Hero section

Most visitors arrive from a search result or an ad, often with other tabs open for competing options. The headline is usually the most-read line on the page, so it decides whether that visitor stays or goes back.

A hero that names a category, "project management software", tells the visitor nothing they could not guess. A hero that names an outcome for a specific person, "projects stay on track without status meetings", gives a reason to read on. A hero that promises something the rest of the page never delivers pushes visitors away just as quickly.

• Write the headline around the result the visitor gets, then name the audience in the subheading.
• Keep one main action. Two equal buttons make the choice harder.
• Place one proof point beside the button, such as a customer logo, a figure or a short quote.
• Check the first section below the hero delivers exactly what the hero promised.
• Test the wording. A narrow, specific claim often beats a broad one, but only a test shows it for a given audience.
• Check how the hero looks on a phone, where the image often drops below the text.

The hero is the first thing on a homepage or landing page. It normally holds four parts: a headline, a subheading, an image or product visual, and one call to action such as "Book a demo" or "Start free".

A visitor decides within seconds whether the page is for them. The hero has to answer three questions fast: what the page offers, who it is for, and what the visitor should do next.

• Naming the category instead of the outcome. "Project management software" is true of every competitor. Say what changes for the visitor.
• Two equal buttons. "Book a demo" and "Start free" ask the visitor to choose before they have understood the offer. Pick one main action and make the other a quiet text link.
• A hero that promises more than the page delivers. Visitors leave when the section below does not prove the headline.
• A decorative image. A stock photo uses space that a product screenshot or a customer quote could use to explain the offer.
• Never checking on a phone. On a small screen the hero may push the button below the fold, or the headline may wrap into five lines.
• Rewriting without a baseline. Note the current conversion rate first, otherwise there is no way to tell whether a new hero helped.