A business owner opens their website and sees a tidy homepage: a large photo of the team, a general line about quality and trust, then a strip of logos and animated counters. Nothing looks wrong with it, yet visitors come and go without anyone calling. What usually happens is that within a few seconds the visitor didn't find an answer to their first question: does this company offer what I'm looking for, for someone like me, in my area?
What should appear on the first screen of the homepage?
A sentence saying what you offer and to whom, and one button for the next step. Test it this way: if someone who doesn't know you saw this screen on their phone without scrolling, could they say what your company does? A line like "Innovative solutions for your business success" doesn't answer that. A line like "Central air conditioning maintenance for commercial buildings in Amman" does.
Under the headline, add one line that explains a bit more, then the button. Write on the button what will happen when it's tapped, such as "Request a quote" or "Book a visit". Those are clearer than "Learn more".
- HeadlineWhat you offer, to whom and where
- ServicesA card for each service leading to its page
- ProofPast work and how you work
- QuestionsPrice, timing and service area
- RequestWhatsApp and call buttons and a short form
How should you present services on the homepage?
Each main service gets a short card with the service name as customers search for it, a line about the problem it solves, and a link to its own page. The homepage's job is to introduce the services and send visitors to the right one, and the details belong on the service page. Those separate pages are usually the ones that show up in search when someone types the service name along with their city.
If you offer many services, order them by what gets requested most. How your company splits its internal departments means nothing to a visitor.
What convinces a visitor to trust a company they don't know?
Specific proof. Photos of real work you've done, with a line about each job: what the problem was and what you did. Client names or logos if you have permission to publish them, and reviews from your Google Maps listing, which we covered how to strengthen in showing up on Google Maps. Someone who hasn't worked with you before is reassured by a short explanation of how you work, from the first call to handover.
Generic figures like "100% customer satisfaction" read like an ad. A number that can be checked, such as years in business or the count of projects in a particular sector, is far more useful.
Should you put prices and FAQs on the homepage?
At the very least, include whatever might stop a visitor from getting in touch if they can't find it. The questions you get by phone and WhatsApp are the same ones that make visitors hesitate: Do you cover my area? How long does the work take? Do you charge by the hour or by the project? A short section of four or five questions that answers them, with a price range if possible or an explanation of what determines the price, raises the share of serious requests and cuts down on inquiries that go nowhere.
What is the best way to receive requests through the website?
Whichever way your customers prefer, and most companies need more than one. In Jordan and Saudi Arabia, many people prefer WhatsApp, some want to call directly, and others send a form in the evening and expect a reply in the morning. Keep the form short: name, phone, the service needed and a line for details. Every extra field lowers the number of people who finish it.
After a while the form becomes a target for spam. We explain how to protect it without bothering visitors in protecting your contact form from spam.
What does a homepage need to show up in search?
It needs a title and description that mention what you offer and your city, because those are what appear in Google results. A title like "Home" or just the company name wastes that space. It also needs real text that a search engine can read, since words placed inside images or sliders aren't read as text. Add organization structured data with your name, address and phone number, which helps Google and AI engines understand who you are and where you work. We go into this in showing up in AI answers.
The homepage can't rank on its own for every service. That's the job of the service pages, which is why each main service needs its own well-written page.
What are the common homepage mistakes for service companies?
- A slider that switches every three seconds between different messages, so the visitor reads none of them.
- A heavy background video that delays the page on mobile.
- The phone number only at the bottom of the page, and not as a tap-to-call link.
- A long block of company history at the top of the page before any mention of services.
- No mention of the city or area, so the visitor can't tell whether you serve them.
We design homepages and service pages in this order and test them on mobile before launch, as part of our website design and development service. Send us your homepage link and we'll tell you what a visitor is missing before they'll reach out.
Questions our partners ask
Is a slider at the top of the page a good idea?
Usually not. Most visitors see only the first slide, and the motion slows the page and scatters the message. One image and one clear message are enough.
How long should the homepage be?
As long as it takes to answer the visitor's main questions. Visitors keep scrolling if what they read is useful. What matters is that the main message and the button appear on the first screen.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
