Your website homepage is the first impression customers have of your business. It should let visitors know what you offer, how you can help them, and what makes your business different — all while keeping their attention.
If you’re looking for homepage design tips to improve your small business website, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide. Below, we’ll walk you through why your website homepage design matters, the most important elements to include, and examples of the best homepage designs we’ve seen.
Let’s get started.
Why your homepage matters for small businesses
The average time spent on a single page of a website is 52 seconds.
That means you have less than a minute to turn casual visitors into engaged customers. And the best place to do that is on your website’s homepage.
Your homepage plays a huge role in setting the tone for the rest of your website. Not only does it introduce visitors to your business, but it should also keep them engaged enough to learn more or take action.
Matt Little, CEO of online lighting store Festoon House, understands the importance of making a strong first impression as a small business. He describes the best homepage designs as those that function as a digital storefront.
“Your homepage should be inviting, easy to navigate, and accurately represent what awaits inside,” says Matt. “For small businesses, this is prime digital real estate that needs to grab attention quickly and guide visitors further into your site.”
Your homepage website design can keep visitors on your site longer, increase engagement, and even convert them into customers.
One study found that the average engagement rate for a website homepage is 60%. That same study found that for visitors who made it past the homepage, engagement rate increased to 75%.
That means it’s important to spend time building a homepage with crucial elements that set the rest of your website up for success.
Want to jump ahead and get started on your homepage right away? Use Durable’s AI Website Builder to get your homepage built in seconds.
What should be on your homepage? (Essential elements for small businesses)
If you have less than a minute to capture visitors’ attention, tell them about your business, and convert them into customers, these are the homepage elements to prioritize.
Clear business introduction
The first key component of your homepage is a business introduction. Good homepage design should make it immediately clear to visitors what your business does.
To create the best homepage user experience, include your business introduction before users have to scroll. Keep your most important information or CTAs “above the fold.”
Above the fold refers back to the early newspaper days when the most important headlines and stories had to be on the top half of the page (above the physical fold) to grab readers’ attention.
The same idea applies to your website homepage. Use the top section of the page to let visitors know what it is you do, what you offer, and how you can help them.
For example, instead of “We provide solutions,” as your main heading you could say, “We offer professional landscaping services in [city].”
The more specific and succinct you can be, the quicker visitors will decide if they want to stay on the page and learn more.
Easy-to-find contact information
If visitors like what you have to offer as they’re scrolling through your homepage, they’ll want to reach out. Capitalize on this opportunity by making sure your contact information is easy to find.
Display your phone number, email, physical address, or booking buttons — whatever contact method you want customers to use — in a place that’s easy to find as users scroll.
For example, you can add a “Call Now” CTA above the fold that links to your phone number. Or a “Book Now” button in your navigation menu so customers can immediately book an appointment.
Simple, navigable layout
To enhance the user experience, your layout should be easy to follow. Think about visual hierarchy — a design principle that organizes design elements by importance.
Visual hierarchy in web design applies to everything from the order of information on your homepage to the way your pages are organized.
For example, your navigation menu should be at the top of your homepage or accessible as a sidebar. Clear placement makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for quickly.
Olivia Tapper, co-founder & COO of DTC SEO Agency, also emphasizes the importance of website homepage navigation from an SEO perspective.
“The core pages should be accessible in the navigation and linked from the homepage,” says Olivia. “By designing your homepage with deliberate links to the most important pages and linking over the right keywords, you'll help the pages rank.”
High-quality images & branding
Images are a great way to grab visitors’ attention when they land on your homepage,
but they should reflect your business.
Avoid generic stock photos. Stock photos don’t contribute to a strong visual identity or communicate your business’s message. Instead, use real images of your business.
For example, let’s say you run a service business like a landscaping company. You can feature before-and-after photos from previous jobs to showcase real services and results
The same goes for your branding. Use original imagery and branding that’s consistent with your brand identity.
Strong call-to-actions (CTAs) that convert
Your website’s homepage is the best place to include CTAs.
There’s a lot that goes into an effective CTA button — everything from the words to the placement matters. A well-placed CTA button can even improve your homepage conversion rates.
One study of high-converting CTA buttons found that the average CTA had between 2-4 words. And the top three most used words were “now,” “get,” and “free.”
Following this effective formula, your CTAs may include:
- Get a Quote
- Book Now
- Free Download
Best homepage design tips to improve user experience
User experience plays a huge role in website homepage design. Your homepage should make it easy for users to navigate, engage, and reach out to learn more. Follow these homepage design tips to create the best user experience on your small business website.
Keep it mobile-friendly
Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If you want to capture even a fraction of that traffic, then your website must be mobile-friendly.
It’s important to consider how different design and branding elements will look on smaller devices. For example, a hard-to-read font will be even more challenging to read on a small screen. The same goes for sizing — a small button on desktop will be even smaller (and harder to click) on mobile.
To prevent these issues, choose a responsive homepage design. Responsive websites automatically adapt to whatever device the user is on.
If you use a website builder like Durable, it will automatically do this for you. Durable offers responsive design templates that are built to adapt to any device, ensuring a mobile-friendly homepage design.
Optimize headings
The main title or heading you choose for your homepage not only introduces visitors to your business but it also tells search engines what you do.
