The Website Spruce Up

Why This Matters

Let’s not beat around the bush: a cluttered homepage is a business liability as well as an eyesore. Picture the steady trickle of potential customers landing on your site, only to be met with a busy, confusing jumble. Faced with too much information, most people won’t puzzle it out. They’ll just hit the back button and move on.

We all want our websites to show off what we do best. But when every message, offer, and piece of content clamours for attention, nothing really gets through. If you’re running a business or even a side project, this causes problems in two ways. It makes your business look less professional and wastes your time answering the same FAQs or missing leads who can’t find what you offer. Your homepage should be your silent salesperson, not a noisy jumble sale.

If your heart rate flickers each time you glance at your own homepage, you’re not alone. This happens all the time, especially as businesses grow and add more content. What started as clean and sharp soon becomes a Christmas jumper knitted by committee. There’s hope, though. Tidying up pays off fast: better first impressions, smoother navigation, and fewer missed opportunities.

Common Pitfalls

Wading through a maze of homepage projects at Pixelhaze, I’ve seen the following mistakes crop up repeatedly:

• Trying to fit everything in “just in case”: It’s tempting to squeeze every service, testimonial, award and news snippet onto the homepage, convinced that users demand it. They don’t. Overcrowding only buries the good stuff.
• Ignoring real visitor journeys: Many sites are built for the site owner rather than the actual user, resulting in a homepage that feels like a memoir rather than a menu.
• Clinging to old layouts: People stick with layouts from five years ago even as tech, platforms, and browsing habits change.
• Leaving the mobile version as an afterthought: “It looks fine on my laptop.” Meanwhile, mobile users don’t have a hope.
• Equating content volume with value: More words doesn’t mean more meaning. Sometimes it’s the opposite.

If you’re nodding along or wincing, plenty of others are in the same boat. There is a fix available that lasts and doesn’t require a complete redesign or expensive agency. It just takes strategic trimming and a picky editor’s eye. Let’s roll up our sleeves.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Signposting: Show the Way, Don’t Build a Maze

Remember those shopping centre maps with big “You Are Here” blobs? Good homepages do the same. Signposting doesn’t mean sticking every scrap of info up front. It involves offering clear doorways to the most important rooms.

How to do it:

• Write out the main things different people come to your site for. (Grab a scrap of paper or a napkin if you have to.)
• Make your homepage a starting point instead of a survey. Break it into clear sections: a hero image with your main promise, a quick intro, and separate “signposts” leading to deeper pages (About, Services, Contact, Shop; whatever fits your business).
• Resist the urge to explain everything immediately. Instead, offer enticing snippets or summaries, then direct the visitor onwards.

I still remember building early websites back in the 2000s. Screens were smaller, and we’d squash every detail into a tight little rectangle, terrified someone might miss something if we didn’t. Think of event posters: big, bold headline, a snappy sub-heading, and the fine print tucked further down. The website homepage should work just like this: headline first, details later.

2. Ruthless Prioritisation: Not Everything is Equal

I love a good purge. The hardest part of editing is letting go, and, hand on heart, most clients insist “but it’s all important”. I get it. Every page and promo feels close to home. But if everything shouts, nothing is heard.

How to do it:

• List every element currently on your homepage. Headlines, banners, calls to action, widgets, awards, everything.
• Divide the list into three categories: “Absolutely Essential” (critical info, such as your main offer or a direct call to contact or buy), “Important but Secondary” (useful for engaged visitors, but not make-or-break), and “Nice to Have” (social feeds, awards from 2009, scrolling testimonials).
• Allow only the essential items above the so-called “fold,” which is what people see immediately when they land, even on smaller screens.
• Secondary content can go further down, or better, on sub-pages. For “Nice to Have” content, be honest with yourself: will anyone miss it if it disappears? If not, remove it.

Testing makes a big difference here. Preview your home (or, if you must, your staging site) on a few different devices. See what genuinely grabs attention, and cut the rest without mercy.

