As per records, there are more than 6 billion active websites, worldwide, indexed with Google. This record enlists all those corporate giants & ecommerce tycoons headquartered in different countries. They have integrated the best strategies, plug-ins, marketing campaigns, and what not for earning the crown of popularity. Do you STILL believe that your website has the valor of locking horns with industry giants? Be honest and answer on practical grounds.
Whether yours is a static website design or responsive web design, competing with others is essential yet a tough nut to break. There are several mandatory changes that must be implemented to remain aloof in the competition. To upsurge, everything begins with a small step. If you’re reading this line, it means you really seek forward your website to succeed.
Instead of implementing changes in the entire web structure, you must commence by identifying the basic flaws in the website homepage. A lethargic landing page will hamper conversions owing to which your website will witness the onset of success rate depreciation. Here’s a small checklist of some website homepage blunders. If any of these glitches match with your website homepage, correct them ASAP.
- Inappropriate Balance
The homepage is the page where the brand value, message, and services are enlisted with a description. If there is less than sufficient information, people will exit the website because they cannot find the right thing. If there’s a lack of a CTA button, you’re all set to lose leads. And, if the homepage houses more than required information, it will play a key role in increasing the website bounce rate. Thus, you should be considerate while creating the information structure for the homepage. If there’s a wider description, create a separate webpage for the same or add a link that takes the user to the specific page soon after clicking. In the simplest terms, you ought to maintain balance for owning a perfect website.
- Tortoise-Paced Loading
If a website takes more than 5 seconds to load, it will be on the “Least Priority” list of users. And not to forget, a slow loading speed negatively impacts the conversion rate of the website. It is something Google doesn’t tolerate and drags the website to the pit. Hence, optimizing the website loading speed is a necessity for a successful conversion rate graph. Most of the times, marketing campaigns are pinned on the static website design homepage. Recall the Amazon & Flipkart’s Diwali Sale campaign. During such times, the website tends to receive huge traffic. The website is optimized accordingly which includes:
- Compressed imagery
- Optimized graphics
- De-cluttering older versions of plug-ins
- Fixation of lacunae
- Leverage browser caching
- Inadequate Visuals
What is monotony? It is when you are scrolling through a website having zero imagery. Honestly, people and Google alike, do not prefer such websites. Although such websites remain aloof, they are rarely clicked by users. Now imagine an ecommerce website, without images, trying to induce you and sell an air conditioner. Would you buy it? Not at all. Similarly, a homepage with inadequate visuals repels website conversion rates because the buyer isn’t getting the right idea of what is being provided. How to tackle it? Here’s how:
- Integrate data/visuals relevant to website
- Inclusion of images that support brand value
- Apply suitable gradient colors that compliment the website structure
- Mobile-friendly ONLY
And that’s how you invite the digital angel of death for the website! It has become essential to create a mobile-friendly website, but laying core emphasis only on mobile amicability is a major blunder. You can’t deny the increasing use of mobile users and the user engagement you get through them, however, your major revenue comes through desktop users. Therefore, it is a must to be neutral and conceive a landing page suitably that strikes a balance between the amicability with mobile screen and desktop.
- Same Page Every Time
This is something that will get on your nerves. There exist some websites that are poorly created & purposeless. Whatever CTA you click, it will bring you back to the homepage. Here, every user will put up the same question- What’s the purpose of adding surplus links when they bring us back to the homepage? The one-word answer to it is Buffoonery. Taking users back to the homepage is like taking the person to the main door, even if he wants to drop load in the loo. Marketing campaigns fail due to a weak strategy and landing on the same page every time is one of those weak lacunae. If your website has the same blunder, you now know what to fix.
- Absence of Credibility
An untold rule of creating an indomitable homepage is industry assurance & credibility. If it isn’t there, the website can lose up to 35% of its users. In this decade, the inclusion of trust elements is mandatory. After all, there are hundreds of competitors with whom you are locking horns. Below are some examples that will help you to understand:
- Portfolio of successful projects
- Positive reviews
- Blurbs from industry that refer your brand
- Media coverage
- Client testimonials
- Stepification
Haha! This isn’t an appropriate word but indicates towards too many steps. Instead of including the irrelevant details and formalities, it is better to add adequate details, strategically placed CTA, and relevant images. Don’t ask for personal details on the homepage. If it is required, create a link that takes the user to another page.
Wrapping Up!
So, this was a quick peek at top 7 sins that should be avoided in a 2021 website homepage design. As a website designer, you must be considerate of integrating everything you’ve shortlisted for embellishing a landing page. As a website owner, if you suspect any of these glitches, it is better to make the wise move & get the lacunae fixed without a delay. What you read were some common issues that can evolve into troubleshoot, if ignored.
