Design · 5 min · Updated
Why your homepage has eight seconds, not eight sections
Visitors decide in seconds whether they are in the right place. How to structure a homepage that says what you do, proves it and gets people to act.
Visitors decide very quickly whether they are in the right place. If the first screen of your homepage does not tell them, most will leave before they scroll.
What the first screen must answer
- What do you do, in plain words a customer would use?
- Who is it for: which kind of business, which location, which problem?
- What should I do next: one primary action, such as a quote, a call or a booking?
A headline like "Innovative solutions for tomorrow" answers none of these. "Websites and online stores for UK retailers, launched in four weeks" answers all three.
What comes next
Everything below the fold should answer the next question a buyer has, in roughly this order:
- Proof: reviews, client names you are allowed to show, case studies, certifications.
- Price: a starting price or a clear explanation of how pricing works.
- Process: what happens after they get in touch, and how long it takes.
- People: who they will actually work with.
Sections that answer nobody's question are cost, not content. They slow the page down and push the useful parts further away.
A five-second test
Show your homepage to someone outside the business for five seconds, then hide it. Ask them what you sell, who it is for and what they would click. If they cannot answer, simplify the first screen before changing anything else.
Speed is part of the message
A homepage that takes several seconds to appear on a phone loses visitors before the message is read. Compress images, limit fonts and scripts, and test on a mid-range phone over mobile data.
Penta Services designs homepages around these questions. Our free audit checks your current first screen, speed and calls to action.
Want this done for your business?
Talk to a project lead. You will get a clear plan and a fixed quote within one business day.