Homepage & Landing Page Best Practices

Building the homepage for your agency website is easy with the components in the design system. Considering that users often spend less than 20 seconds on a homepage at first glance, it’s important you focus on what they need first. 

Using the Landing Page content type

Use the landing page content type to create a hub of related content with a custom layout. Landing pages give an overview of a site section, grouping and prioritizing content. And landing pages are often often links in your site's main or primary navigation. They're most often used for:

• You're agency's website homepage
• Topical navigation pages

What landing pages should do:

• Show what that site section offers. 
• Group content in sections to help visitors achieve their goals. 
• Provide clear links to next steps. 

Highlights of landing pages:

• ✅ Hero image
• ✅ Embed microcontent components:
  • ❌ Contact
  • ❌ Accordions
• ✅ Flexible visual layout
• ❌ Create listing pages

Learn more about working with Landing pages.

Make it clear what you do early

A mission statement or plain language explanation of your agency should be easy to find when you land on  your homepage. This may include a brief statement of your agency’s name, services you provide, and people you serve. Avoid agency lingo or jargon, and focus on plain language. 

Focus on the audience first

Your agency exists because you have people to serve, so focus on their needs and questions first. Visitors to your site want to know:

• What services you provide 

• If you can answer their questions

• how to get in touch with your agency (if needed.) 

So get the rest out of the way, and focus on your core users first.

Your agency likely offers many services and resources to the people you serve. If filling your homepage is difficult, consider highlighting your core services or website navigation. 

• What are the most common trafficked areas? 

• What resources are most important to your audience?

 Focus on their needs and align your homepage by providing quick access to this information.

Mix evergreen and cycling content

Your homepage should have static content, and content that cycles to keep information fresh for your visitors. Ideally, information about your agency, services, and contact information should be readily available and static. 

But information such as news and events should update regularly as you release content to your constituents and customers.

Use a balance of text and images

Images are always a great way to express your content, and it helps eyes stay focused on various parts of your homepage. But images alone don’t have much value without content (and context). And too much content can disengage users, especially on a homepage. 

Use a good balance of both: Promotional boxes and callouts allow you to focus on a single message an image; hero banners at the top are a good way to represent your agency in a bold, meaningful way.