How quickly should a homepage explain what a business does?
In about five seconds. A first-time visitor arriving from a search is deciding almost at once whether you can solve their problem.
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Your homepage is about your customer, not your company
What you do, who it is for and what to do next, in the first screen. 35 of the 55 businesses I audited had homepage or landing page problems, and the most common was a page about the company rather than the customer: founding dates, awards and team photos where the visitor needed to know whether their problem could be solved. 37 of 55 needed call-to-action fixes, the most common recommendation of all. Lead with the problem you solve, show proof quickly, and make the next step obvious.
Why does a homepage about the company fail?
Because a first-time visitor has a problem and about five seconds to decide whether you can solve it. "Founded in 2015, we are a leading provider of..." appeared in some form on the homepage of nearly every business I audited, and 35 of 55 had homepage or landing page problems. Company history, awards, team photos and paragraphs about passion matter to the business. The person who has just arrived from a search is looking for an answer, and if the first thing they see is an origin story they are already reaching for the back button.
What did the worst homepages have in common?
They led with the company and hid the next step, across manufacturing, creative services, health and wellbeing, property and recruitment alike. The first screen was a mission statement or a company timeline, with the services buried further down or behind a menu. One business had a genuinely beautiful, well-written site whose only route to making contact was a page linked from the footer, so every other page was a dead end. 37 of the 55 needed call-to-action fixes, the single most common recommendation across the audits. One homepage had only 281 words, too few for a visitor to understand the business or for Google to understand the page.
What did the homepages that worked do differently?
They were built around the customer. They led with the problem they solved: "planning a kitchen renovation? Here is how we make it painless" rather than "we are a leading provider of bespoke kitchen installations". They showed proof quickly, such as a testimonial, client logos or a single strong number like "400+ kitchens installed" or "serving 1,000 clients across the UK". And they made the next step obvious, with an enquiry form, a visible phone number or a clear button above the fold. One business with several audiences, corporate training, public courses and equipment sales, simply needed three clear boxes on the homepage so each visitor could choose a route.
How should a homepage be structured?
In three sections, which most businesses can arrange from what they already have. First, above the fold: one sentence on what you do and who it is for, in plain language, followed by a call to action. Second, proof: a short testimonial with a real name, a row of logos or a brief case study summary. Third, more detail: key services, how you work and what makes you different, which is where some company story has earned its place. Then look at your own homepage as a stranger: can you tell what the business does in five seconds, and is the next step clear?
Does every page need a next step?
Yes. The call-to-action problem ran across whole sites, not only homepages: a service page that explains the work well and asks nothing, a useful blog post that ends without a link to a service or a way to get in touch, a case study that builds trust and then stops. One report I wrote recommended "clear call to actions on every page, in colour", because the business's buttons were white text on a white background. They existed technically and were invisible in practice.
Related evidence: 55 digital audits. Here’s what I found.. Earlier in this journey: Your customers are dropping out somewhere. Here’s how to find where.
Questions people ask
Where should a company's history go on its website?
Lower down the homepage or on an about page, once the visitor knows what you do and has seen evidence that you are good at it.
Not sure where to start?
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Just a straightforward discussion about where you are and whether I can help.
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