The first lines of your homepage should tell a visitor what your organisation does, who it is for and what the visitor can do next. A visitor who cannot find these answers at a glance will usually leave, however good the rest of your website is.
Where do visitors look first on your homepage?
In an eye-tracking study published by Nielsen Norman Group in 2018, visitors spent 57 percent of their viewing time on the part of a page they could see before scrolling, and 74 percent on the first two screens. This means that the top of your homepage has to do most of the work, as many visitors will not read further unless the first screen gives them a reason to.
What should the first lines of your homepage say?
Write one sentence that states what your organisation does and for whom, in the words your visitors would use themselves. ‘We support LGBTQ+ refugees in Amsterdam with housing, legal advice and a weekly drop-in’ tells a visitor more than ‘Together for a world where everyone belongs’, which could open the website of almost any organisation.
Place this sentence at the top of your homepage, above any photograph or slider, and use the same sentence in your social media profiles and your newsletter. Our article Writing a style guide for your website explains how to keep this wording the same everywhere.
Which action should come first on your homepage?
Most organisations want visitors to do several things, such as donate, volunteer, become a member or find support. However, a homepage that gives every action the same weight leaves the choice to the visitor, and many will choose to leave. Decide which action matters most, and make that action the most prominent button on the page. For an organisation that offers support, the way to find help usually comes first, as someone in need should not have to search for it.
How do you give each group of visitors its own route?
A donor, a volunteer and someone looking for support come to your website with different questions. Give each group a clear route from the homepage, for example a menu item named after what the visitor wants to do, such as ‘Get support’, rather than one long menu that lists every page.
How can you tell whether your homepage message is clear?
Show your homepage for five seconds to someone who does not know your organisation, then ask them what your organisation does and what they could do on your website. If they cannot answer both questions, rewrite the first lines of your homepage before you change anything else.
