The era of the homepage has been the cornerstone business for selling products or services online. The homepage is the grand entrance and the expected focal point for which friend and foe land upon entry.
However, with the rise of SEO, many discussions have been tailed towards the idea that the homepage is no longer king. Several reasons have been posited by people who believe the homepage is not as relevant as before, which has also been strongly met by those who believe that the homepage is still king.
Many believe the homepage is now nothing but the supporting cast and one that cannot influence any factor or iota of marketing and publicity. Here, we consider what made the homepage king, why its position is being threatened by SEO, and if it is still relevant to businesses today. Keep reading to find out more.
The Relevance or Otherwise of the Homepage
Traditionally, the homepage has always been the go-to “place” for other businesses and potential clients and business partners to see what every business is all about. It still is, in fact, albeit it has become less important than before.
Before now, homepages were the primary landing pages for traffic on which many other websites were backlinked, providing a simple navigation system for a cluster of web pages. It was on this ground that page owners waged a war with SEO, ensuring that keywords and hashtags were always on this king page.
However, the advent of SEO and social media platforms did not do the relevance of the homepage much good. Users began to prefer alternatives to the homepage, such as social media home links, which usually contain links to business pages. Nevertheless, the relevance of the homepage did not totally diminish, as it still served its one true purpose — displaying much-needed firsthand information to interested parties.
Major Reasons for the Continued Relevance of Homepages
While there remain many reasons why the homepage may not be the primary point for Google’s algorithm, some still believe that it is as relevant as it has always been. Here are some reasons why homepages will never fade out in terms of relevance:
First impressions actually matter. Homepages will, forever, remain the entrance to a website, being the feature that hosts and curates the first impression, every time, all the time. Giving much thought and strategy to how your homepage appears is quite key to keeping visitors on the page. It also helps boost exploration and establish trust.
It serves as a beacon for your branding voice and positioning. The homepage is the perfect slate to show what your business is all about. By using appealing visuals, creating a brand message, and setting your brand tone, the user has no choice but to walk right into the trap that is branding.
It serves as the interconnecting hub for navigation. Having a well-designed and properly structured homepage is a good way to lead your visitors around your products and services in the best possible way. With a properly designed homepage, visitors can effortlessly transition between pages and services, not minding how long it takes and what content they are really after. Well-designed navigation improves user experience and keeps your visitors captivated.
Conclusion
Homepages are still relevant to businesses, although this has quite diminished. “It must be said that while SEO was a total game changer upon its arrival, the homepage maintained its relevance,” says attorney Bill Fukui. However, one wonders if another game changer is already on the way, one that will render SEO less powerful and homepages even less.
