Homepage Design: What Should Your Homepage Include?

What should homepage design look like?

Homepage design is the layout that helps a visitor understand your offer, trust you and find the next step within seconds. A strong homepage combines a clear value proposition, a visual hierarchy, one primary call to action, trust signals and a fast mobile experience. It should guide, not just look good.

Many teams start with the wrong question: "How do we make it look modern?" The better question is this: "What does the visitor want to do here, and how do we get them there?"

Our team asks this at the start of every project. Then we split the page into sections and give each section one job. As a result, every block has a clear reason to exist. This article walks through that method step by step. For the broader picture, see our web design guide.

What job does the homepage do for visitors?

Your homepage is a shop window, but it is also a distribution hub. Many visitors land directly on inner pages from Google. However, people who search for your brand, return from an ad or follow a referral usually check the homepage first.

These visitors typically check three things:

• Does this site offer what I am looking for?
• Can I trust this company?
• Where do I go next?

If the homepage does not answer quickly, people leave. Therefore, make design choices based on how fast the page answers these three questions, not on personal taste.

The homepage also sends traffic to your service pages. A poorly structured page blocks that path. So think of each section as a routing tool, not as decoration.

Which elements should homepage design include?

Details change by industry. Still, most high-performing homepages share the same core elements. The table below lists them with their jobs.

Treat this list as a starting point, not a template. For example, a small clinic may skip the proof strip and show reviews higher up instead. If an element does not do one clear job, remove it. More sections do not mean more conversions.

What should appear on the first screen?

The first screen is what visitors see without scrolling. Four things belong there: a clear headline, a supporting subheadline, one primary CTA and an image that shows context. The logo and menu sit around them without overpowering them.

The headline should describe the result your customer gets, not your slogan. A phrase like "innovative solutions" says nothing. In contrast, "Book a dental appointment in Istanbul" tells people who you serve and what you offer.

Image choice matters too, because people judge credibility from visuals within moments. Use real photos of your team, product or space instead of stock images. As a result, you build trust and stand out from competitors.

The rule is simple: the first screen answers, the lower sections prove. In practice, this means your boldest claim sits at the top and your evidence follows right below it. Do not mix the two jobs.

How do you write a value proposition?

A value proposition explains in one sentence why a customer should choose you. The formula is simple: who do you serve, what result do you deliver, and how? For example, "SEO consulting that increases Google visibility for local businesses" carries all three parts.

Run these checks while writing:

• Keep the sentence between 12 and 20 words.
• Avoid jargon and use your customer's own words.
• Include a number only if you can prove it.
• Skip unproven claims such as "the best".

In addition, add one supporting fact in the subheadline. It could be your process, your service area or how a project starts. That way the visitor does not ask "but how?" after reading the headline.

To test the message, show the page to a friend for five seconds. Then ask what you offer. If the answer is wrong, the headline is not working.

How do you build visual hierarchy on a homepage?

Visual hierarchy controls the order in which the eye moves through the page. Size, color, contrast and spacing set that order. The largest, highest-contrast element is what people see first.

Make the headline your biggest text. Next, choose a clear second level for subheadings. Keep the CTA button the one bright color block on the page. Meanwhile, keep secondary links quiet. If everything is emphasized, nothing stands out.

Reading patterns can help as well. Our guide on how to design scroll experience covers how people move down a page. Still, always check your own data.

Whitespace is a design material too. Also, it costs nothing to add. Enough space between sections makes content easier to read. On the other hand, too much space forces needless scrolling. Check the balance separately on mobile and desktop.

For color choices, read our piece on color psychology in web design. Then measure contrast with our color contrast checker.

How should you simplify the menu and navigation?

The main menu is the map of your site. Menus with more than seven items make choosing harder. That number is a practical starting limit, not a strict rule. What matters is that each label uses your visitor's language.

Write "SEO Consulting" or "Web Design" instead of "Our Solutions". This way people know where a click leads. Also show the most important action as a separate button, such as "Get a Quote".

Mega menus help large sites. For small businesses, however, they add needless complexity. On mobile, the hamburger menu is standard. Even so, keep the most critical action visible outside the menu.

When you plan the structure, use our navigation menu design guide and our article on information architecture. Both help you group your pages.

How does a CTA work on the homepage?

A CTA tells the visitor what to do next. A homepage usually needs at least two: the primary action on the first screen and a closing action near the bottom. Secondary links can sit in between.

