Most homepages are built from the inside out: history, values, team, services, awards, footer. The visitor is trying to make a decision from the outside in.
The decision comes first
Can I find what I need? Do I trust this business? Is it for someone like me? What happens if I get in touch? Every section should help answer one of those questions.
If a section only exists because the company is proud of it, it belongs on the About page — not the homepage.
A five-second test
Show the page to someone for five seconds. Ask what the business does, who it is for and what they would do next. If they cannot answer, the homepage is not doing its job.
Design is not the decoration of a message. It is the order in which the message arrives.
Co-founder and digital strategist at InsightDrive. Writes about the decisions behind websites that work.