Stop putting so much shit on your home page.
So I’m designing a new client website at the moment and as part of the process I’ve been helping them get clear on some specific things on the home page, such as what the viewers next steps should be. I’ve also been creeping around a couple other websites for ideas, and I noticed something that started to annoy me a bit…
Stop putting so much shit on your home page. (Or any given page on your website).
By ‘shit’ I don’t necessarily mean information, because words matter, but I’m talking more so in terms of clickable links, buttons and next steps. There should NEVER be 50 million options on any given page (unless thats the legit purpose of the page, like a bunch of resources or something).
Why?
👉 Because giving people too many options (especially right off the bat, on your homepage), is a one-way ticket to overwhelming them, and them probably leaving your site sooner.
👉 It can make your website feel like a bit of a mess, because you can’t properly organise your content. (Therefore maybe giving the impression thats how your business is run, and you’ve got way too many things going on, and a lack of focus.)
👉 It also makes it a nightmare for keeping track of what’s even on your website… Imagine when you’ve been on someone's website, cruising around, and you remember a link you saw somewhere for a freebie sign up or something, but you have NO CLUE where that link was… Super annoying, right?
Each page on your website should have ONE SINGLE GOAL. You should be able to answer these two questions…
Why does that page exist?
What are the next steps you want people to take from this page?
Anything that doesn’t support the goal of the page, get rid of it.
Here's a couple examples... 😜
Home pages — Its fair for a home page to have a few various sections, to give people a taste of what you do, but it does not need a link to every single page that exists on your site. A solid home page, in my opinion, could include a rough intro about you + what you do, some recent blog posts (if you have a blog), highlight 1-3 products or services, an email sign up, and maybe one other highlighted piece of content such as a podcast, a feature, etc.
Work With Me pages — Especially for a specific page, like a 'Work With Me' page, there should be a very clear goal there — to inform people how they can work with you + what services you offer, and lead them into their next steps from there. 😜Therefore they do not also need links to your last 3 blog posts, your podcast, your email sign up, your book club, and your fave fucking Instant Pot recipes… Cuz that defeats the purpose of the page.
I hope this was helpful! Basically, it's your website, your business. It’s your job to lead people through your site and guide them as to what to do next, or what to read next. Don't throw 10mill options at people and expect them to figure it out, ya know. Make it EASY AF. 🤙
