What your small business website needs on the home page
What your small business website needs on the home page
Say what you do and where, make the next step obvious, and show real work. A plain guide to the home page from a County Durham web designer.
Most people land on your home page from Google or a link someone sent them, and they decide quickly whether they're in the right place. They aren't reading every word. They're looking for three answers: what do you do, are you any good, and how do I get hold of you. A home page that answers those fast does its job. Everything else is decoration.
Say what you do and where, in the first line
Your headline isn't the place for a clever slogan on its own. "Roofing, repairs and guttering across Durham and Sunderland" tells a visitor straight away that they've found the right business. If you want a line with more personality, put it underneath. The first thing people read should tell them what you do and where you do it, because that's also what Google reads first.
Make the next step obvious
Decide what you want a visitor to do, then make it easy. For most small businesses that's a phone call or a quote request. Put the button or the number where it can be seen without scrolling, on a phone as well as a laptop. Use plain words on the button, like "Get a quote" or "Call now". And make sure the form behind it is short: name, how to reach you, and what you need is usually enough.
Show real work
Photos of jobs you've actually done do more than any stock image. A finished driveway, a shop front, a box of your product on a shelf: real pictures prove you exist and show the standard of your work. If you only have phone photos, use the best few, crop them well and keep the style consistent rather than filling the page with everything.
Let customers do the talking
If you have good reviews, show a couple near the top and link to where the rest live, such as your Google reviews. Use real words from real customers with their name or business. One honest line from a named customer is worth more than a paragraph of you describing yourself.
Build it for the phone first
A lot of people will see your site on a phone, often in a hurry. Check your home page on one. Can you read the text without zooming? Is the button easy to tap? Does the first screen say what you do? If the answer to any of those is no, fix that before anything else.
Write a title and description for Google
Every page has an SEO title and description, the words that show up in search results. On Squarespace you'll find them in each page's settings, under SEO. Keep the title under 60 characters, lead with what people search for, and end with your business name. The description should read like a short advert for the page: what's here and why it's worth the click.
Keep it easy to update
A website that's out of date quietly tells people you might be too. Build it on something you can edit yourself, so adding a new project or changing your opening hours takes minutes, not an email to someone else.
If your home page isn't doing these things yet, that's what I build: Squarespace websites designed around your brand and set up so you can update them yourself. Have a look at the services or get in touch.