What dolzhna be the main page

1. Why should you be as responsible as possible when filling out the main page of the site?
2. What are the rules for an effective homepage?
3. What to consider for a website selling goods?
4. What are the basic rules when creating a home page on a website offering any services?

We will talk about the above issues within the framework of this article. Why does this topic deserve the most serious consideration? Because it is the main page of the site plays one of the key roles in the efficiency of the resource, it is she who often determines:

• What impression will the visitor have.
• Whether the person will be prompted to go to other sections of the site.
• Whether the potential client will take advantage of your offer.

At its core, the home page of a site has a lot in common with a landing page, each element of which serves a specific purpose and allows you to implement the key task of an Internet resource: to attract visitors and encourage them to take action. Depending on the focus of the site, the goals to which you need to stimulate visitors may differ. For example, for online stores - sales, for sites offering any services - an incentive to order this service, for information resources - redirecting a visitor to the page he is most interested in.

It is extremely important that when deciding how to design the home page of the site , first of all, the needs and interests of the user are taken into account. In other words, it is very important that the resource is liked by its owners, but it is even more important to achieve the highest possible conversion from visitors to customers. This requires:

1. View your own site and its home page through the eyes of the user.
2. Determine what questions, tasks and problems people want to solve by going to the company's website.
3. Implement a set of tools designed to make the home page as user-friendly as possible for visitors and, as much as possible, increase its conversion.

Let's move from theory to practice and focus on the specific blocks that need to be implemented on the home page of each site that claims to be effective.

What should be on the main page of any site

The main page is a key part of your site, on it the visitor must find information about who you are, what you offer and to whom your product / service could potentially be of interest. If we talk about the direction of information on the main page, there are 4 main points:

1. Informational - every visitor to the site from its main page should immediately understand where he got to and what exactly is offered on this resource.
2. Guide - the menu and information buttons should be located in such a way as to allow the user to find and go to the section of the site of interest to him as quickly as possible.
3. Selling - as a rule, nothing is sold directly here, but high-quality content increases the credibility of the company, draws attention to its advantages and the benefits of a certain offer.
4. Communicative - a set of tools should be implemented on the home page to facilitate active communication with visitors. Among the effective communication tools are: chat, feedback form, widgets-links to social networks.

Separate elements of the main page will help to effectively implement each of the listed tasks. Important building blocks of the home page of each site should be the following:

• Title.
• Site header.
• Navigation.
• USP.
• Conversion form.
• Footer.

Let's stop and analyze in detail the rules and recommendations for each of the blocks.

An effective headline is a motivation for action

A quality headline is expected to grab the attention of the site visitor and encourage them to browse the page further. When creating such a title, it is necessary to simultaneously pursue several goals - it must attract the attention of the visitor, clearly show what awaits him on this page and the site as a whole. Headlines that create intrigue for the visitor or positive images / comparisons work well. There are 6 main types of headings for the main page of the site:

1. question title;
2. headline slogan;
3. header-statement;
4. informational title;
5. creative headline;
6. title-quote.

You can see examples of good titles for the main page of the site on the screenshots below.

The secret of the effectiveness of the given headings can be called the fact that they succinctly give an idea of what the user will find on the site, as well as affect the emotions and feelings of a potential client.

What should be the site header

Thanks to a well-designed site header, several tasks are achieved - a visitor to the resource should immediately understand where he is and not confuse you with competitors, and this page element also helps to conveniently navigate to the desired section of your site. Three elements help to achieve the tasks set in front of the site header:

1. Logo - try to make it memorable and, if possible, associated with the products or services you provide.
2. The name most often, under the logo or near it, it is advisable to write the name of the company, it will also help users quickly navigate which site they visited.
3. Search bar - the current trend is that people do not like to often search for the desired section in the menu, they prefer to enter a few words in the search bar and thus go where they need to.

The trend is the use of slideshows and thematic changing pictures in the header of the site, or even the placement of short video clips. An example of such a solution is shown in the screenshot below.

