How to Design a Homepage that Converts in 2023

A homepage that converts- if you own a startup, your first question might be what that means. This is one of the most important aspects to be aware of when building a website. Website conversion refers to the ratio of customers completing the desired action when they visit your website- usually making a purchase, but it could also be something like signing up for your newsletter/updates or sharing your posts on social media.

Naturally, in order for your website to be successful, you want this ratio to be as high as possible. Since you can’t force anyone to do anything, how do you get people to purchase your products? Well, one of the first ways is through your homepage. This is the first page that people see when they visit your website, which can make or break their overall experience. In this article, we will discuss the different ways you can make a homepage that improves conversion rates.

1. Create a simple design

No one wants to visit a website that has an overly complex design. They don’t want to be confused in terms of how to use it, nor do they want to get bombarded by too many loud colors. The simpler your site’s design is, the better. For this, you can use a great website editor to improve the design. Most website editor platforms offer templates and themes, many of which are rather simple. The “less is more” approach certainly applies when you’re building your site.

2. Optimize your site for mobile devices

If your homepage isn’t optimized for mobile devices, then you can forget about people staying on your website- let alone improving your conversion rates. Although a lot of people do use their computers for surfing the web, a lot more people use their phones due to the convenience. Say you’re on the bus on the way to work. You’re probably going to have your phone out browsing the web, right? Think about how many billions of other people do that, too. That’s why it’s incredibly important to consider how your website looks and loads on mobile devices. If you don’t have a homepage that will download on a mobile device, then visitors are not likely to return- much less perform desired actions.

3. Run an A/B test

Even if you make lots of changes to improve your homepage, that’s not the last step you need to take. It’s never a bad idea to run an A/B test. This refers to a test in which 50% of people visiting your website will see one homepage design, and the other 50% will see another.

Here, you will be able to see the conversion rates of each group, allowing you to determine which design will be better for your site’s performance. You can run one of these tests on multiple platforms, including Optimizely and Google Analytics.

4. Have a clear call to action right on your homepage

A call to action is one of the most important parts of having a business. However, it’s estimated that as many as 70 percent of businesses don’t have one. Calls to action are prompts that encourage website visitors to take a specific action. That way, they know what the purpose of visiting that website is, and perhaps they will have more motivation to carry out your desired action (like purchasing or signing up for your newsletter). Some examples of calls to action can include:

• Join for free
• Sign up for emails to get 20% off your first purchase
• Click here to learn more
• Subscribe to our channel
• Follow us on social media

If your website has a simple design, your call to action should be front and center. It should be the first thing your visitors are drawn to. However, keep in mind that you should have only one call to action on your homepage. This will prevent users from growing overwhelmed and not knowing what to click.

5. Include some nice, high-quality photos

The majority of people are rather visual, which means that they like to see appealing things. When it comes to the internet, people enjoy looking at pictures. If your homepage has pictures on it, people are more likely to be pleased. Don’t go overboard, however- you don’t want to have too many pictures all over your homepage. With that said, if you don’t have any pictures whatsoever on your page, then people are likely to think that it’s unprofessional and boring, especially depending on what kind of business you have. Therefore, you want to make sure that you take some high-quality photos. Really try to avoid smartphone photos, although some of the newest models do have high-quality cameras. Make sure that your photos are clear and interesting, and you’re ready to go.