Website Entry Page Considerations

Updated January 13, 2023

Visibility & Visual Appeal

Many clients think that their home page is the most important. From an White Hat SEO standpoint, that’s only partially true. In practicality, every webpage is a potential website entry page. Google serves up the best page (according to their super-secret algorithm) to answer a human searcher’s question. In the post, we’ll share tips on how to make each entry page more effective.

Website Entry Page vs. Landing Page

Before we get into our tips to make each website entry page more effective, let’s get some definitions out the way. Traditionally a landing page is a Search Engine Marketing term. When you are using paid advertising to get qualified leads, you create specific landing pages to convert a Pay-Per-Click visitor.

In the book Marketing in the Age of Google by Vanessa Fox, she defines a website entry page and their challenge:

Any page can be the entry page, which makes it increasingly difficult for marketers to craft messages that welcome visitors and compel them through the conversion funnel, We have to rethink our approach to site design and user interaction based on this new world.

Yes, Home Page Is Important

From a statistical standpoint, your home page is very important. Look in Google Analytics and you’ll probably find that it has a large percentage of visits. However, that doesn’t mean your visitors go there first. To determine that, you’ll need to dig a little further. Go to the Users Flow report (under the Audience Tab) to see how visitors migrate through your site beginning with a “starting page.” A starting page is just another label for website entry page.

Structure Is Equally Important

Even if your home page is your primary website entry page, your prospects go elsewhere to find information. Structuring your site so it’s easy to navigate with a cohesive experience is equally, if not more, important. Maintaining consistency with navigation choices and design affects user experience (UX) and thus conversions. We recommend these elements to make UX more pleasant and effective:

• Consistent navigation bar choices
• Breadcrumbs so visitors know where they are at all times
• Brand elements translated for Web readability (e.g., use bright colors sparingly) and visual appeal with strategic use of headlines and images
• Make it easy to contact you
• Link internal pages to enhance visitor experience not just for SEO
• Title tags and meta descriptions are critical; this is the free mini-ad that appears on a SERP
• Understand buying cycle and search phrases to woo your visitor deeper into your sales funnel.

Clear Call To Action

Do you know what the next logical step is for each webpage? If you don’t know, how will your visitor. Design each page to have one call to action (CTA). Make it clear and simple. If you have long content, it’s ok to repeat that CTA. Just be mindful if you’re going overboard. For more CTA ideas, read this article about how to motivate your reader and some psychology tips.

What is your website’s most popular entry page? How is it performing?

How can we help?

Are you tracking your webpages to collect the most important visitor data? Or, are you tweaking your landing pages to increase inbound leads?

We are the spectrum group online, and we offer strategic and tactical consulting so you can monetize your online presence. Call us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss your website’s user experience and translate that into sales.