Navigation menu - quick and convenient transition to the required section of the site

Place the navigation menu directly under the site header. There are two types of home page navigation used in development:

• One-level.
• Two-level.

The main task of site navigation is the quick transition of the user to the section that he needs. Before developing and implementing navigation on a site, you need to carefully work out its structure. In other words, group all site materials into certain categories (folders) and give them the most appropriate names. For most sites, a single-level navigation system is suitable, in which the buttons / links are at the same level.

For some sites, a two-level navigation system is more suitable. This solution is used in cases where it is necessary to place a sufficiently large number of menu items. For example, in large online stores, one level of navigation can be devoted to information about the company, a section with articles, etc., and in the second level, you can place links to the main groups of goods. Separating these two navigation categories will make your site more user-friendly and increase conversion rates. You can see an example of a two-level navigation menu in the screenshot below.

USP is a powerful sales tool

The key task of most commercial sites is to increase sales. In order for a person to make a decision to take advantage of your offer, he needs to be encouraged to do so in the right way. It is in this matter that a properly composed USP will help - a unique selling proposition. Many website owners, developers and even copywriters often ask themselves the question of how to create an effective USP? Let's pay attention to a few practical recommendations:

1. Conduct an audit of your competitors, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the USP they are using.
2. Write down the maximum number of benefits for the client from cooperation with you.
3. Define your target category that could potentially benefit from your offer.
4. Write down the questions that the user can solve thanks to your product.
5. Compose and edit the text of the USP.

In this matter, one should not strive for large volumes of text; it is better to write briefly, clearly and to the point. You can emphasize and enhance the USP effect with the help of well-chosen illustrations that allow you to visually demonstrate or focus on the benefits of cooperation.

Conversion forms are a powerful capture tool

When creating each commercial site, a goal called conversion is pursued - to entice the visitor to take a targeted action. Depending on the direction of the site, these actions can be completely different:

• Call the manager.
• Subscribe to the newsletter.
• Buy a product.
• Order a service, etc.

To increase the closing rate of visitors for the desired conversion action, it is necessary to make conversion forms as simple and convenient as possible, as well as to make them quick and intuitive to fill out. The linking of fields for filling to Facebook has proven itself perfectly, when the system is able to pull up a person's contact information and he does not need to enter it himself.

Site footer - technical information that cannot be neglected

The design of the main page of the site would be incomplete if you did not think over and did not implement the footer. Footer refers to technical information that is placed at the very bottom of the page. The following elements should be placed in the footer:

• Links that are not of primary value. As a rule, there is no place for such links in the navigation menu, but they can be useful for visitors when they go to the pages of the site that interest them.
• Social media icons.
• Contacts and other information about the company .
• Road map.
• Other technical information.

Above, we have listed the components that must be on the home page of absolutely every site. There are individual requirements for different resources. Further in the article, we will analyze in detail:

1. What should be the main page of an online store.
2. What to consider when developing the home page of a site that offers any services.

How the main page of an online store should look like

The website of the online store and its home page deserve special attention and careful attention to development. The fact is that the main task of such a resource is to induce the visitor to buy the offered product. Therefore, each element of an online store website should help to achieve the main goal - its design, high-quality content, menus and the arrangement of individual elements should subtly induce a purchase. So what to put on the home page of a website that specializes in selling goods? The distinctive elements for online stores are the following:

• Discounts / promotions.
• Novelty block.
• Popular goods.

Effective block "Discounts / promotions"

This block is by no means only an informational load. In addition to informing the buyer about the great deals, his task is to induce them to take advantage of these offers. A person will more willingly use the offer if he is shown the advantages of this option and what benefits are associated with it: economy, prestige, modernity, style, etc.

This part of the page can be presented as a well-designed banner.

In some online stores, photographs of goods with an indication of their cost and savings work well. This solution allows you to visually show visitors what they can buy and how much they can save.

NEWS block is more than information

This block combines information and advertising functions. With its help, you can quickly tell visitors about the product that has just appeared on the site, and thus promote it. To make the block work well, you should take care of high-quality photos, attractive prices and a selling description when you go to the product page.

