Engage Website Visitors Instantly With These 10 Header Design Strategies

Getting people to fall in love with your brand — especially at first sight — is no easy feat. Research shows that leaving a positive first impression is the key to getting consumers to stick around and look at what your business can do for them. And while achieving high engagement rates may be crucial for securing conversions, encouraging website visitors to instantly engage with your website can be easier said than done.

Thanks to several studies published over the past two decades, we know that web visitors form first impressions about brands within as little as 50ms of landing on a page. Design elements determine their levels of trust (or mistrust) in as many as 94% of cases. Plus, seeing that people spend almost 60% of their webpage browsing time looking at elements in the topmost part of their screens, it’s clear that the most essential web design element you need to optimize for engagement is your site’s header section.

So, if you’re looking for ways to instantly upgrade your website’s ability to engage (and wow) visitors, the following ten header design strategies are guaranteed to deliver results.

Prioritize Product Clarity

One of the best ways to engage website visitors (and maximize their chances of converting into customers) is to ensure they understand what your solution does as soon as they land on your page. And the great thing is that prioritizing product clarity in your header design doesn’t have to be a complicated fix. It’s something you can do easily on your own. Yet, the change is guaranteed to add value to your business.

All you need to do to attract web visitors’ attention to the fact that your brand offers a product that solves customer needs is to employ header copy in a straightforward, user-oriented way. 

Yes, it may be tempting to use your header section to do something cute or exciting. And you might even be enticed to play up the value/innovativeness of your solutions. Nonetheless, the simple fact is that direct communication yields much better results.

By prioritizing product clarity, you’ll confirm that you understand your target audience’s pain points (making visitors more likely to trust your brand and continue interacting with your site). More importantly, by practicing clear communication, you’ll demonstrate that you value your prospects’ time and that you’re ready to spring into action to help them solve their needs.

For a great example of product clarity in a website header, check out the eTraining homepage. You’ll notice how the hero section of the page advertises “Safety Training & Certification.” For B2B customers looking for a hassle-free way to procure training and certification, this design element represents the perfect incentive for visitors to continue browsing the site, find the solution they need, and convert, instantly solving a pain point without wasting time researching eTraining’s offer.

Source: etraintoday.com

Highlight Social Proof

Whether you’re targeting B2C or B2B prospects, one thing’s guaranteed. You must display social proof in a highly visible spot on your homepage. 

Data shows that social proof plays an essential part in influencing consumer behavior. 92% of buyers base their purchasing decisions on various formats of social proof. And 85% of software buyers visit review websites before deciding what product to invest in, as they want to verify their judgments by consulting third-party feedback. 

So, if you want to boost engagement, build brand trust, and maximize conversions, including social proof in your header (or showing it off just below it) can be an easy way to reach your goals.

Of course, there are numerous ways you can attract web visitors’ attention to your brand’s credibility and encourage interaction.

For example, if you want to position your business as an industry authority with social proof, you can take inspiration from Todoist. This brand uses the header copy to state that it’s the “world’s #1 task manager and to-do app,” a statement supported by the claim at the bottom of the page showing that the brand has “337,000+ five-star reviews on Google Play and App Store.”

Source: todoist.com

Alternatively, you can employ social proof to build brand trust and credibility through association. If you check out the Final Draft homepage, you’ll see that the brand states it’s “The Industry Standard Screenwriting Software.” The claim is supported by client logos, showing that the solution is used by the biggest names in the filmmaking industry, including Sony, BBC, Netflix, and WB.

Source: finaldraft.com

Finally, if you want to ensure the highest possible engagement rates through social proof — maybe even getting web visitors to read brand and product reviews to see that they can trust your business, consider doing something similar to Digestive Warrior.

This brand includes a review flyout in the website header. This solution is an amazing way to get granular with social proof. Thanks to the design element, potential prospects can see that Digestive Warrior is a business they can trust. But more importantly, they can read customer stories from people struggling with issues similar to their own, increasing their chances of taking a better look at the products and protocols offered on the site and converting.

Source: digestivewarrior.com

Communicate Customer Value

If you look at consumer behavior research regarding how buyers make purchasing decisions in 2023, cost savings might stand out as the best way to attract and retain consumer attention. 

