Why Your Marina's Website Homepage Means Everything to Your Business, and How to Fix It

Your homepage is typically the page on your website that generates the most amount of traffic. Both your customer's and your prospect's eyeballs are on this page during most visits to your website. Because of the large percentage of traffic that your homepage is generating, it's the most effective tool that you have at generating customers online, and it should include a few key elements to help steer your visitors in the right direction.

Most website visitors make their decision about what they're going to do next (i.e. click on a link, explore further, leave your site entirely, etc...) within just a few seconds. If your website, and most importantly your homepage, isn't configured to point someone in the right direction, then you're missing out on turning a prospect into a customer.  Don't waste this opportunity to convert a visitor into a customer and point your prospect in the right direction!

So, how do we make sure that we're pointing people int he direction that will lead to a customer?

Before we get to the tactics, a great exercise to undertake when thinking about your website homepage, is to write down 3-5 of the most valuable actions for your business that you want your prospects to perform.  For example: Rent a slip, make a transient reservation, become a member, get a fuel quote, etc...  

Then, you want to make sure that:

1. There is a (great) website page dedicated to each one of these.
2. That each one of these pages is linked to from your homepage.  

The most important action should be in your homepage's main call to action button.  The rest of the pages can be linked to from your website's navigation.

In terms of the primary elements of your website's homepage, here's the bare minimum of what it should include in order to get the most out of your website traffic:

1. A Clear Primary Headline - Let your website visitors know who you are and what you do.
2. A Sub-headline to support your primary headline.
3. A Clear "Call to Action" - Basically this is just a simple button or link that points your visitor in the right direction based on what you want them to do on your site.  Think "Make a Reservation" or "Seasonal Slip Information."  You shouldn't have too many call to action buttons on your homepage either, one or two max.
4. Clear Navigation - Providing a secondary means of pointing your users in the right direction is key in decreasing your bounce rates.  Part of having a great navigation is to make sure that you have a good site structure and page layout.
5. Images - Many companies large and small, struggle with the design of their websites. Marinas are no different.  One way to up your design game without paying an expensive designer is to simply use more nice, clear, high-definition images on your website.  You can also use tools like Canva to help create awesome images.

Does your homepage include these elements? Go ahead and check, and then get in touch with us and we'll help you: