All pages are potentially a front page
When a new website is to be created, it is close to start talking about the front page. What needs to be included, what should be prioritized, what should it look like? The first impression has to sit.
Only 10-30% of traffic lands on the front page
In today's digital landscape where most things start with a Google search, social media, or a link from somewhere, it's probably more likely that the front page isn't the place they come to first when they end up on your website. (Unless your site is an online newspaper or Facebook).
After using analytics tools like Google Analytics for many years, we have learned that only 10-30% of total traffic lands first on the front page. Those that rank low are often sites where editorial content ranks well in Google, such as Trondelag.com and Breastfeeding aid. The ones that are high (then we are still talking about only 30% of total traffic) are often sites with a lot of direct traffic, for example Bunnpris and Britannia.
With search and linking, every page is potentially a homepage
- Gerry Mc Govern, innholdsstrateg
From a good first impression to a good user experience
With the huge variety of online stores, information pages, inspiration sites and all kinds of websites, it is incredibly important to give your users a good first impression when they land on your website. It must be easy to understand what the page is about and easy to navigate around, without any “speed bumps”. By focusing on the user's needs and tasks, you will create a good user experience from start to finish. The total first impression is crucial for the user to have the desire to return.
When we worked with the new website of Ammehjelpen, we saw that the landing pages here were almost exclusively editorial articles. Users came straight from Google, after searching for a given topic or breastfeeding issue they wanted information about. The conclusion quickly became that it was the articles that should have priority in the project, as it would produce the greatest impact for the users and the user experience.
Clear navigation
When the design process starts, it is important to start from the main landing pages. For a first-time user who lands directly on an inspirational article — how should the user understand what products, services or information the website can offer? Often, users need to go to the front page to get a better view of the website. With a clear menu and navigation, this detour can be avoided, and rather direct the user to the right content right away. As a designer, it is therefore important to immerse yourself in a user journey where the user does not yet know where the path is going.
Find out which sites deserve a little extra love
So before you start pondering way too hard on how you guys are going to solve the front page, I'd rather recommend getting some Insights about the website first. Which pages are the real “front pages”, so where do users land first? Here you can go a long way with the statistics you find in Google Analytics. For some extra insight into user needs, it's also helpful to check your search history in Google Analytics. Here you will find out what your users are searching for, ergo are looking for on your website.
Go in depth
Once you figure out what are your real front pages, you can pick out some and go in depth to find out how they can be better.
- Why is this page important to the user?
- What is the purpose and purpose of the site?
- What should the user do on this page?
- What are the content/elements of the page? How can this be communicated and facilitated in an even simpler way?
- Where is the user going afterwards? Can we help them move forward through good navigation?
Priorities, priorities
Digital projects, as a rule, do not have unlimited funds (oh, that would have been something!) , so it pays to prioritize the time to be allocated to the areas that work best for users. To create a good result, you need to prioritize what users actually need.
Daring to prioritize differently and start somewhere different from what you might first think can occasionally require a bit of strategic flair and conviction. This will be much easier with real data and customer insights in your pocket, in combination with defining the most important user tasks and conversions that add value to the business.
We're here if you need advice over a coffee chat!