For the homepage, using an H1 tag for your heading is essential, shares Olivia.
“The homepage is the root page of your website, but we often see that designers either add too many H1 elements or no H1 element,” says Olivia.
She adds, “There should be one H1 per page and it should tell the search engine (and visitors) what that page is about. For the homepage, your H1 should be the brand name or it can be the target keyword for the entire site.”
Speed matters – optimize for fast loading
When you think of website homepage design, you probably think about branding and layout — not how fast the page loads. But page speed is something that makes a huge difference for your conversion rates.
One study found that for B2B websites, a website that loads in one second has a conversion rate 3x higher than a website that loads in five seconds. For B2C, this rate is 2.5x higher.
It makes sense when you think about it. How many times have you closed out of a website because it took too long to load?
As a business owner, homepage load time optimization can make the difference between making a sale or sending a customer to your competitor.
Some things you can do to improve website speed optimization include compressing large images, reducing the number of videos or animations, and optimizing code.
If you’re not tech-savvy, use a website builder like Durable to take care of optimizations for you. Everything from image compression to site speed is automatically built in and optimized so you don’t have to worry about load times.
Use a simple, clean design
Less is more when it comes to your homepage layout.
Cluttered design can be distracting at best and turn visitors away at worst. The less clutter you have, the easier it is for visitors to navigate your site and retain the most important information.
While it may be tempting to fill every part of your homepage with design elements, images, or words, leaning into whitespace is more effective.
Research has found that using whitespace between paragraphs and in the left and right margins increases comprehension by almost 20%.
Using a simple homepage design will help communicate your message and amplify your CTAs without distraction.
Homepage design mistakes to avoid
Now that we’ve covered what makes up the best homepage designs, here are some mistakes to avoid if you want to provide the best homepage user experience.
- Over-complicated design: As we mentioned, using too many design elements can create confusion. Lean into whitespace and create a visual hierarchy to lead users down the homepage, highlighting the information you want them to retain.
- Too much text: No one wants to read a block of text when they’re scrolling your homepage. Keep homepage copy concise and skimmable to keep your visitors’ attention.
- Not enough CTAs: Visitors need clear next steps. CTAs guide visitors to certain pages or behaviors. If your site doesn’t include clear CTAs, it’s more likely that visitors will leave.
- No branding consistency: Your homepage should reflect your business identity. Use the same branding on your site that you use across social media and marketing assets to ensure your site is recognizable.
- Slow page speeds: Users leave when a page takes too long to load. Make sure your page speed is optimized to keep visitors engaged on the page.
Real small business homepage examples & what makes them great
Sometimes, it helps to see examples of homepages that are designed to convert. Here are a few small business websites built with Durable to take inspiration from.
NaturePure Cleaning Co.: Clear, concise headings
NaturePure Cleaning Co. is a natural, non-toxic cleaning business — which is evident as soon as you land on the business’s homepage.
Along with an image of someone cleaning a home, the first heading you see on the page is “A Clean Home, Naturally.” This heading and imagery combined communicate the brand’s messaging and services immediately.
Potential customers understand exactly what NaturePure offers within seconds of landing on the homepage. The company’s homepage also includes a CTA for a “Free Quote” in the top right corner.
Prolific Pours: Strong visual hierarchy
Prolific Pours, a bar catering service based in New York City, offers another great example of a website homepage.
The layout is simple in design but engaging with its use of brand colors, fun imagery, and clear headings, making great use of visual hierarchy.
As you scroll through the homepage, it’s easy to understand what the business offers and how it can help you. The CTA placement below a strong heading is an effective way to convert website visitors into customers.
Nourish Her Health: Easy navigation
Nourish Her Health is a holistic wellness company for women. This homepage features a clean, simple design with a clear tagline — both of which are essential for user experience.
Even better, the homepage features a simple navigation menu. There are just four pages to choose from, making it easy for visitors to choose where to go next if they want to learn more.
Adiantes: Engaging FAQs
Adiantes, a Thailand-based leather goods manufacturer, offers a great example of a website homepage. Its clean and simple design makes a strong impact with clear headings, high-quality images, and an effective business introduction.
What’s most engaging about this business’s homepage is the FAQ section. After you scroll through the different sections on the homepage that highlight the company’s services and mission, you’ll see a dropdown menu of frequently asked questions.
FAQ sections are a great element to include on your homepage. Not only are they informative, but they keep visitors on your page longer. They also improve user experience because visitors can find all of the answers to their questions without having to search your site for them.
How to get your homepage right – fast & easy
As a small business, the homepage is the most important part of your website. Your homepage is the first opportunity you have to introduce visitors to your business, let them know what your services or product offerings are, and engage them with strong visuals and CTAs. With such a major role in converting visitors into customers, it’s essential to get your website homepage right.
If you want to make a strong first impression with your website homepage design, it’s a good idea to use a platform that automatically designs and optimizes websites so you don’t have to worry about getting it right.
Durable’s AI Website Builder helps small business owners like you create a professional, high-converting homepage in minutes. With built-in optimizations, clean layouts, and curated copy, you can trust that your website homepage will be ready to engage and convert visitors who land on your site.
Ready to create the perfect homepage for your business? Generate your website with Durable.
