Web Design Inspiration: Welcome Messages/Pages

Welcome messages as usualy are shown on the landing pages since they are one of the main traits of successful website being. Generally welcome messages act as an introduction for new visitors, explain the website, services that are offered and often prompt an action on the part of the user. They are more popular on personal/business websites and online portfolios. Some designers use not only text messages but also add different images, mascotes, illustrations and photos of themselves. All in the name of user`s attraction.

Today, I`ve collected 46 examples of out of the ordinary welcome messages/pages. However, first things first – let’s find out why welcome messages are important and how to create one that will take your brand to the next level by starting a conversation with the audience on a high note.

Why is Welcome Message Important?

As we all know, you never have a second chance to make the first impression. It just takes less than a second to form an opinion of you. Therefore, the welcome area of your website (that is the most viewed part) should be well-thought-out.

Let’s consider some other good reasons why the hero area with a great welcome message gives a strong start to your relationships with the users and crucial for your business to thrive.

It gets widespread attention.
It compels visitors to keep going with your website.
In increases conversions.
It instills trust and increases credibility.
It makes the website feel more personal and friendly.
It helps to establish a proper atmosphere to fit your company’s brand image.
It amplifies user’s engagement.
It breaks the ice.
It highlights the brand’s unique selling point.
It personifies the website design.
It gives the design a unique charisma.
It makes the experience feel more crafted.
It lets you speak with your audience in their language.

Best Practices for Creating Impressive Welcome Message

So, investing time, money, and of course, your heart and soul into the welcome message is essential since it does lots of stuff, standing behind the company’s success in the digital world. However, what should you do to nail it? Simple. Follow these best practices:

Use words that are understandable by the general crowd. There is a special test (that you can easily run inside Microsoft Word) to define whether people with different educational backgrounds can perceive your message.
Be friendly.
Be polite.
Be straight-to-the-point. According to recent studies, people prefer scan rather than read. On top of that, they have a short attention span. Therefore, to make the welcome message effective, you need to be concise but talk business right away.
Use formatting not just to make it stand out from the crowd but also back it up.
Use color to make the welcome message strong.
Use psychological tricks to reinforce the welcome message.
Stick to the left side.
Do not stretch the message throughout the entire screen. Make it compact.
Use key points.
Play with whitespace.
Use uppercase with caution.
Keep content aligned with the objectives of the current marketing campaign.
Stick to your ideology.
Use visuals (images, videos, graphics, animations, 3D graphics, WebGL animations) to focus the user’s attention on the message and support it visually.
Hit optimal contrast. Whatever brand colors you have, the welcome message should stand from the background. Make sure the contrast is optimal so that users can get information without hassle.
Use typography to give the welcome message an extra touch.

On top of that, do not forget about two important things:

Make welcome message responsive. According to studies, mobile web dominates desktop and tablet web. Therefore your welcome message should look flawless on all handheld devices. Adjust type size to make it to the screen. Also, if you use decorative fonts, you need to ditch them on small screens since they make symbols illegible.
Make it accessible. You may not consider people who use assistive technologies as your target market. However, that is not the best way to conduct business. To emerge victorious, you need to cater to all groups of people. Impairment should not be an obstacle. The web should be accessible to everyone. By making your welcome message accessible, you cover the large crowd and even address issues you do not know.

Another important thing to note. Although the listed above tips are considered to be the best practices, however, it does not mean that all of them should be put into action. Overdoing is always bad, especially for hero area that makes the first impression. Moreover, not all of them will work for your brand unreservedly, since each niche and target market require its own unique approach. Therefore, it is highly recommended to do A/B tests to define what practices resonate with your customers and regular visitors best as well as help to achieve high conversions.

That’s enough of theory, let’s get to the practice and consider some outstanding examples of website design with inspirational welcome messages.

1. Paul Goode – Freelance Website and Graphic Designer