Business Tech & Tools
What should I put on my homepage, especially above the fold?
The short answer
The first screen of your homepage should tell a new visitor four things without making her solve a riddle: who the business helps, what it helps her do, what she can do next, and one reason to believe she is in the right place.
The rest of the homepage should answer the questions that naturally come next. Think of it as a welcoming front desk, not a storage room for every fact about your business.
Build the first screen as an orientation block
“Above the fold” means the part visible before someone scrolls. Screen sizes vary, so there is no magic pixel height. Your job is to make the beginning useful even when a visitor sees only the headline, a few lines, and a button.
Use this order:
- A clear headline: Name the result, service, or problem in ordinary language.
- A short supporting sentence: Add who it is for, how it works, or what makes it different.
- One primary action: Tell the visitor exactly what she can do next.
- One compact trust cue: Use a truthful credential, customer result, rating, location, or practical guarantee that matters to the decision.
Here is a plain example for a local organizer:
Create a calmer home without trying to organize it alone.
Hands-on decluttering and home-organizing help for busy families in the Columbus area.
See organizing services
Insured, judgment-free help from a Certified Professional Organizer.
Compare that with “Transform your space. Transform your life.” It sounds polished, but it does not tell the visitor what the company does, where it works, or whether the service is for her.
Google specifically recommends placing the words people use to find your content in prominent locations such as the page title, main heading, alt text, and link text. That is another good reason to prefer “Home organizing in Columbus” over a vague slogan. See Google Search Essentials.
Choose a headline that passes the stranger test
Show only the headline to someone outside your business and ask:
- What do you think this company sells?
- Who do you think it serves?
- What result would you expect?
If the person has to guess, the headline is not ready. You can use one of these starting structures:
- [Service] for [specific customer]: “Virtual bookkeeping for independent therapists.”.
- [Desired result] without [major obstacle]: “Plan a month of family dinners without starting from scratch every night.”.
- [Product category] made for [specific use]: “Washable playroom rugs made for real family messes.”.
You do not have to force every detail into the headline. Let the supporting sentence carry the location, method, or important qualifier.
Put the rest of the homepage in decision order
After the first screen, a visitor usually needs help with recognition, understanding, trust, and action. A practical homepage order is:
| Section | Question it answers | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| Problem or situation | “Do you understand what I need?” | Two or three specific situations the customer recognizes |
| Offer overview | “How can you help?” | A short description of each main offer with descriptive links |
| How it works | “What would working with you feel like?” | Three to five real steps, from first action to result |
| Evidence | “Why should I believe this?” | Relevant results, samples, credentials, reviews, or process evidence |
| About preview | “Who is behind this?” | A short, customer-relevant introduction and link to the About page |
| Objection answer | “What might stop me?” | The one or two concerns that delay this decision most often |
| Final next step | “What should I do now?” | The same primary action, clearly repeated |
Not every homepage needs all seven sections. A $25 product may need less explanation than a $2,000 service. Keep the sections that help your particular customer make the next decision.
Give each button a destination, not a mood
“Learn more” and “Get started” can work, but they often hide the result of clicking. Try “View bookkeeping packages,” “Book a 20-minute consultation,” or “Shop washable rugs.” The W3C recommends link text that helps people understand a link's purpose, ideally without requiring extra context. See W3C guidance on link purpose.
If your main action is a purchase or appointment, do not compete with it by giving “Join the newsletter,” “Follow us,” “Read the blog,” and “Take the quiz” equal visual weight at the top. Those can live lower on the page or in the footer.
Use proof that belongs beside the claim
A row of company logos may look impressive, but proof works better when the visitor understands what it proves.
- Next to a speed claim, show the normal turnaround time.
- Next to a quality claim, show a close-up, sample, or before-and-after.
- Next to an experience claim, state the relevant years, projects, or credential accurately.
- Next to a customer-result claim, give enough context to make the result meaningful.
Do not wait until the bottom of the page to explain why the main promise is believable. Put the most relevant proof near the promise it supports.
Test the homepage in 15 minutes
Open the page on your phone and answer these without scrolling first:
- What is being offered?
- Is it meant for someone like me?
- What happens if I tap the main button?
- Is the text readable and the button easy to tap?
Then scroll quickly, reading only headings. Can you still understand the story of the page? Finally, click every link and submit every form. A beautiful homepage that sends the main button to the wrong page is not ready.
Google’s people-first content guidance asks whether a visitor will leave feeling she learned enough to achieve her goal and had a satisfying experience. Use that as the standard, not whether you managed to fit a favorite phrase onto the page. See Google’s people-first content guidance.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Essentials
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- W3C: Understanding Link Purpose in Context
Want help turning the page into a real launch?
The Website & Landing Page Build System can help you connect your homepage, offer, and customer path so the site supports the business you are actually trying to open.
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