Primary CTA text should describe the outcome. "Book a free discovery call" is clearer than "Submit". Because people know what happens after the click, they act more often. For examples, see our CTA guide.

Two rules stand out:

• Show one primary CTA per screen.
• Make secondary CTAs visually quieter.

Otherwise, visitors must choose, and many choose nothing. If your CTA opens a form, keep the fields to a minimum. Our article on lead form design explains how.

Finally, on mobile, place phone and WhatsApp buttons where they stay reachable but do not cover content.

Where do trust signals belong on the homepage?

Trust signals are proof that lowers the visitor's risk. Client logos, reviews, certificates, awards, press mentions and real team photos all count. Do not pile them into one section.

The rule is to place proof next to the claim it supports. If the headline says "fast delivery", show the delivery time below it. If the services section says "experienced team", link to the team page.

When you use testimonials, add a real name, industry and, if possible, a date. Fake reviews are unethical and carry legal risk. Likewise, never show client logos you do not have permission to use.

For a longer list, read our article on website trust signals. In addition, basics such as SSL, clear contact details and a privacy page build trust. Keep them complete. Otherwise, visitors may doubt an otherwise strong page.

How does homepage design change on mobile?

Mobile visitors browse on a small screen, often with one hand and split attention. Therefore, your homepage design on mobile should not be a shrunken desktop page. Build the mobile layout first, then adapt it upward. We explain this in our article on mobile-first design.

Google also uses the mobile version. According to Google Search Central, it uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, and it recommends that the mobile site carries the same content as desktop (Google Search Central: mobile-first indexing).

Check these on mobile:

• Tap targets are large enough to press comfortably.
• Text reads without zooming.
• Pop-ups do not cover the content.
• Form fields open the right keyboard.
• The page has no horizontal scroll.

You can run a quick check with our mobile-friendly test.

How does homepage speed affect design?

A slow homepage makes even the best design pointless. Google uses Core Web Vitals to describe page experience. According to web.dev, good thresholds are LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP of 200 milliseconds or less, and CLS of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads (web.dev: Web Vitals).

On homepages, these factors strain the thresholds most:

• Large, uncompressed hero images.
• Autoplaying background videos.
• Many fonts and third-party scripts.
• Ad or chat widgets without reserved space.

If you serve the main image at the right size and in a modern format, LCP improves. If you set fixed width and height on images, CLS drops. Our Core Web Vitals guide explains the details.

Which homepage layout fits which business?

Not every homepage follows the same order. Your audience and sales process decide the section order. The table compares three common cases.

A local business usually serves urgent needs. So the phone number and directions must appear on the first screen. In B2B, decisions take longer. Therefore, offering a small step such as a guide download or discovery call is more realistic.

In e-commerce, the homepage works like a store entrance. Category choice and the search box stand out. Reviews support the social proof. For a service-focused approach, see our web design service.

How do you write homepage copy?

Homepage copy should be short, scannable and customer-focused. Give each section a heading, two or three sentences and, if needed, a link. Long paragraphs get lost on a homepage.

Turn "we" language into "you" language. "We serve you with 25 years of experience" becomes "Show up on page one and get more calls." The second version describes the reader's gain. You can still share experience; just put it second.

Microcopy matters too. Button labels, form hints and error messages shape the experience. Our article on UX writing is a good start.

For SEO, use your brand and main service terms naturally. Instead of stuffing keywords, keep headings and descriptions clear. Use a single H1 and organize section titles as H2.

How do accessibility and contrast improve the homepage?

An accessible homepage works for more people. This is not only a legal topic but a practical conversion topic. Low-contrast text, tiny buttons or a menu that keyboard users cannot operate cost you potential customers.

WCAG guidance asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text (level AA). Measure this on your grey text and button colors. In addition, give every image meaningful alt text, keep the focus order visible and use a clean heading structure.

Our article on web accessibility and WCAG gives more detail. Accessibility work usually improves general usability as well. So building it in from the start costs less.

How do you pick images, video and type for the homepage?

Images should prove what the text claims. If you say "experienced team", show a real team photo. Stock photos often leave a fake impression, and visitors notice quickly.

If you use video, choose a short format that starts muted and plays on request. Autoplaying video with sound hurts speed and accessibility. Instead, show a clear poster image first and play the video after a click. Our guides on image optimization and video and conversion rate help here.

How many fonts should the homepage use?

