Your homepage has seconds to answer three questions every visitor is silently asking. A practical guide to making sure it does.
When a visitor arrives on your homepage — whether from a Google search, a social media link, or a business card — they are immediately, and usually unconsciously, asking three questions.
Is this relevant to me? Does this business offer what I am looking for?
Can I trust this business? Does it look professional and credible?
What should I do next? How do I take the action I came here to take?
Research consistently shows that visitors decide whether to stay or leave within a few seconds of arriving. A homepage that does not answer these three questions immediately — clearly and without requiring the visitor to hunt for information — will lose a significant proportion of its visitors before they have seen anything else.
This is not a rigid template — the best homepage for your business will reflect your specific audience and services. But the principle holds: lead with clarity, support with credibility, and close with a clear next step.
Clear, simple, and consistent. The navigation tells visitors what the site contains and how to get around it. Keep it to the most important pages — five or six items at most. An overcrowded navigation creates hesitation.
The area visible without scrolling is the most valuable space on your homepage. It must immediately communicate what your business does and who it serves — in plain, specific language. A headline like "Plumbing and Heating Services in Cardiff" is immediately clear. "Welcome to Our Website" communicates nothing. Include a single, clear call-to-action button here.
A concise overview of your main services or products. Not an exhaustive list — just enough to confirm relevance and invite the visitor to explore further. Link each item to the appropriate service page for visitors who want more detail.
Reviews, testimonials, accreditation logos, years in business, number of customers served — any independent evidence that supports the claim that you are a good choice. Place these prominently, not buried at the bottom. Trust signals are most effective when they are specific rather than generic.
A clear invitation to take the next step — contact, get a quote, book, or call. Do not assume visitors will find their way to the contact page. Make the action obvious and easy on the homepage itself. For many visitors, this section is the one that converts interest into an enquiry.
A homepage does not need to be long, complex, or visually elaborate to work well. The most effective homepages are often the simplest — clear, fast, and focused entirely on giving the visitor what they need to decide to get in touch.
