What to put on your homepage, block by block and in order
A business homepage has to answer four questions from top to bottom: what you do, who it's for, why someone should trust you and how to reach you. Anything that doesn't help answer those belongs on another page.
Your homepage has four questions to answer, in this order: what you do, who it's for, why people should trust you and how they can reach you. If someone lands on it from their phone and can't figure out the first two within a few seconds, they leave, even if the best information in the world is further down.
This guide goes block by block, top to bottom, the way a customer actually scrolls through it. At the end there's a list of things that tend to take up homepage space and would work better somewhere else.
At the very top: one sentence about what you do and for whom
The first thing people see should be a sentence your customer understands without thinking. Not your slogan, not “welcome to our website”: what you do and who it's for. “Family-run bakery in the town center, custom cakes to order” does more for someone searching than any clever tagline.
Under that sentence, add one more line of context (your area, what sets you apart, how you work) and a single button for the main action: book, see the menu, message on WhatsApp. One button. If you put four of the same size side by side, people don't know which one to tap.
Here's a quick test: show your homepage to someone who doesn't know your business for a few seconds, take the phone back and ask what you sell. If they hesitate, the headline isn't there yet.
The second block: a path for each kind of visitor
Not everyone shows up looking for the same thing. At a vet clinic, one person wants an appointment, another wants to know if you stock a certain food, and another just needs your hours. The second block sends each of them where they need to go: short cards, one per service or product line, each with a clear title and a link to its own page.
You don't need to explain everything there. One sentence per service and a link is enough. The details go on each service page, which is also the page Google can show when someone searches for that specific service. If your site gets visits but not inquiries, I covered the usual causes in a website that turns visitors into leads.
The third block: why trust you
This is where a visitor decides whether to contact you or someone else. Use the proof you actually have:
- Real photos: your shop, your team, finished work. A photo you took yourself, even a simple one, says more than a generic stock image. I wrote a guide on photos for your business website.
- Examples of your work: two or three specific ones, with what the customer needed and what you did. More on that in case studies on your website.
- Reviews: Google reviews carry the most weight because visitors know you didn't write them.
- Signs that you're real: address, service area, hours and how long you've been around, if that's something you can say.
The last block: contact details, no hunting required
At the bottom of the homepage, repeat the main action and give people everything they need to take it: a WhatsApp or text button with a message already written, your phone number, email, address with a map, and hours. Anyone who scrolled all the way down is interested. Don't make them go looking for a contact page.
If a lot of your inquiries come through WhatsApp, that button deserves some thought: where it goes, what message it starts and how to tell how many leads it brings in. I went through all of that in WhatsApp button on your website.
What often clutters a homepage, and where it belongs
| Common homepage content | The problem | Better place for it |
|---|---|---|
| The full story of the business | Pushes down what customers came for | An About page, with a one-line summary on the homepage |
| Every product or service in detail | The homepage turns into an endless catalog | Each service page or the catalog |
| Your whole Instagram feed | Slow to load, and it sends people off your site | A link to your profile in the footer |
| An auto-playing photo slider | Hardly anyone sees past the first slide | One strong image, with a gallery elsewhere |
| Old news posts | Make the business look abandoned | A blog or social media, or nowhere |
A real example: a steakhouse homepage
For Boca de Lobo, a grill restaurant with two locations in Buenos Aires, the homepage had to handle what a hungry person looks for: the menu, which location is closer and today's deals. The menu has over 250 items, so it can't all sit on the homepage. The homepage points the way, and the menu lives on its own page, which diners also reach by scanning a QR code at the table. The restaurant updates dishes, prices and deals from its own admin panel without waiting on anyone, so the homepage never shows anything out of date.
See the Boca de Lobo projectAlready have a site? Check it against this list
Open your homepage on your phone, not your laptop, and ask yourself: can I tell what this business does without scrolling? Is there one clear main action? Does each service lead to its own page? Is there real proof I can be trusted? Is the contact info at the bottom, complete? Any “no” tells you where to start.
I build custom websites and work remotely from Buenos Aires, Argentina (UTC−3), with video calls and progress you can open from a link. You can see what I do on my services page.
Frequently asked questions
Should a homepage be long or short?
As long as it takes to answer the four questions, and not one block more. A business with a single service can get away with a short homepage. One with several lines needs a block that sends people to each. What shouldn't happen is someone having to scroll a long way to find out what you do.
Should I put a video or a photo slider at the top?
One strong image and a clear sentence work better. Auto-playing sliders mean people see the first photo and nothing else, and a heavy video can take a while to show up on a phone. If you have a good video, put it further down, where people who are already interested will watch it.
Should I show prices on the homepage?
It depends on the business. If you sell products at fixed prices, it helps. If you quote each job, it's better to explain what affects the quote and how to ask for one than to post a number that won't hold up.
How often should I change my homepage?
You don't need to redesign it often. It's worth reviewing when your best seller changes, when you add a service, or when customers keep asking things the homepage should already answer.
If you'd like me to look at your homepage and tell you what I'd change first, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email contacto@facundocampo.com.ar. I answer in English and Spanish. Send me the link and tell me what you sell.