You have 0.05 seconds to make a great first impression on a website or an app.
That’s 50 milliseconds.
And that’s HALF the time of an average blink.
It’s a pretty amazing statistic, but it is also extremely scary.
This means that users judge the majority of your content by the very first thing they see on your website or app. And that’s usually a welcome page.
I hope you grasped the importance of a welcome page by now because, in this article, I will try to briefly define what a welcome page exactly is, and right after, I’ll try to set some ground rules and examples of a great welcome page.
Let’s go:
What exactly is a Welcome Page?
A welcome page is a website’s or an application’s introduction to its content inside.
You are going to represent your business to new users.
You are forming an image of your business.
You’ll set some expectations in people’s heads.
Creating a successful welcome page for your app is crucial because you get to greet people with it.
It is like an illustration of your brand’s value proposition, the time that people come to a decision whether or not they are going to explore your content.
It’s a decision maker really, most users will form their opinion about your brand after their first glance to your welcome page, so you definitely need a great one.
How to create a great Welcome Page in 5 Steps
#1 First things first; A Simple Layout
Keep it simple, and not exhausting to look at.
Here are some quick notes:
- Let people know where to look at, you would not like to confuse them with an overwhelming view.
- The colors and the patterns are up to your taste, but it is best if it is plain.
- You want to grab your visitor’s attention, you do not want to distract. Choose a clear background and design.
- Write a good headline and greet people.
Then comes establishing the right message
#2 The First Contact
Remember that 2016 movie Arrival? (in case you didn’t see it: it is a sci-fi movie revolving around a scientist that is trying to talk to aliens)
Wouldn’t you agree that if our first words to aliens were “Put your hands where I can see them!”, they would at best leave and never come back again and at worst, evaporate us all?
Well if you display the wrong first-contact message to users they might do the same thing, leave, or destroy your business with bad word-of-mouth and negative reviews.
First off, be enthusiastic and kind with your welcome message. And then you can mix things up by adding something creative to the equation.
#3 Action!
After your welcome message, continue with a button that makes people want to click on.
The button might say “Let’s get started” or “Explore {your brand}” like we are all familiar. But it may be more interesting to add what they are going to do to the CTA button.
It is better if you pick the color of the button different than the page’s tones, this way it will be more luring.
#4 Repeat without boring
You may increase your value proposition’s power if you use it on your welcome page again.
Then again, and again.
But do it without becoming boring.
Repetitive sentences are more likely to stick in people’s minds. You can lay the foundation for a successful future brand by making your value proposition memorable.
But if you are not going to use your value proposition, be understandable, and explain what you do in some other words being simple still. No one is going to use a service that they did not understand.
#5 “This one’s for you!”
You know who you’re selling to.
You are solving a problem, and your customers are the people who experience that problem.
So you know who your customers are, what they think of your product, what they think of the competition and much more.
Mainly consider your targeted users and create a fitting design for them.
For example, you have a webpage that contains advanced articles on history. You aim mainly for scholars and students. It is a better idea to use a sophisticated looking design with soft colors to impress them. Let’s say that you have a website that deals with up to date news about video games, using neon colors –sufficiently- would be pleasant and eye-catching.
Do not forget that you should stay away from the stereotypes though. They may repulse some people.
In the end, the most certain way to understand your audience’s likes and dislikes is the trial and error method. Everyone has a different taste. So you should consider your target group’s taste.
Dos and Don’ts
Do choose impressive words,
you must attract the visitor to your page but at the same time try not to exaggerate.
Deliver a powerful and clear message to them. Pick power words like “ideal, most used, worldwide” but try to stay away from them if you think you are exaggerating.
Do personalize the experience,
this will make them feel that you care.
For example, many webpages and apps take personal information like name, e-mail, age, and all. When customers pass this step, greeting them with their name is a clever way to increase their enthusiasm.
Do not forget to thank them, and some claim that sending them a greeting email is a good idea.
Do add a checklist to your sidebar,
that way, people can click on the sidebar and get a better idea about which contents are available on your website or the other link that you can launch them on your website.
Do be original.
Do not use any other app’s headlines or sentences to introduce your product.
It is both unethical and the possibility of using your credibility is at the end of the road.
We all like unheard and original stuff. You are creating a new business and a new brand, some features differentiate your brand from other likely brands, so why use an old idea that everyone got used to, or why copy?
Do not risk it and be original.
Do follow up with a great User Onboarding,
Yes, I told you that the Welcome Page is where the user forms their initial opinion about you.
