Homepage Hospitality: First Impressions Count

When I first arrive at a website, it is often the case that the homepage can either inspire me to stay or encourage me to leave. Naturally, my predilection to make such a hasty decision may just be another manifestation of my occasional impatience; that said, I would rather consider it to be an innate sense of good judgment and my own trust in first impressions.

If a site has an unsightly, garish or distinctly unappealing appearance, prima facie, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that this may be representative of the entire site. Granted, this may not always be the case, some websites may have a positively ghastly homepage but wildly superior pages deeper within their site. Possible, if frightfully unlikely, if you ask me.

On the rare occasion where that is the case, it begs the question as to why on earth would one offer a homepage, the first thing a visitor sets eyes on, that does not represent the overall quality of the site. More often than not, I stand by my original assertion that the homepage is the window to the site.

Consider this: when you next enter a supermarket, I can guarantee that the first section greeting you will be the fresh fruit and produce aisles. Subliminally, this is designed to ensure that you will immediately associate the store with fresh, quality products and be greeted with a dizzying array of bright, happy, inspiring colours. I mean, would you have the same feelings of consumer euphoria if you were greeted with toilet cleaning brushes and kitty litter? I think not. Clever indeed. And not unlike website homepages.

Just a few of the things which should be considered when constructing a splendid homepage are:

• Aesthetics
• Usability
• Design
• Content
• Overall Feel and Structure

If you can successfully incorporate each of these elements, amongst others, it is more thank likely that your homepage will be warm, inviting and enticing, like a warming single malt on a cold winter eve.

Something as simple as a great homepage really can make or break your conversion rates, directly impact your ROI and make your website a truly desirable online destination. When your website is in good order, your business can be heads and shoulders above the competition.