Your homepage is the first page most people see when they visit your website. It’s also where most of them leave without doing anything. That’s not an accident. Most homepages are just not very good.
Let me walk you through the mistakes and how to fix them.
The Unclear Value Proposition
I visit loads of small business websites and I can’t figure out what they actually do. Is it selling? Is it getting appointments? Is it just informational? It should be crystal clear in the first few seconds.
Your headline needs to say exactly what you do and why someone should care. Not clever wordplay, not vague mission statements. Clear, direct language that says: “We help small businesses with X” or “We sell Y.”
If a visitor has to think about what you do, they’re gone.
Too Much Information
Your homepage is not the place to dump everything. New visitors don’t want your entire service menu and your life story. They want to know if you’re relevant to them.
Focus on your main offering. One clear message. Everything else can go on other pages.
No Clear Call to Action
What do you actually want someone to do on your homepage? Call you? Fill out a form? Read more? Book an appointment? You need to tell them and make it easy.
A good CTA is obvious, prominent, and uses clear language. “Book a consultation” beats “Learn more” every single time.
Ignoring Mobile
Half of your visitors are on mobile devices. If your homepage doesn’t work well on mobile, you’re losing half your potential customers. It’s that simple.
Make sure your homepage actually works on small screens. Make sure buttons are tappable. Make sure your main message is clear even on mobile.
Slow Loading
If your homepage takes more than a couple of seconds to load, people bounce. Especially on mobile. Compress your images, clean up your code, optimise everything.
Speed is a ranking factor for Google and it’s a conversion factor for your customers. Fast matters.
No Trust Signals
New visitors don’t know if they can trust you. Where are your reviews? Your testimonials? Your credentials? Your social proof?
Put customer reviews front and centre. Show that other people have used your service and been happy. That builds confidence.
A slow homepage loses sales and search rankings. Discover how design impacts your SEO performance.
Bad Design
Your homepage needs to look professional. That doesn’t mean fancy or complicated. It means clean, organised, and like it was made by someone who cares about design.
If your homepage looks outdated or poorly designed, people assume your business is outdated or not professional.
How to Fix It
If your current homepage doesn’t do these things, it’s time for an update. A proper small business web design focuses on these fundamentals. With a pay monthly web design option, you can rebuild your homepage professionally without a huge upfront cost.
Your homepage is costing you sales right now. Fix it and watch what happens.