But it doesn’t mean that their opinion can’t and won’t be changed about you. Especially if you don’t follow up on your welcome page with a great user onboarding.
User Onboarding refers to getting new users to their Aha! moments by showing them the value of your product and how they can achieve it.
It includes interactive product tours, in-app messages, hotspots, onboarding checklists, and various other onboarding elements; all of which you can create with UserGuiding without coding.
After getting your welcome page done, focus on your user onboarding to complete the experience. And don’t take my word about UserGuiding, try it for free right now.
Don’t you ever dare put advertisements on your welcome page,
There isn’t much to say about this, it is pretty self explanatory.
You might have advertisements on your website, and that’s okay. Just don’t put any in your welcome page, it’ll create a bad impression.
Don’t put CTAs after all the text,
People may not scroll if you are going to make the page extend below. Put your offer, sign buttons, and explore buttons above the fold.
No one is willing to scroll and scroll and scroll and read or figure out everything about your page. Stay away from making them scroll, give people a tempting button to just click on.
Don’t force it,
We get it.
It’s your beautiful welcome page that is followed by an introduction of your great product.
But believe me, it’s not as beautiful as you think.
Most people make the mistake of forcing the welcome page and what follows to their users, which will dramatically reduce the completion rates of your users and have a heavy toll on your business.
They’ll have to see the welcome page at one point, but you must give them the option to quickly move into the product. If it is a returning user imagine how going through the same onboarding would feel like.
Exactly…
Welcome Page Examples
Here are some examples of some well-designed welcome pages:
Trivago
Here is Trivago’s welcome page.
We all know its slogan, it is catchy but is it tempting for us to use Trivago when it comes to the welcome page?
Well, it is.
It is fairly plain designed, and anyone can understand how to use it.
What it’ll do for you is stated clearly and gets you directly in business. You are just going to decide on a destination and search for hotels in there.
Letterboxd
This the welcome page of Letterboxd.
It tells you what their business is, it is to help you with tracking the movies you have watched, setting a watchlist, and commenting on the movies.
There is a good old CTA saying “Get Started – It’s Free!”, which is actionable.
This button also draws your attention with its striking green and it gives you info about the initial price, which doesn’t exist.
Lyft
In this welcome page of Lyft, a cute illustration of the service that they are providing takes place.
Nice usage of colors and the very short and basic explanation with a big font size makes it a well-designed welcome page. It calls for both their key partners and their customers.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is one of the most used free education sources online.
The welcome page introduces the users to what Khan Academy is for, and you can easily start using it by picking which fits you from the three buttons below. The page after that takes some information from you and guide you to the website where you can just start.
Airbnb
Airbnb’s welcome page is also a very clear one with an innovative approach.
The statement tells what hosts do and the extra income calculator is a very well designed element that tells users what exactly they’re getting into.
A picture of the host also gives trust, she is welcoming and someone you can trust enough to stay in her house.
Grammarly
Here is Grammarly’s welcome page.
There is a slogan likely sentence as a headline and a greeting with the name of the user.
Colors are nicely used and Grammarly gives some options to improve your writing right away. It is both visually satisfying, and welcoming.
Devon Stank
Devon Stank’s welcome page calls people to do something together, to collaborate.
People innately want to be a part of something, so it is smart to use this feature. Putting a video after may not be that of a smart move though, I wouldn’t like watching a video on a welcome page no matter how interesting it is.
Skype
This welcome page of Skype does an excellent job, catching your attention with a big font headline that is inviting you.
Under that, three words are describing what you can do on Skype, you can talk, chat, and collaborate. It is a simple yet well designed welcome page.
Dropbox
Everyone knows how dangerous technology may get sometimes, there may be errors, your personal information may get stolen.
Dropbox shows that it offers a promising service that is secure and that employees and IT admins trust. It tells you about Dropbox’s reliability, showing people who know technology as their reference. It is a cleverly designed welcome page that awakens the sense of trust.
2048 Puzzle
But wait, this is not a welcome page!
You might be telling me right now, but it is.
The 2048 Puzzle game uses their game as their welcome page and what makes them great is the page being as simple as the game itself.
There is no need for additional bla-bla, you just want to open the app and start gaming so that’s what they give you!
Conclusion
To sum up, it is imperative that you create the most convenient welcome page for your business to improve the first impression that you get from potential customers.
Being original in your copy, keeping the design simple and the experience frictionless are just a few ways to increase the quality of your welcome page.
Also, don’t forget to polish the experience that follows the welcome page because the overall UX you offer is a more important point in a customer’s relationship with your business.
