How to Improve Your Homepage with the R.A.P.I.D. Optimization Framework

Do you feel like your homepage could do a better job at attracting more prospects?

Maybe your homepage gets decent traffic, but visitors don’t end up taking the action you need them to like signing up to your email list or contacting you about your services...

Sound familiar? Then watch the video or read on to learn our 5-part R.A.P.I.D. optimization framework so you can start boosting your homepage conversions right away.

The R.A.P.I.D. Framework

Before we dive into each step of the R.A.P.I.D. homepage optimization process, let's define it for you quickly:

Readability

Above the Fold

Persuade

Increase Social Proof 

Decrease Anxiety 

Learn this framework well and you'll see improvements in your homepage’s conversion rate...

Step #1: Readability 

It goes without saying, but the text on your homepage (or any page on your website for that matter) needs to be readable.

Poor readability usually occurs when there’s low contrast between your text and the background it’s displayed on.

For example, black text on a white background scores high on the readability scale where white text on a white background is invisible.

Often, readability issues occur when you display text over photo images. That’s because photos usually contain a range of light to dark colors that some part of your text blends into.

Such readability issues are easy to fix however. Just apply a semi-transparent overlay to your background images. This will increase the visual contrast between your text and background.

To learn more about how you can quickly improve your background images to improve readability, check out this post: Make the Background Images of Your Website Look More Professional in 4 Simple Steps. 

Step #2: Above the Fold 

The first thing people see when they arrive on your website is your homepage’s above-the-fold section. This is the most important digital real estate on your website because you have less than 5 seconds to make it crystal clear what your business is all about.

That means your above-the-fold section needs to be engaging. It should immediately convey:

• What your online business does 
• Who your products or services are for
• What’s unique about your products or services compared to your competitors

Pay close attention to your copy here, not just colors, logo positioning, font styling and images. Improving the clarity of your copy will help capture people's attention and increase engagement.

Simplify and remove all elements that might confuse your visitors or distract from your primary conversion goal. 

Step #3: Persuade

Now that you've grabbed your visitor’s attention, it's time to persuade them. 

A clear call-to-action in your above-the-fold section needs to prompt visitors to take the next step.

You’re in charge of guiding visitors towards your conversion goal so consider deploying one the following elements to help do that: 

• Call-to-action button 
• Video link
• Opt-in offer 
• Social sharing option 

Step #4: Increase Social Proof

Social Proof is a powerful way to show potential customers that your products or services are legit. 

That’s why positioning testimonials below your above-the-fold section is a great way to build trust with new prospects: 

And to make showcasing testimonials super easy on your homepage, check out Thrive Ovation.

To see just how easy testimonial management is with Thrive Ovation, watch this quick tutorial video:

Step #5: Decrease Anxiety 

This last step in the R.A.P.I.D. homepage optimization framework focuses on making your new site visitors feel at ease.

You can do this by both displaying social proof across your homepage as well as introducing the person or team behind your business.

To make this super easy, the Thrive Visual Editor includes several “Team” and “About” category Block templates for you to choose from, customize and publish on your homepage.

Now It’s Your Turn

Now that you know how to use this 5-part R.A.P.I.D. homepage optimization framework, it’s time to apply it to your own website.

Give it a go and let us know if it helped to improve your homepage engagement.

In fact, did you find any issues with your current homepage after watching the video? Let us know in the comments below!