"Popular products" - create demand

Thanks to this category in the online store, you can regulate the demand for certain groups of goods or their individual models. Thanks to this block, the trust of visitors is aroused, who can reason: since this product is actively bought, the offer is really profitable, it is worth buying for yourself. Only really profitable offers should be placed in the "Bestsellers", and it is better to try to place this block on the page higher - in 3-4 screens.

OkayCMS - everything you need for an online store

On the OkayCMS engine , the main page of the online store can be maximally adapted to your business. By opting for OkayCMS, the site owner or his team will be able to fulfill their expectations. The system involves the creation of a wide variety of blocks, and it is also possible to view a demo online store :

• Credible reviews.

   Comparisons of products, allowing you to determine the most suitable models.

· Viewed products and more.

Examples of successful design of the main page of an online store

No wonder they say that "it's better to see once than ...". We have discussed theoretically what the main page of an online store should be. Let's take a look at a few good examples.

1. Coffeeok.com.ua is an online store specializing in the sale of coffee, tea, tableware and related products. Its main page successfully combines information and sales functions. A set of lead-generating elements in the form of calls and buttons is good for increasing sales.

2. Parfums. The design of the home page of this online store is quite restrained, so that all the attention of visitors is immediately drawn to the offered product. There are a lot of positions on the site, but thanks to the filters it is not difficult to navigate through them.

3. Luxoptics . It is worth paying serious attention to this online store, on its main page all the important blocks are well-arranged, as well as additional information useful for the target audience is posted. Visitors will find everything they need here: a list of doctors, addresses of offline salons, the ability to make an appointment via the Internet, etc.

4. arc.com.ua is a good example of an online store with a two-level navigation system on the Okay platform. The company offers a fairly large list of products. Thanks to the catalog, the user will quickly find what he needs, and the navigation menu items allow just a few clicks to go to the desired page of the site.

What the main page of the service site should look like

Above, we have already mentioned the need for an individual approach to the development of the site and its main page. To determine the optimal solutions for this or that resource, it is necessary to take into account what is offered on the site and what target audience it is primarily designed for.

When it comes to offering certain services, the home page of the site is good to contain the following blocks:

1. Service catalog.
2. Portfolio.
3. Reviews.

Service catalog - spark interest in your offer

Thanks to this category, you can talk about the services provided, but even more importantly - arouse interest in them. This goal can be achieved through the use of a well-chosen photograph with a list of services and active links to the page of each of them.

Portfolio - confirmation of professionalism

Thanks to a well-executed portfolio block, statements about experience and professionalism move from the category of slogans to the category of facts. Post in this section only examples of your real work, not copied photos from the Internet. Also, before / after photos work well in services.

"Reviews" - inspire confidence, confirm statements

On service sites, testimonials have proven to be very effective, thanks to which visitors can see that you can be trusted. To amplify the reviews, you can accompany them with real photos and names of people. Some companies even find opportunities to encourage customers to leave positive reviews. If the specifics of your activity are such that reviews are inappropriate (psychologists, lawyers, etc.), in order to inspire confidence, you can post diplomas, certificates, diplomas, etc. on the main page.

Examples of successful design of the main page of the service site

To see how you can style the home page of a service offering site, let's look at a few good examples.

one.   Promex . A great example of a home page. On this site, all the key blocks are well located: a dynamic picture, a list of services, the ability to watch a video about the company, etc. It is good that the site design is not template, but one that is remembered.

2. Goodfix . The advantage of this site is unobtrusiveness and practicality. The developers decided to keep the elements to a minimum and leave only the most important - this is an effective conversion tool.

3. Sharplaw.ru. A website for a law firm with a well-designed home page. The layout of the page on the screens is also excellent. The content is well written, but the main drawback is that there is no title and USP on it.

Should I pay attention to examples of competitors' websites? Definitely yes! From them you can get fresh ideas and decide how to implement them on your site. Use the home page to its fullest and then your site will be as effective as possible!