When prospects, leads, and customers visit your website, the first page they’ll encounter is your homepage. Effectively designing and building your homepage is essential in retaining customers and their interest. Follow GROWL’s quick guide to homepage design to elevate your web touchpoints.
Importance of Homepage Design
Your website and homepage design can actually be the difference between a sale or a skip. Overall, web design impacts how your target audience interacts and views your business, regardless of your company’s size. A Stanford study actually shows that 75% of users judge a business’s credibility based on its website design alone. When a viewer feels comfort and trust with your site, they’re more likely to convert into a customer. Having a beautifully functional site with positive UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) drives results. In fact, design-driven websites are 69% more likely to exceed their business goals — that means more leads, more conversions, and more revenue.
Your homepage also plays a critical role in your ability to collect and analyze customer data. Tools like heatmaps, click tracking, and scroll depth monitoring give you real-time insight into what’s working and what’s not. The more you know about user behavior, the better you can optimize for performance.
Optimize Your Homepage Design
Your homepage is often the first impression for viewers – and 94% of these first impressions are design-related. In a visual-first world, nearly 40% of visitors will quit engaging on a site if the content is unattractive or hard to navigate. A compelling homepage sets the tone for your entire brand experience and directly impacts your conversion rate
By following these five steps, you’ll be able to revamp and enhance your homepage (and beyond).
GROWL’s Guide to Homepage (and Beyond) Design
1. Give Viewers What They Want – CLEAR, RELEVANT Company Information
Always include:
- Products & Services
- Contact Information
- Company Information
- Social Media Icons (header or footer)
Optional, but powerful additions:
- Testimonials & Case Studies
- Marketing Resources (eBooks, One-Pages, Whitepapers)
- Blog Content
- Pricing or Packages
Bonus tip: Use smart content (powered by AI or CRM integrations) to personalize the homepage experience based on visitor behavior, location, or past engagement. This creates a more relevant user journey and increases conversion potential.
2. Use an Adequate Hosting Site to Ensure Quick Load Speeds
In today’s “want it now” world, a 1-second delay in page load time can result in a 27% drop in conversions. Your homepage needs to load in under 3 seconds, or visitors will bounce — often straight to your competitor.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to audit your homepage performance. Also, make sure your site is mobile-optimized—mobile traffic now accounts for over 60% of web visits.
3. Incorporate Minor User Elements that Elevate the Experience
It’s not just about looking good — your homepage needs to feel good, too. Include thoughtful interactive elements like:
- Animated hero sections
- Interactive product/service previews
- Chatbots or live chat features
- Scroll-triggered animations
But beware: more motion doesn’t always mean more impact. Test every element for functionality and make sure it’s aligned with the customer journey. Over 70% of online businesses fail because of poor usability.
4. MAKE YOUR CTA UNMISSABLE
Your homepage isn’t just an intro — it’s a conversion tool. Unfortunately, 70% of small business websites don’t include a clear call to action (CTA) on their homepage, which is a huge missed opportunity.
Whether it’s “Book a Demo,” “Download Our Free Guide,” or “Subscribe to Our Newsletter,” a strong CTA should:
- Be above the fold
- Stand out visually
- Clearly communicate the next step
- Be supported by data collection (name, email, etc.)
Consider A/B testing different CTA placements and copy. Tools like HubSpot or Hotjar can help you track conversions and optimize performance based on real-time insights.
5. LINK YOUR LOGO TO THE HOMEPAGE (ALWAYS)
It may seem small, but visitors expect your logo to link to the homepage. If it doesn’t, it disrupts navigation and damages trust. This micro-interaction reinforces intuitive UX — a major factor in site satisfaction.
While you’re at it, make sure your navigation is simple, consistent, and mobile-friendly. Complex menus or hidden links create friction and drop-offs.
Web design — visually and functionally — can be complex, but when done right, it becomes your brand’s best sales rep. Your homepage should not only attract attention but guide users toward action while quietly collecting insights that inform future marketing.
Need a hand turning your website into your best sales rep? Request a free website assessment today.