conversion web page, let us explain first what makes people follow through a call to action. The number one reason, no matter what you like to believe, is this one: they feel that they are making their life simpler and solving a nagging pain point. And they need to have full confidence and peace of mind that they can trust your solution and that it is worth their money.
Here is how you can achieve this, starting with your homepage.
- Clear-Cut, Self Explanatory Visuals
If you look at the homepages of a few super successful online companies, you will note one thing: even without knowing what they are selling beforehand, you deduce it clearly from the photos and graphic elements included on the page.
For example, iStock sells stock photographs, so their main graphic element on the homepage is a large, high quality photo. Evernote is a cross-device application for taking notes and managing projects, so their homepage has a background video of people working on computers.
Your prospects must not be left wondering what your website and business are all about. Show them from the homepage in clear, unambiguous photos or videos.
- The Arresting Headline
While the visuals tell people what you are selling, the headline must give them reasons to want to learn more about your product. One of the most effective types of headlines is the benefit headline: you tell people the number one benefit they will experience from using the product.
MailChimp keeps it simple and straightforward: “Send better email. Sell more stuff”. This is an awesome benefit for a beginner entrepreneur or small business owner who has no idea how to grow their business. This headline tells them that they can get more sales by applying one simple marketing strategy – that is, email marketing. And that they can become pros at writing emails which drive sales.
I don’t know about you, but we are totally hooked on finding out more about what MailChimp has to offer. This is the kind of feeling your own headline must stir in any prospect looking at your homepage for the first time.
- White Space Helps Viewers Focus on the Content
Visual clutter on a homepage is just as annoying as actually walking into a cluttered and badly organised store. You take a look around and want to turn around and walk right out. In effect, no matter how much money you have invested in quality photography and how much time you spent writing the perfect headline, if they are drowned in a jumble of graphical elements and pointless text boxes, they will never reach their goals.
People do not devote the same attention and focus to reading on the internet as they do when reading a book or a newspaper. They scan, they do not carefully follow the content from top to bottom, word by word. And, if their eyes are simultaneously drawn to several focal points, they will become confused, lose patience and leave your page.
Conclusion: less is more when it comes to homepage design.
- Trust Elements
Even though you may have raised a visitor’s interest in your product, they are still unsure if they can trust your business. After all, it is so easy to set up a website and the internet is full of scammers. How can they know you are not one of them?
This is where trust elements come into place. And these elements are:
- Security and guarantee seals
- Disclaimer and privacy policy
- Contact details
- Testimonials
Ideally, you should have all of them on your homepage. Surely, you will have separate links for the disclaimer and the privacy policy, but they must be visible on the homepage, next to your contact details (email, phone and postal address).
- Call to Action
Self explanatory, you may say, but we have seen our share of amazing homepages which stir curiosity, build trust…and then they do not tell visitors what to do next. Even if it is a link to your product catalogue or a newsletter sign-up, your homepage needs to have at least one call to action.