Most people form their first impression of your agency before you even speak to them. That first impression happens online. And more often than not, it happens on your homepage.
The question is, what kind of impression are you making?
Design plays a big role in how people feel when they land on your website. But it is not just about making things look nice, it's about creating trust. Great design helps people feel confident. It makes them think: these are the people I want to sell my house with.
So what does that actually look like in practice?
Users do not need to be dazzled; they need to be helped. The best websites create space, order and clarity.
Strong design decisions include:
Your homepage should feel easy from the first moment. If users have to pause to figure out how to use it, they will go elsewhere.
Colours, typography and imagery all carry emotional weight. They influence how people feel about your brand, often before they read a single word.
So it's really worth thinking about:
If your site feels dated, busy or generic, it can create a sense of doubt. But if it feels current, smooth and calm, it creates a sense of control. That is where trust begins.
There is a time and place for clever design, but your agency's website is not it.
You are not trying to win design awards... you are trying to win instructions. And that means helping users get what they came for, without friction.
Avoid common mistakes like:
The best compliment your design can get is not that it's beautiful, but that it's useful.
Users arrive on your site with a job to do or a specific task in mind. They want to book a valuation, find a property, get in touch with someone, or check your credentials.
Great design supports these tasks by:
People remember how easy something felt, not how many effects it had.
Team photos are underrated. And at Homeflow we're huge fans of staff bios and personal pages. When people see the team behind the brand, they feel more confident reaching out, as they know there are real people involved.
This works especially well if:
Trust is emotional, and showing the people behind your service helps build that.
In a world full of choice, users look for reassurance. Somewhat linked to the point above, about the the involvement of real people, social proof gives the reassurance that users are looking for.
This could include:
The more evidence you can provide that others trust you, the easier it becomes for new users to do the same.
Even subtle things like page load speed, crisp image quality or smooth transitions affect how users feel about your brand.
Fast websites feel professional, while slow ones feel unreliable. The same goes for broken links, inconsistent fonts, or clashing layouts. It might seem small, but it adds up.
A polished experience communicates care and capability. That builds trust without needing to say a word.
A great first impression is not just about looking good... it is about feeling right. Your website needs to help people feel at ease, feel informed and feel confident that you are the right choice.
The right design choices can do a lot of heavy lifting towards that. They make you look organised, they make your process feel straightforward, and most of all, they make people feel like they can trust you. And when that happens, you're already halfway to winning the instruction! :-)
