Improve Your Website by Changing Just the Homepage

When linking to a website, most of us will use the homepage as the destination for the link. This is clearly not the case when sharing a specific page or article, but even then, the most likely place for a visitor to head to after reading the article they are directed to is the homepage. So the importance of making sure it is well thought out, easy to read and optimised for mobiles speaks for itself.

Simplicity

Every page of your website must be appealing to the eye. This is remarkably easy to do, because according to Forbes the simpler and cleaner it is, the more aesthetically appealing. So on your blog page, the use of nicely laid out text (small paragraphs) with good quality photographs is the best way to hold people’s attention. That and great content of course.

But the principle also applies on your homepage. Anything that is unnecessary can be removed. A great way to check the simplicity and usability of your website is to get someone to read it who knows nothing about it. Don’t tell them what your site is for, what product it represents or how to navigate it. Remember, most people who visit your website are armed with no information at all.

Beware, you probably won’t like or agree with the feedback. So do it again, ask a few more people. Ask someone who knows nothing about the internet, ask your gran. You’ll probably find that everyone gives you similar feedback. So listen to it. If your homepage is not representing your business in the way you want it to, then change it.

Mobile optimisation

The Huffington Post  points out that in 2014, the number of people accessing the internet on mobile devices surpassed the number accessing on desktops. So optimising for mobile is no longer a luxury, it is essential. And yet many of us don’t do it.

It is possible to optimise your website yourself, and some WordPress themes will optimise for you automatically. It is also possible to pay someone to do it all for you, taking the decisions out of your hands. The middle ground would be something like this company specialising in web design in Reading, http://www.digital-zest.com/ who will design and build your website for you but work in close conjunction with you to do so.

Mobile optimisation is so important, that it should actually be the starting point when designing your website. If you are in a hurry to get a site live, it can be formulated with just the mobile site in mind. This won’t appear wrong on a desktop site, in fact it will appear clean and attractive. Once the site is up and ready, you can start to add in additional content aimed towards both tablets and then later desktops. The desktop site can add in Adobe Flashplayer and popups for newsletter sign off if you want to. But these things are just annoying and restrictive to a mobile user, so should be avoided on your mobile site.