When you’re trying to earn engagement from a visitor, your website’s homepage must make a great first impression. Visitors will be judging your business, including your products and services, from that first point of contact on your homepage. In other words, you won’t land a purchase or booking unless you create a viable brand image through your webpage’s content and design.

Keep reading to learn about six homepage trust signals that can boost conversions!

1. Professional Bios and Photos

You’ll build instant credibility when you include business bios for key team members on your homepage. Add some professional photographs, too, to create a more personable vibe that helps users feel a stronger connection to your business. List team members’ credentials, such as their educational background and professional affiliations, to round out the content. And if you have and established client base, introducing a few stats or recent successes never hurts. 

2. Evidence of Results

Especially if you work in a service industry, it’s important to tout your positive results. When you can demonstrate strong outcomes from your services, you’ll help earn more interest. Include testimonials from satisfied clients, or indicate how many cases you’ve won in the past year. The law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., for instance, can spotlight their four decades of experience and strong settlement record to show potential clients that they can serve them well. Concrete numbers and names always will build trust among website visitors.

3. External Reviews

Introducing reviews from customers can help boost your reputation. Yes, testimonials and personal stories look good, but they can come across as too heavily curated. Reviews on sites like Google, by contrast, look more authentic. Add a few positive reviews to your homepage, and be sure to link to the entire review so users can check it.

4. Strong Design

A slick, well-designed homepage will encourage visitors to spend more time at your site. An accessible, user-focused layout also will reflect well on the level of professionalism within your brand. Use enough contrast between your fonts and background colors. Opt for clean menus and logical layouts. And sprinkle crisp images in your posts that have been optimized to load quickly. 

5. Clear Next Steps

When you’re building a good homepage, you need to add language that nudges your visitors to take the next steps. Adding a CTA that’s clear and obvious is critical, whether that means labeling a button with “Contact Us Today” or “Schedule a Free Estimate.” Use contrasting colors to draw attention to your clickable button, and place the CTA in a highly visible part of your homepage. While you don’t want to be pushy, you do want to extend an invitation. 

6. Third-Party Recogntion

Do you have endorsements from an industry-recognized agency or council? Touting industry awards and honors can help improve your reputation and make potential clients more interested in what you have to offer. Display badges, logos, and other recognizable icons to show your awards, and include the year you received the award, too. If you’re being recognized as a top local business this year, customers will appreciate seeing current validation of your services. 

Creating a Better Homepage

You can maximize your homepage’s potential with intentional choices. Focus on using strong visuals to create a pleasing and professional design. Include professional bios, links to external reviews, and recent awards. With the right blend of credentials and personable language, you’ll design a homepage that helps spur engagement.