Your Homepage Is Confusing People — Here’s How To Fix It

By Bomb + Deano’s Digital Creative

Your homepage is the moment someone walks through the front door of your business. In a few seconds, they decide if they are in the right place or if they should quietly back out and try somewhere else.

Most small business sites lose people right there.

Here’s how to tell if your homepage is confusing visitors — and how to straighten it out.

1. It Doesn’t Answer The Right Questions Fast Enough

A stranger should be able to glance at your homepage and instantly answer:

• Who are you?

• What do you offer?

• Is this for someone like me?

• What should I do next?

If your hero section leads with vague lines like “Excellence. Innovation. Service.” instead of “Guided fishing charters in Port Aransas” or “Award-winning Texas hot sauce,” people have to work too hard to understand you — and they won’t.

Fix: Write a clear headline in plain language. One sentence that says exactly what you do and for whom, plus a short supporting line that adds a key benefit or detail.

2. There’s Too Much Competing For Attention

Over time, homepages turn into junk drawers — a slider, three promos, a newsletter signup, a mission statement, and six different “Learn More” buttons all piled on top of each other.

You know where everything goes because you live in it. New visitors just feel lost.

Fix: Above the fold, keep it simple:

• One strong headline

• One short supporting line

• One primary call to action

Move secondary items further down the page or onto their own pages.

3. The Next Step Isn’t Obvious

Visitors should not have to hunt for the path forward. If your main call to action is buried in the footer, or if every button says “Learn More,” you’re asking people to guess what to do.

Guesses rarely turn into leads.

Fix: Decide what you most want a new visitor to do — shop, book, request a quote, schedule a call — and make that the star of the hero section. Use specific labels like:

• “Shop Hot Sauces”

• “Compare Fishing Trips”

• “View Current Listings”

You can offer softer options lower on the page, but the main action should be unmistakable.

4. Proof Is Hiding In The Fine Print

Most businesses have great proof — years in business, awards, client logos, reviews — but tuck it into an About page no one reads.

A cold visitor is quietly asking, “Can I trust these people?” If you do not answer that early, they move on.

Fix: Bring a little proof into your homepage hero or just below it:

• A brief line like “Trusted by 200+ restaurants nationwide”

• A few recognizable client logos

• A short testimonial from a real customer

You don’t need a wall of badges — just enough to lower the risk in their mind.

5. Your Homepage Hasn’t Been Edited In Years

If your business has evolved but your homepage still tells the version of your story from three owners ago, it will feel off to anyone who visits.

Fix: Read your homepage like you’ve never seen it before and ask:

• Does this reflect who we are and what we offer today?

• Would a brand-new visitor know what to do in the first ten seconds?

If the answer is no, it’s time for a refresh.

Bottom Line

A good homepage doesn’t try to say everything. It makes the right things unmistakably clear — who you are, what you do, why you’re credible, and what happens next.

If your homepage currently feels a little like a crowded hallway, that’s fixable.

Got a project in mind? Let’s talk about it.Tell us what you’re building, and we’ll help turn your homepage into a guide instead of a guessing game.