What should the first screen of your homepage say?
A homepage opens with a large photograph and “Turning dreams into reality.” It might look impressive, yet a new visitor cannot tell whether the business is an architecture practice, furniture maker or event company. The first screen does not need to list every service. It should help the right person recognise the business and choose a useful next step. This original workshop example explores that decision without presenting fictional copy as a client result.
Start with the reason someone arrived
Imagine a hotel manager looking for a workshop. Before assessing its creativity, they may need to know whether it makes furniture for commercial interiors. A short line such as “For hotel and restaurant projects” can establish that context, provided it describes the actual service. This is a choice about whom to help, rather than an attempt to appeal to everyone.
Collect the first questions that prospective customers ask your team. Are they checking production type, location or capacity? Do not automatically turn the most common question into the headline. Decide what a newcomer needs to understand first. A returning customer seeking maintenance and a new buyer evaluating a manufacturer may need different routes.
Put a concrete description beside the slogan
“Custom timber furniture for your space” describes the work. A short supporting paragraph can clarify which parts the business handles: design assistance, manufacture or installation. Include only actual services. A brand slogan can remain, but it should not replace that explanation. Unmeasured claims about speed, superiority or guaranteed delivery do not make the message clearer.
W3C’s heading guidance recommends headings that describe content and form an organised structure. Large typography alone does not provide that structure. The designer and developer should check that the main message is marked up as the page heading. Subsequent sections should develop the explanation instead of repeating the same promise in slightly different words.
Decide what the image explains
A polished room photograph does not necessarily explain manufacturing. Choose a workshop detail, installed piece or material joint according to the message. Confirm that the business can use the photograph and accurately describe the work shown. A concept image should not be presented as a completed commission.
Check whether the useful detail survives a mobile crop. Give the text a calm area rather than placing it over every part of the photograph. Forcing the opening into one fixed phone height can make the heading compete with browser controls and navigation. Letting longer content scroll naturally can be clearer than shrinking the text to fit an arbitrary rectangle.
Inspect an opening-screen draft
Match the first link to the visitor’s readiness
Someone still learning about the business may benefit from viewing relevant work before completing a lengthy enquiry form. Keep contact accessible for people with a specific need. If the opening contains two links, they do not have to look equally prominent: make the preferred route recognisable.
Show the draft to someone unfamiliar with the company and ask what it does, who it serves and where they would continue. Do not supply the missing answer yourself. Our Erhan Mobilya project presentation is a real portfolio reference; the workshop wording here is not that client’s statement. Include message, image crop and next-step review within the website design scope.
Frequently asked questions
Does the heading need to be very short?
There is no universal word limit. Aim for a clear description that remains readable on a phone. Removing unnecessary adjectives is a useful first edit.
Can the first screen contain video?
It can, if it supports the message. The heading, explanation and next link should remain understandable when the video does not load or play.