What to include on your website home page
Your homepage is one of the most important pages on your website. People will usually land here before clicking through to your services or reading your about page - which means it’s often the first impression they have of your business.
Within a fairly short space of time, they’re going to decide whether they want to stay or go. Which means you need to help them quickly understand what they’ve landed on, whether it’s relevant to them, and where they can go next.
At the same time, you’re trying to build trust and reflect your brand. No pressure then!
It’ll come as no surprise that lots of small business owners can feel overwhelmed when it comes to their homepage content. Many don’t know what to include. Others want to include everything.
In reality, the best homepages are usually the clearest and simplest ones.
This blog post will guide you through what to include on your homepage. But, before we get into the sections themselves, there are a few important things you should already have in place.
Before you start writing your homepage
Before you begin adding content, it helps to take a step back and think strategically.
Your homepage should never just feel like a collection of random sections or great images. It’s there to support your business goals and speak directly to the right people.
Know who your ideal customer is
Just like your business isn’t for everyone, neither is your website. It’s for the people you most want to work with or sell to.
That means your homepage copy needs to speak directly to your ideal customer. It shows you understand the problems they have, what they’re trying to achieve, and how you can help them.
Instead of talking about your business, it helps to think instead from their point of view. Your homepage needs to answer a simple question “How can this help me?”.
Be clear on your branding
A brand is more than your logo or colours. It’s your tone of voice, your personality, your values, and the overall feeling people get when they visit your website.
If your branding feels inconsistent, your website can become confusing. So, before writing your homepage, make sure you’ve thought about:
Brand colours
Fonts and typography
Tone of voice
Brand values
Visual style
Understand the goals of your website
Every website has a purpose. For some businesses, that’s direct sales. For others, it’s generating enquiries, encouraging downloads, or growing an email list.
Knowing your main goal will feed into every decision you make on your homepage.
The main sections to include on a website homepage
When someone lands on your website, they should quickly understand:
Who you are
What you do
What they should do next
If your website doesn’t answer these questions within a few seconds, people will often to leave.
Below are the main sections I’d think about for a small business homepage. That said, it’s not a rigid formula that every homepage has to follow - different businesses will need different things.
1. The “Above the Fold” Section
“Above the Fold” is the first section people see before they start scrolling.
It’s the place where someone forms their first impression of your business. If it feels confusing or cluttered, you may not get the chance for them to explore the rest of your website before leaving.
Here’s what to think about including:
Your logo and navigation
Keep your navigation simple and easy to understand. I usually aim for around 4 or 5 menu items so people can quickly find what they need. Your logo is usually expected to be seen in the top lefthand corner.
A clear headline
Your main headline is often the first thing people read, so it needs to clearly explain:
What you offer
Who it’s for
How it helps
Clarity here is more important than vague or clever wording.
For example:
“Helping small businesses create websites that convert” works better than “Our team is committed to your business”.
Tip 👇
Imagine telling someone face to face what you do for a living, then use the same language in your homepage headline.
A strong call to action (CTA)
Your homepage should guide people towards an action. What that is will depend on your website goals.
Here are some examples:
Book a Call
Get a Quote
Shop Now
View Services
Download the Guide
Make sure your CTA button stands out and you keep it to one or two main actions to avoid decision fatigue.
A supporting image
Use images or videos that reflect your business and help communicate your brand. Professional brand photography can feel more authentic than generic stock images, although there can be a place for these too.
2. Showcase your main services or products
Once someone understands who you are, they’ll want to know what you offer. Your homepage is there to give a quick, scannable overview of your main products or services. It acts as a roadmap for the rest of your website, leading people to specific pages where they can learn more.
Keep it focused
Your homepage isn’t the place to include absolutely everything you offer. Instead, focus on your main offers (usually 3-4 core services).
For example:
Website audits
Blog posts
Website design
Branding
Each section can include a short description, a relevant image (or icon), and a link to learn more. This guides people deeper into your website without overwhelming them.
Focus on benefits, not features
A lot of businesses fall into the trap of talking too much about technical details. But most people care more about the outcomes - in other words, what it means for them.
So, instead of saying “fully responsive custom-built websites”, you could say “websites designed to attract and convert your ideal customers”.
The second version focuses on the result, which is always more interesting to potential customers.
3. Add trust and social proof
Trust is a huge part of turning website visitors into customers. People want reassurance that your business is credible, reliable, and experienced.
Include testimonials
Testimonials are one of the easiest ways to build trust quickly. They often mention:
The problem someone had
The experience of working with you
The result they achieved
Keep them easy to read, and avoid huge blocks of text.
