What makes a homepage exceptional? Breaking down homepages from 3 Indian Startups
The homepage is one of the most important pages of your website. If not, the most.
Why? Simply because it is your chance to make a good first impression, and you better not blow it.
The homepage is like your brand’s door to invite visitors into your home. The only way they’ll come in is when they trust you. When you show & tell them.
Meaning that the design and copy on your website should be in a happy marriage. When everything looks good together. That’s when magic happens.
You cannot have a great design with fancy elements, but leave your audience out in the dark. They are not here to figure out everything by themselves. And certainly, not your product which they’d spend money on.
Design and copy will always go together complimenting each other along the way. It’s about how a visitor feels when they come to your site.
It’s not about the technicalities of copy or design. Just the feeling. Your copy dictates action and, design arrests attention.
Let’s dive into 3 homepages of Indian startups that are doing a great job with this:
1. Yulu
Yulu is a mobility solutions startup. They provide easy-to-ride vehicles for public use based on IoT technology. I think it’s a pretty great idea.
The homepage welcomes you with a video running in the background and a headline that sits neatly on top of it.
The context is on point because it starts with the word”moving.”
The headline says “Moving India towards a sustainable future”
Subheadline supports the statement by talking about how it’s good for the environment. This is what the mission of the company is.
The next section of the homepage talks about how you can Yulu. Meaning how to actually use your smartphones to access the vehicle. It is pretty simple to understand and provides information with brevity.
The only odd thing is the graphic on the right side. I mean, who sits on a Yulu wearing that? Safe to say it’s a little off-target audience.
The next section talks about the flagship product with great graphics. But average copy. It does not wow you to explore more.
The last two sections of the homepage sprinkle social proof to the formula. It’s about Yulu in the press and the wonderful testimonials which add to the sparkle.
Next on the list, we have a fintech platform that’s always in the news for its creative ads and campaigns. You might have guessed what I’m talking about!
2. Cred
Cred’s website attracts a lot of attention because of the modern minimalism theme. The fonts are big, graphics are crisp and, everything is laid out on vibrant backgrounds.
The header starts with an eye-catchy free tool called a credit score checker. You can check whether you’re eligible to be a part of cred or not. The fact that cred has a 750 credit score threshold to enter the club makes it exclusive.
The hero section starts with a white-on-black color scheme. The copy is simple, crisp, and clear. It is beautiful to see how cred’s copy explains literally the entire business with just 6 words.
“Rewards for paying credit card bills”
The subheadline is another genius move. Because it talks in a language most people understand. Numbers.
“Join 5.9M members and win rewards worth Rs 5 crores daily”
The next section of the website talks about how does the process work. For some reason, it is a vibrant punchy color which I assume is synonymous with feeling special. There’s also a lounge chair with a footrest.
The copy is simple with a nice CTA which says explore rewards. It is a good way to get people to try the app by looking at what they would get in return. Classic customer-centric thinking people love!
The next section of the website which is a vibrant blue background talks about the benefits. It defines how cred helps customers with features disguised as benefits. Pretty smart…
The next section changes color back to black again. It is more or less an extension of the last section expanding on the different benefits.
The section has a clear and concise copy. And neat graphics that swipe across a smartphone screen when you scroll through. It’s fun!
The next section talks about trust with the return of a blue/purple background and the photo of a dog. I’m thinking it’s synonymous with loyalty and trust.
The tone is confident and authoritative. They say “there’s no room for mistakes because we didn’t leave any.” Cool..cool…cool…
The homepage finally ends with a short copy on trust. It is supported by a positive green background. This is also a way to highlight the brand identity and culture of cred.
Next on the list is a hot fintech startup changing the way India invests.
3. Small case
Small case is one of the most innovative fintech startups to be born out of the country. Just when I thought I’ve seen too much fintech comes this bad boy.
Small case is a company that helps people to invest in equities in the form of curated stock portfolios. You can create or curate your own portfolios and invest the way you like. Literally.
The hero section of the website is pretty straightforward. It is supported by simple graphics and two CTA buttons. The social proof is contextual. It lists all the top brokers of India with whom small case is compatible.
The second section is actually my favorite section. This section is clear, concise, and simple. There’s no fluff, and all the information is right on-point. The third section much like cred expands on the benefits.
The fourth section is nothing but a sincere attempt at the credibility and social proof. The copy talks about how it’s curated by financial experts of India. And on the right lies a slideshow of all the investment companies that back small case.
Not gonna lie. It builds up a pretty strong case for itself. I’m already ready to invest, and I haven’t even finished the homepage yet.
The second last section of the homepage is yet again impressive, to say the least. It literally walks you through almost all the features of the entire app.
You can click on multiple options to see how it pans out on your smartphone, and it just feels very connected. The UX is good, and the supporting copy is delightfully simple.
The last section of the website is none other than the big folks themselves. The social proof.
It is:
- An entire slideshow wall of real-life tweets about small case.
- And a reminder of how they’ve partnered up with India’s biggest brokers.
It is followed by a FAQ section which is pretty important for the kind of business this is. The layout is simple with internal links and solves visitor’s queries smartly.
We’ve reached the bottom of the homepage. And this blog post. Whatever this review/analysis or thoughts on the homepage design and copy were.
Conclusion
Don’t blow your major chance to choreograph a good first impression. Homepages are the holy grail of your website, and you should treat them like that.
Leaving a positive impression is the ultimate goal of your homepage. Selling and authority are second.
Inviting design with a copy that makes you fall in love with the business is what you need. It’s not about being clever or creative but solving problems right from the get-go.
So, what is your favorite part about a website’s homepage?
Let me know in the comments below.
