Business owners underestimate the importance of a website header at their peril. This is the section of the homepage that is above the fold. Get it right and it will win you lots more conversions. So, what works best?
1. Including your brand logo
According to Forbes, prioritising market research is the one thing that companies can do to thrive. This should include looking at competitor sites. What are the current trends in terms of header design? Which colours, designs, logos, and fonts are popular?
2. How to navigate your site
What elements are you going to include in your website? Have you considered HTML 5 ads like the examples shown at thebannermen.com/banners/animated-ads/html5 Would a simple design work best? Think about your target users and what would work for them.
The website header is where you would normally include a navigation menu. This needs to be structured and use language that is consistent with the rest of the site. It also needs to be in a prominent position where it is easy to find and needs to be easy to use. The top left position is popular and is where a lot of people look for it.
3. Including a search box
Website headers are often where search boxes are located – if you are going to have one. They offer several benefits including improving the user’s experience and increasing engagement. The longer you can keep the visitor on your site, the more likely they are to make a purchase. Search boxes also help you collect data on what visitors are looking for. The larger your website, the more important a search box is.
4. Links to social networks
All businesses need a social media presence and your visitors need to know where to find your social media accounts. Some websites include them in the header but others put them in the footer. Look at your overall design and decide which makes the header look less cluttered. If there are a lot of other elements in the header, they may work better elsewhere.