Showcase logos, awards, or certifications
If you’ve worked with recognisable brands or organisations, include their logos. You can also feature:
Industry certifications
Awards
Memberships
Press mentions
Partnerships
These all help reassure people that your business is legitimate and professional.
Use real data where possible
Adding genuine data and stats can help persuade people to take the next step. For example:
Over 100 websites launched
Helping businesses since 2019
Trusted by 500+ customers
These kind of figures help build authority and show your experience.
4. Include a personal introduction
People connect with people. As a small business owner, it’s even more important for them to understand who they’re working with. But even if you run a larger business, people still want to know who’s behind the brand.
Adding a short introduction creates a more personal connection and helps your website feel more human.
Share a bit about yourself
This doesn’t need to be a full life story, but a short section introducing yourself or your team can help build a connection. Think about including:
A friendly photo
A short bio
Your mission
Why you started the business
This helps people feel like they’re dealing with a real person rather than a faceless company. You can also link through to your full About page for anyone who wants to learn more.
5. Add a lead capture section
Not every visitor is ready to buy straight away, and that’s fine. Sometimes, they need a little more time before making a decision, which makes lead capture so important.
Give people a reason to stay connected
A lead magnet encourages people to join your email list and stay connected with your business. This could be:
A free guide
A checklist
A discount code
A free resource
An email newsletter
Just make sure your freebie feels genuinely useful and relevant to your audience.
To give you an example, one of my lead magnets is a Free Guide to SEO and Online Visibility.
6. Remember the Footer
The footer sits at the bottom of your homepage and plays an important role. It’s where many visitors look for contact details or extra navigation links.
What to include in your footer
Your footer should contain:
Contact information, including email address and phone number
Social media links
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions
Secondary navigation links (such as blog, resources, or testimonials)
You can also include one final call to action before visitors leave the page.
Keep social media links in the footer
One thing I always recommend is to avoid placing social media icons at the very top of your homepage.
Why?
Because it encourages visitors to leave your website too quickly.
Your website should be the priority, with navigation guiding people on a logical journey through your pages. Social links work much better in the footer.
What to avoid on your homepage
Now I’ve covered what should be included, here are a few common homepage mistakes.
Too much clutter
Trying to squeeze everything onto your homepage usually makes it less effective. Space is your friend - a clean and focused layout usually works much better than a busy one. I tend to think of a homepage as a teaser, drawing readers into other areas of your website.
Weak messaging
If your homepage copy feels vague, visitors won’t understand what you do. Always aim for simple, clear messaging, and avoid jargon or complicated wording.
Forgetting search basics
Your homepage should also have the basic search elements in place. They’re not complicated, but easy to overlook when you’re focused on design.
This includes:
A clear page title that describes your business
A useful meta description that helps people understand what the page is about
Descriptive alt-text for relevant images
A clear heading structure that makes the page easy to understand
Natural language that reflects what your customers are looking for
Inconsistent branding
Too many fonts, colours, or styles can make your website feel messy and unprofessional. As a general rule:
Stick to 2-3 fonts maximum
Use a consistent colour palette, including matching image style
Keep layouts clean and structured
Modern homepage design standards
Web design trends and people’s expectations have evolved. A homepage today needs to do more than look good. It also needs to work well across all devices and be accessible to all users.
Mobile-first design
Most website traffic now comes from mobile devices. That means your homepage should:
Load quickly
Work well on smaller screens
Have buttons that are easy to tap
Use readable font sizes
Avoid cluttered layouts
A homepage that looks amazing on desktop but is difficult to use on mobile will frustrate people very quickly.
Accessibility
Accessibility helps with inclusivity and overall user experience. Simple improvements include:
High colour contrast
Clear heading structures
Alt-text for images
Readable text sizes
Logical navigation
Accessible websites are often easier for everyone to use.
Final thoughts
Your homepage doesn’t need to be complicated to work well.
A good homepage:
Clearly explains what you do
Builds trust
Guides people towards action
Reflects your brand personality
When done well, your homepage becomes more than a nice design. It becomes a tool that helps the right people understand your business, build trust, and take the next step.
If you ever feel overwhelmed when building your homepage, I recommend choosing simplicity and clarity over cleverness.
If reading this has made you realise your homepage might not be working as hard as it could, my Half-Day Website Review could help.
I take a holistic approach to your website, looking at your messaging, structure, user experience, content, and overall customer journey. I then deliver a clear summary report with practical recommendations you can implement straight away.
It’s ideal for small business owners who want expert insight and actionable feedback, without committing to a full redesign.
While I specialise in Squarespace, many of the recommendations apply across other website platforms.
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If I looked at your website for 10 minutes, here’s what I’d fix first
I’m Jacquie Budd, and I help small businesses make sense of their websites, content and search. Learn more about me →