According to JungleScout’s Q1 2023 Consumer Trends Report, 53% of buyers will purchase items on sale, 43% will use coupons and discount codes, and 42% will opt for less expensive brands when choosing what solutions to invest in. 

But the truth is that buyers don’t always prioritize cost when selecting products to purchase. 

McKinsey found that, despite many people trading down, 44% still prefer to splurge on experiential purchases and immediate gratification. Moreover, if you consider that 80% of people are willing to spend more on sustainable solutions, it becomes clear that what shoppers want from brands is value.

With this in mind, one of the best ways to instantly engage website visitors is to employ header design strategies to communicate the customer value your business can deliver.

One way to accomplish this goal is to address your target audience’s primary frustration head-on and show how your solution removes it from their lives. If you look at the Koalendar homepage, you’ll see that the brand invites prospects to “Eliminate the back and forth of meeting scheduling,” promising measurable outcomes like faster appointment scheduling and more productivity.

Source: koalendar.com

Alternatively, you can take this strategy further by supplementing it with an interactive header element, just like on the Unimeal homepage. Here, the brand invites web visitors to “Become the Better Version of [themselves]” and encourages them to take instant action to receive personal meal plans (valuable solutions) to help them along their weight loss journey.

Source: unimeal.com

Use Differentiator Elements to Set Yourself Apart

Sometimes, the best way to instantly engage website visitors is to point out why they should choose your brand over all the other options on the market. This strategy can be particularly beneficial in high-competition industries or when trying to attract more customers in niches dominated by a single solution/brand.

But even if you’re not trying to outperform competitors that hold an advantage over your business, enhancing your header with differentiator elements can be an effective strategy for boosting engagement, conversions, and your business’ value.

To encourage web visitor engagement with differentiators, try highlighting the features/benefits that make your business’s solution unique. 

For instance, Ling does it by saying that it helps users “Learn vocabulary and language through meaningful relationships,” a product feature that significantly differs from the impersonal customer experience the brand’s biggest competitor delivers.

Source: ling-app.com

Alternatively, you can be even more direct, as with Matomo. Knowing that online privacy and data protection are becoming more important to users worldwide, this SaaS brand engages web visitors by stating that it’s a Google Analytics alternative that offers more control and data ownership than its main competitor, automatically intriguing web visitors and getting them to take a better look at the solution.

Source: matomo.org

Employ Low Stakes CTA Buttons

Positioning calls to action buttons in the header section of your website is a great way to improve conversion rates. However, pushing sales or asking too big of a commitment from web visitors (especially those interacting with your brand for the first time) is not a good option. 

Instead of helping you engage web visitors and nudge them towards a conversion, a fully sales-oriented approach to CTAs may backfire and alienate your audience.

For this reason, when exploring header design strategies to improve website engagement rates, consider replacing sales-oriented CTA buttons with those that invite low-stakes brand interaction.

If you look at the Cleer homepage, you’ll see that the SaaS brand doesn’t immediately push web visitors to buy a solution. Instead, it simply invites them to click the “See Pricing Plans” button. This action leads web visitors to an in-depth overview of Cleer’s product packages, with tons of information on what each one offers and precise details about the types of businesses that would benefit from each solution option.

Source: cleer.tax

The alternative to this method of boosting website header engagement would be to supplement more traditional CTA buttons but supplement them with risk-minimizing copy.

Simple messages that address and remove consumers’ most common conversion obstacles are a great way to prevent web visitor alienation and encourage brand interactions. For instance, Writecream invites prospects to “Get started for free.” 

Source: writecream.com

And CookieYes uses microcopy to point out that users can “Cancel anytime.” 

Source: cookieyes.com

Offer Immediate Product Access

Prioritizing product clarity may be one of the best ways to capture and retain potential customers’ attention. Still, in some cases, granting immediate product access works better for engaging website visitors. Especially if you’re trying to present prospects with a super simple (or extremely complex) solution.

Instant product previews work because they add a dose of interactivity to the product understanding process. And knowing that interactive content boosts engagement rates by more than 50%, it might be a good idea to enhance your website header with this type of feature.

Essentially, by allowing first-time web visitors to immediately try out your product for themselves, you’re maximizing their chances of recognizing its value.

