Question

Topic: Website Critique

Drastic Homepage Redesign

Posted by AriRose on 12/14/2011 at 1:48 PM ET 400 Points
My company is a Human Resources Outsourcing and consulting firm that provides a wide range of HR services to the SMB market. It's a complex sale, with lots of information.

We recently uploaded a new corporate video to our home page, but overall, the site now is confusing, with too many links and calls--to-action.

I'm working on a complete redesign to simplify the message and call to action. I would appreciate any input regarding the new direction, plus a preference over option 1 or 2.

Current URL - www.cpehr.com
Design 1 - https://www.cpehr.com/images/CPEhr_1.jpg
Design 2 - https://www.cpehr.com/images/CPEhr_2.jpg

Thank you.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 12/14/2011 at 2:12 PM Accepted
    Number 1 - you can see the evolution from the original but much tidier.

    Unlikely that a complex sell will start with a limited time discount or offer - however, what will take the customer beyond the homepage/make them linger or make them call you?
  • Posted by AdsValueBob on 12/14/2011 at 3:20 PM Accepted
    Don't wanta watch no video - specially of the CEO !!!!

    Use the free Google Website Optimizer - eliminate the guesswork of site redesign of what appeals to real potential clients and what doesn't.

    Critiques from us are of (some but) less value because we're not looking to buy your services.

    Bob
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/14/2011 at 5:24 PM Accepted
    It appears that the company is targeting California businesses (from the CEO's presentation) - why isn't this highlighted on the home page?

    The video is too long. I'd suggest breaking it up into a series of smaller videos (Our History. Our Specialties. etc.). Watching the video doesn't tell me why I should choose them.

    #1's headline isn't strong ("Uncover the Many Benefits..."). That requires me to dig to figure things out.

    #2's headline is confusing ("We've Got..."). Who is "we"? I think you want to say ("Why Outsource HR With Us?"), and follow it up with your bullet points (and clear benefits). Based on your testing, would showing $500/month be a good or a bad thing?

    What's missing from it all is a great story showcasing why outsourcing is a clear "win".
  • Posted by AriRose on 12/15/2011 at 9:01 AM Author
    Great feedback Jay and Kathleen. Thanks. A couple follow-ups:

    1. we primarily focus on California, where we are located, but don't want to limit opportunities out of state. I am weighing the pros of adding California to customize the landing experience, at the expense of turning away possible leads from out of state. And vice versa (leave off CA to attract more, but not grab the local biz) - thoughts on this dilemma?

    2. The "Free Trial" is a new marketing tactic we are testing. The click brings you to the description of free HR consulting services. I don't know if this will succeed yet or not. Is replacing that with simply, Learn More, a strong-enough call to action?
  • Posted by AriRose on 12/15/2011 at 4:07 PM Author
    I quickly ran a demographic report for the past 90 days - about 60% of visitors are from California. The other 40% are out of state. Would you dump the 40 to strengthen the 60?
  • Posted on 12/17/2011 at 5:46 PM Accepted
    Hi! The second one seems much better in drawing the eye to the middle where your most important messages are, and keeping it there. The unique icons for the Twitter, Facebook etc. are kind of cool, but I was distracted by them - away from the important stuff. A random comment: a free month has a bit of a desperate air to it, to me, since your services seem to be focused on human help for people, not software or the like. Best of luck to you!
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