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Website glossary· Layout and first impressions

What is a hero section?

The hero section is the large opening block at the top of a page: usually a headline, a short supporting line, a main button and an image.

Why it matters for a small business site

It’s where visitors decide whether they’re in the right place. For a small business it’s the quickest way to say what you do, where, and for whom.

How to check yours

  1. Read the headline in one glance, then the supporting line. If either needs a second read, it’s too long.
  2. Check that the image shows your actual product, place or work, not a generic stock scene.
  3. Make sure the main button sits inside the hero, not below it.

What good looks like

A specific headline (“Same-day boiler repairs in Leeds” says more than “Quality you can trust”), one supporting sentence, one main button and an image that backs up the claim.

Common mistakes

  • Auto-rotating sliders: each message gets a few seconds and keeps moving while people try to read it.
  • Buzzwords (“innovative”, “next-gen”, “solutions”) that could describe any business.
  • Text laid over a busy photo, where parts of it become hard to read.
  • A hero so tall on phones that the button falls below the first screen.
Free site audit

See how your current site does

The free audit reviews your hero as part of the first screen: how long and clear the headline is, where the eye lands first, and whether the main button stands out.

One page · the first screen · design, contrast, wording

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