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Grab your visitors’ attention within the first 5 seconds with a punchy hero section

Learn how to create a winning hero section that captures visitors' attention in the first 5 seconds of landing on your website. Discover the key elements of effective hero sections with examples from Apple, and boost your conversion rates today.
Date
March 15, 2023

In today’s digital world, websites are a crucial element for businesses to reach their customers. However, with so many websites competing for attention, it’s essential to grab visitors’ attention within the first 5 seconds of landing on a page. One way to do this is through a punchy hero section.

A hero section is the first thing visitors see when they land on a page, and it can make or break their decision to stay or leave. A well-crafted hero section can encourage visitors to take action and engage with your website, resulting in higher conversion rates.

Examples of Effective Hero Sections

Let’s look at some examples of effective hero sections and what makes them successful.

Apple: A huge leap in battery life. Two great sizes. Now in yellow.

Apple’s hero section on their iPhone 13 product page effectively communicates the value proposition in a few words. It highlights the features that set the product apart from its predecessors and emphasizes the new colour option to evoke curiosity and emotion.

Confluence: Accomplish more together.

Confluence’s hero section on its collaboration software page highlights the benefits of using its product in a clear and concise manner. The messaging is straightforward and emphasizes the power of collaboration.

Samsung: Designed for work. Perfect for play.

Samsung’s hero section on their Galaxy Tab product page targets both work and play users, emphasizing the versatility of the device. The messaging is straightforward and highlights the product’s key features.

Steps to Create an Effective Hero Section

Now that we’ve seen some examples of effective hero sections, let’s dive into the steps to create one.

1. Identify the desired action that visitors should take on the page.

Before creating a hero section, it’s essential to know what action you want visitors to take. For example, if the page is for an e-commerce store, the desired action might be to encourage visitors to browse products or make a purchase.

2. Craft a clear, concise, and eye-catching message that communicates the value proposition.

The message in the hero section should be clear, concise, and grab visitors’ attention. It should communicate the value proposition of your product or service and highlight the benefits of choosing your brand.

One formula for crafting a compelling message is to use the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model. This model helps you structure your messaging in a way that captures visitors’ attention, generates interest, creates desire, and encourages action.

3. Use visuals that evoke curiosity and emotion.

Visuals can make or break a hero section. High-quality images or videos that evoke curiosity and emotion can capture visitors’ attention and encourage them to engage with your website.

4. Include a call to action that encourages further exploration or engagement.

Finally, don’t forget to include a clear call-to-action in the hero section that encourages visitors to take the desired action. This could be a button that directs visitors to a specific page or a form that captures their information.

Technical Aspects of a Hero Section

When it comes to creating an effective hero section, there are several technical aspects to consider. One of these is the use of structured data markup to help search engines understand the context and relevance of your hero section.

Structured data markup is a way of adding additional information to a webpage to help search engines understand the content better. By providing structured data, search engines can display rich snippets, knowledge panels, and other features that enhance the user experience and increase click-through rates.

To add structured data markup to your hero section, you can use schema.org, a collaborative project between Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and Yandex to create a standard vocabulary for structured data markup. There are several types of schema.org markup that can be used for hero sections, including:

  • Product schema: If your hero section is promoting a product, you can use the Product schema to provide detailed information about the product, such as its name, description, image, price, and availability.
  • Event schema: If your hero section is promoting an event, you can use the Event schema to provide details about the event, such as the date, time, location, and description.
  • Organization schema: If your hero section is promoting a company or organization, you can use the Organization schema to provide information about the company, such as its name, logo, contact information, and social media profiles.

Here’s an example of how to use structured data markup for a hero section promoting a product:

Product image

Product Name

Product description

Price: $19.99 Condition: New Availability: In stock

In this example, we’re using the Product schema to provide information about a product, including its name, description, image, price, and availability. We’re also using the URL property to link to the product page, and the image property to specify the product image.

By using structured data markup like this, you can help search engines understand the context and relevance of your hero section, which can improve your website’s visibility and click-through rates in search results.

In addition to structured data markup, there are other technical aspects to consider when creating a hero section, such as:

  • Page speed: A slow-loading hero section can increase bounce rates and negatively impact the user experience. Be sure to optimize your hero section for fast loading times by minimizing image sizes and reducing unnecessary code.
  • Responsive design: With more users accessing websites on mobile devices, it’s crucial to ensure your hero section is optimized for all screen sizes. Use responsive design techniques to ensure your hero section looks great on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
  • Accessibility: Consider accessibility when designing your hero section, such as providing alternative text for images and using high-contrast colours for text and backgrounds.

Testing and Measuring the Effectiveness of a Hero Section

Once you’ve created a hero section, it’s crucial to test and measure its effectiveness. A/B testing is a common method used to compare two versions of a page to see which performs better. In the context of a hero section, you could test different messaging, visuals, or calls to action to see which version results in higher engagement and conversion rates.

When testing, it’s important to measure the right metrics.

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take the desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. However, other metrics like bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who leave the page without taking any action) and time on the page (how long visitors stay on the page) can also provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the hero section.

Based on the test results, you can optimize the hero section by making changes to the messaging, visuals, or calls to action. It’s important to continue testing and refining the hero section to ensure it’s always performing at its best.

In summary, creating an effective hero section involves more than just crafting a punchy message and eye-catching visuals. By incorporating structured data markup and other technical considerations, you can ensure your hero section is optimized for both search engines and users.