The truth is how you present your website will determine how customers view you and your product. This can directly translate into how effective your website actually is and whether or not you get alot of sales or just a few. Think of it this way. Whenever you go into a store you usually always go in from the front entrance, not the side or the back, but the front. Just like when people visit your website, they probably always come in from the home page and go around your site. Sometimes they may come in from another link to one of your subpage but trust me they will jump on your front page to check it out and rightly so.
The front page is where all of the best information should be. Now this is not to say that your subpages as useless and that there shouldn't be valuable information on them. I am just saying that the main page should contain tidbits of all the valuable information located throughout your site...
Usually your front page is the main attraction and includes features and elements that your subpages won't have. It is almost like a "wow page" full of rich content.
Here are some tips on how to impress your visitors as soon as they get to your site:
Tip Number 1: Offer something to the visitor as soon as they get to your site:
-This is important to really grab a visitors attention. Some things you may want to put at the top or near the top of your site are free offers like "free ebook" or "free domain" etc...
Tip Number 2: Give them content that is updated daily:
-Make sure you have content on your front page that is updated daily. This will not only give them something to look forward to every day but it will show that your site is updated often and gives them a reason to keep coming back.
Tip Number 3: Showcase new and featured products:
-Showcasing products on the front page will immediately get visitors interested on what you are offering. It will help show them what your site is about as well as it will make them want to browse more of your e-store.
Tip Number 4: Add highlights from other parts of your website:
Add little bits of info from your subpages to give them a view of what your site contains. For example if your site has an article section post a few new articles each day.
Tip Number 5: Offer sales and discounts on your front page:
Offering discounts and coupons will definitely get people interested in what you are selling. Saving money and getting a good deal is always a good reason to look around and purchase something off of your site. Make sure the sales can be seen clearly and do have an expiration date that you stick to.
Tip Number 6: Add content that is only specific for your front page:
-Another great thing to do is offer content that can only be found on your front page. This will give your visitors even more content to choose from without having to view it on every page. Some things you may just have on the front page are tips, news headlines or article samples.
Tip Number 7: Don't post full stories or articles on the front page but timbits of them so they click through your site:
-Whenever you are posting articles or stories on the front page make sure to post only a sample of the article. Include a "click here for more" link so that they can view the whole article. This will interest them more will have them going to new parts of your website. It will also help keep your front page from being cluttered.