For example, if you check out the Dynamite Jobs homepage, you’ll see it features such an interactive element. The header consists of a search bar that lets users explore available remote jobs on the platform. Even more, the section just below the hero section features a selection of “Top Dynamite Remote Jobs,” which offers prospects a great preview of the type of results they can expect to see once they’ve entered their search parameters.

Source: dynamitejobs.com 

Add a Search Function to the Navigation Bar

When exploring header design strategies to engage web visitors, you must understand that today’s consumers are largely self-sufficient. Data shows that 67% of people prefer self-service over speaking to customer support. And 73% of people wish to have the ability to solve issues on their own.

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to enhance your site’s header section with tools that will allow visitors this self-sufficiency they seek. A search bar can be a superb solution for accomplishing this goal. And not just because many people go straight for the search bar when landing on a website. However, research shows that, when used, site search lifts conversions by as much as 1.8x.

For example, if you look at the world’s most popular shopping platform, Amazon, you’ll see that the header section is dominated by a search bar. And looking at the element’s prominent placement, it quickly becomes evident why the state of global commerce has reached the point where 50% of people’s buying journeys start on the platform.

Source: amazon.com

Employ the Power of Video

When designing a header that will draw in and engage your audience, you might want to replace images with video. Especially considering that this format outperforms all its static counterparts in terms of web visitor engagement.

According to Wyzowl, video marketing helps increase product understanding. It boosts lead generation and sales. And using video increases website dwell time (which is a crucial metric for measuring engagement).

So, if you’re trying to instantly engage website visitors by investing in header design, why not do something similar to Ryver? Knowing that its product’s functionality is best explained by showing how it works, the SaaS brand includes a 60-second explainer video on the homepage header, which allows web visitors to quickly learn about Ryver’s functionalities and how it may benefit them.

Source: ryver.com

You could also go with a more pared-down (soundless) approach to video, as is usually done in ecommerce. For inspiration, check out the Gubi homepage, which shows the brand’s latest release in a multitude of dynamic settings, helping the product’s design features stand out and encouraging web visitors to check it out up close.

Source: gubi.com

Address Conversion Blockers

Getting consumers to allow themselves to become immersed in your offer and maximize their chances of converting requires removing the most common conversion-blocking obstacles.

For example, research from the Baymard Institute shows that high extra costs (like shipping, taxes, and fees) are one of the main reasons people abandon their carts. Long delivery times work similarly. Moreover, a survey from Klarna revealed that 81% of consumers think offering free returns is the minimum standard of service that retailers must deliver to earn their business.

So, knowing that addressing conversion blockers makes for an effective engagement-boosting design tactic, find ways to enhance your website with elements discussing the benefits of shopping with your brand.

If you look at the Nest homepage, you’ll see that the brand offers free delivery on orders over £150, which is a sum that most people would spend with the brand anyway.

Source: nest.co.uk

Appeal to Web Visitors’ Emotions

Last but not least, as you endeavor to boost website engagement through header design, don’t forget about the fact that a significant part of the shopping process isn’t ruled by rational thought. In fact, 95% of people’s purchase decisions are emotion-based.

So, if you want web visitors to engage with your site, it might be a good idea to appeal to their feelings.

For a more traditional approach, you can try to get them to experience delight by reading your unique value propositions and looking at the hero image on your homepage. However, if you want to ensure that you reach the highest engagement rate possible, appealing to consumers’ negative emotions might be the better choice.

For example, by using header elements that awaken urgency or the fear of missing out — like on the Beginning Boutique website below — you can effectively nudge web visitors towards exploring your offer and maximize their chances of converting on their first website visit.

Source: beginningboutique.com.au

Final Thoughts

Engaging website visitors in an instant isn’t an easy feat. However, by optimizing your site’s header to capture and retain their attention, you can significantly improve their chances of staying around on your site to explore your offer.

So, whether you’re trying to advance your business or prepare it for a valuation, it’s a great idea to play around with the strategies. They’re not just guaranteed to boost engagement rates. But more importantly, implementing these tactics will also help you improve your conversion rates, boost customer experience, and nurture loyalty, which is, ultimately, what every business should be about.