Use no more than two font families: one for headings and one for body text. Too many fonts look messy and slow the page. For body text, 16 to 18 pixels on desktop is a good start. Keep line spacing generous so reading feels easy. See our guide on web typography for selection criteria. In short, readability comes before style.

How should the homepage flow from section to section?

Visitors read a page like a story. So the section flow should follow a logical order: problem, solution, proof, process, action. End each section with a natural bridge to the next one.

Long pages are not bad. However, repetition is bad. Therefore, do not say the same message in three places. Create visual rhythm as well: balance text-heavy areas with image or number sections.

A sticky CTA or menu also keeps the action close while the user scrolls. However, if that element covers much of the mobile screen, it does harm.

What should the footer contain?

The footer serves people who read to the end and still hesitate. Include phone, email and address, links to main service pages, privacy and cookie pages, social profiles and a short closing CTA. That way the footer builds trust and strengthens internal links. Yet a crowded footer distracts, so choose the twenty most important links.

What mistakes appear most often in homepage design?

We see the same mistakes again and again in audits. They are cheap to fix, but they cost a lot.

• The headline has a slogan, not an offer.
• Several CTAs compete on the first screen.
• Auto-rotating sliders hide the key message.
• Trust proof sits at the very bottom where nobody scrolls.
• Mobile visitors get different content from desktop visitors.
• A heavy hero image slows the page down.
• Inner pages appear in the menu in a messy way.

Most of these appear because nobody decided on content and goals before design. So write the page's purpose first, then move to visuals. For the sales impact of such errors, read UX mistakes that kill sales.

How do you design a homepage step by step?

If you start from scratch, follow this order. It is a simplified version of the framework our team uses on projects.

1. Write the goal: what is the one main action?
2. Define your audience and their three most common questions.
3. Write the value proposition in one sentence.
4. Sketch the section order on paper and give each section one job.
5. Write the copy before the design.
6. Prepare the mobile draft first.
7. Place proof next to the claims it supports.
8. Check speed and accessibility.
9. Publish and measure.

For a fuller view of the process, read our article on the corporate website design process. Skipping this order leads to expensive revisions later. Besides, teams that write the goal first usually argue less about colors and more about results.

How do you start homepage design with a brief?

A good homepage design starts with a good brief. Without one, the designer guesses, and you correct drafts you dislike again and again. So prepare a short document first.

Include these items: target audience, main goal, competitor examples, tone, required content and success metrics. Add three sites you like and three you dislike, with the reason next to each.

Then share the document with the team and get sign-off. For example, "Main goal: increase monthly quote requests" becomes the compass for every design decision. Read how to write a website design brief for the steps.

How do you protect SEO when you redesign a homepage?

A homepage redesign carries a ranking risk. When the title, content and link structure change, Google reevaluates the page. Therefore, record the current state before you begin.

Follow these steps:

1. Back up the current title, meta description and H1.
2. List the phrases and internal links that rank.
3. Keep URLs unchanged if you can; otherwise set up 301 redirects.
4. After launch, check crawling and indexing in Search Console.
5. Track rankings and clicks over the first weeks.

Also compare the speed and mobile results of the new design with the old one. Our guide on how to protect SEO during a website redesign covers more.

How do you test and measure homepage design?

Your work does not end at launch. Pick a few core metrics: primary CTA click rate, exit behavior, scroll depth and conversion rate. Then split the data by mobile and desktop.

Next, form a hypothesis. For example, "If we write the headline around the result, CTA clicks will rise." Change one thing at a time so you know what caused the result. If you lack traffic for tests, use qualitative data such as heatmaps and session recordings.

You can calculate your rate with our conversion rate calculator. For a broader check, see what a UX audit is.

Here is an example calculation, not real client data. A site with 4,000 visitors a month and a 1% conversion rate gets 40 conversions. Raising the rate to 1.5% adds 20 more. Real results depend on your industry and offer.

When should you get professional help with homepage design?

Sometimes going alone is faster. However, get an outside view if you see these signs: traffic but no leads, very low mobile rates, a slow page or a brand that looks like every competitor.

In these cases, our team first audits the current page. Then we build a data-based improvement plan that covers design, copy, speed and measurement. If a full rebuild is not needed, fixing only the first screen and CTA can still make a difference.

When you request quotes, ask what the scope includes: is copywriting included, is mobile design part of it, and are speed and accessibility checked? Our guide on how to evaluate a web design proposal helps. You can also read about our web design service.