Is Your Homepage Irrelevant?

Discover why your homepage might be less important than you think.

In Episode 2 of the eCom Buzz, we're looking at what may seem like a controversial question: Is your homepage irrelevant? It might sound as shocking as saying the Pope is irrelevant, but stick with us. We're going to explore the nuances and implications of this bold statement and what it means for your website. And it essentially boils down to knowing the numbers and page optimization.

Rethinking the Importance of Your Homepage

In the world of website optimization, it’s crucial to question long-held assumptions. One such assumption is the central importance of the homepage. However, recent analyses suggest that the homepage may not be as critical as many believe. Let’s dive into the data and see what it means for your website strategy.

The Real Traffic Stats

First, let's talk numbers. Do you know what percentage of your website traffic lands on the homepage? This is crucial data you can easily find in Google Analytics. By checking the landing page report, you can see how many visitors hit your homepage versus other pages.

Based on our research and client data, the homepage typically receives only 20-30% of landing page traffic. This is much lower than the 50% or more that many assume. The rest of the traffic is likely going to product display pages (PDP), product list pages (PLP), and other content-heavy pages.

Why This Matters

Understanding this traffic distribution is vital for your website strategy. If your homepage gets 25% of the traffic, it means 75% goes to other pages. This means that 75% of your optimization efforts should be directed towards pages that are not your homepage.

Treat your PDPs and PLPs as categories of pages. They should feature your value propositions and answer common customer questions. Make sure the Add to Cart button is easily visible and consider adding features like quick view, or any other features relevant to your users

Filtering Your Data
When analyzing traffic, you want to be sure you have the most accurate and relevant data. During this process, don't forget to ask these questions:
Are homepage visitors mostly direct traffic or returning users?
Have you excluded internal IP addresses to avoid skewed data?

Rethinking the Importance of Your Homepage

Analyzing Traffic Patterns

To understand the relevance of your homepage, start by examining your website's traffic data using Google Analytics. Go to the landing page report and compare the traffic to your homepage (usually indicated by a slash "/") with the total landing page traffic. You might be surprised to find that your homepage accounts for a significantly smaller portion of traffic than expected. For many websites, especially those rich in content or products, the homepage might only attract 20-30% of landing traffic.

Implications of Lower Homepage Traffic

If the majority of your traffic lands on other pages like product display pages (PDPs), product list pages (PLPs), or blog posts, it’s essential to adjust your optimization efforts accordingly. These pages need to be given proportional attention and resources to enhance user experience and conversion rates.

Optimizing Beyond the Homepage

Focus on High-Traffic Pages: Identify the top landing pages that receive the most traffic. Ensure these pages are optimized with clear value propositions, user-friendly navigation, and relevant content or product information.
Iterative Improvements: Start with the most critical pages and continuously refine them. For product pages, prioritize the top-selling products and enhance their descriptions, images, and calls to action.
Holistic User Experience: Consider the user journey across various landing pages. Make sure each page meets user expectations and guides them towards conversion, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or any other desired action.

To wrap up, the key takeaway is to proportionately optimize the pages that receive the most traffic. If your product pages collectively get more hits than the homepage, ensure they are as optimized as possible. This approach will enhance user experience and boost conversions across your site.

Need some help making sense of all this data?

We would love the opportunity to walk you through this process—taking the 'e' in eCommerce from 'electronic' to 'easy.'