3. Mobile Matters: Design for Thumbs, Not Just Mice

Mobile now rules the roost. I’ve seen beautiful desktop designs unravel into a jumble of squashed images and overlapping text as soon as you check them on a cheap Android.

How to do it:

• Avoid gigantic images that take ages to load or get awkwardly cropped on narrow screens.
• Check every call-to-action button and menu with your thumb, not your mouse. If you can’t tap it easily or find it, neither will your customers.
• Watch how your homepage “flows” on mobile. Are sections stacking up logically, or does it feel like a patchwork blanket?
• Platforms like Squarespace and WordPress have preview tools. Use them. Better yet: test on a real phone or two.

People tend to scroll more on mobile. As long as the content is clear and the pace is easy, you can use vertical space. But squeezing every last detail in "above the fold" is an outdated habit from the desktop-only age.

4. Balance Your Visuals and Words: Neither Soup nor Toast

Too many websites swing wildly: all images and barely a crumb of info, or endless paragraphs that would defeat even the keenest skim-reader.

How to do it:

• Aim for a mix: strong visuals to set the tone (not just as space-fillers), paired with crisp, useful headlines and a line or two of explanation.
• Try offsetting layouts: image on one side, headline and summary on the other. Next section, swap sides and create rhythm and visual interest down the page.
• Don’t overload with stock photos just for the sake of it. A handful of genuine, high-quality images beats a bucketload of bland ones every day.
• For content-heavy sites (like technical resources), use headings, pull-quotes, or icon boxes so visitors don’t drown in grey text.

If you’re unsure, sketch the rough layout on a piece of paper. Step back. Can you spot a balance, or does one dominate the other?

5. Visual Banding: A Secret Weapon for Structure

Here’s a little design trick: using alternating background colours or images to section off the homepage. This technique, called visual banding, subtly helps visitors see the site as a sequence of steps instead of one continuous scroll.

How to do it:

• Start with a strong banner or hero section that grabs attention, like a high-impact image, headline, or a short video loop.
• Follow with a contrasting panel. For example, hero banner on dark, next section on white or light grey, then a muted brand colour, and continue alternating down the page.
• Give each “band” a single, clear purpose. For instance, intro, about, services summary, testimonials, contact, and keep each straightforward.
• Add a call to action in just one or two of the bands, not all. Choose points where the visitor is likely to take action rather than overwhelming them with choices.
• If you’re unsure, open your site on Squarespace 7.1 or WordPress and experiment with section backgrounds. Design software isn't necessary since these tools make banding easy.

This method can quickly make tired, text-heavy homepages feel welcoming and organised.

What Most People Miss

A subtle mistake many make: decluttering gets mistaken for stripping out personality or depth. The real benefit is that it clarifies what matters to both you and your visitors. Cutting back allows the true shape of your brand to show.

The hardest part is drawing the line and deciding “this is enough.” You need to trust that visitors will take the next step themselves. Consider this: if someone looks at your homepage for five seconds, what will they remember? If it isn’t clear, the homepage needs more work.

Also, it’s a good idea to revisit your homepage every few months. Websites aren’t oil paintings; they’re workhorses. Markets shift, campaigns end, new products appear. A regular spruce-up keeps things clear and your messaging sharp.

The Bigger Picture

Improving your homepage goes beyond just making it look better. Cleaning up confusion and reducing wasted effort delivers lasting benefits: more conversions, fewer headaches, and a clearer business message. Clients tell me all the time that after a good homepage tidy, customers quickly understood key points, enquiries increased, and support requests dropped.

You’ll save hours explaining things when your homepage does the work for you. The result is happier visitors, stronger brand trust, and a website that guides people where they want to go. Regular check-ups allow you to spot and fix issues before they grow, supporting your business as it evolves.

You don’t need to hire an expensive designer or start over. Most of what we teach at Pixelhaze relies on taking an honest look, being willing to cut, and using trusted design approaches. These ideas work whether you run a personal portfolio or a busy e-commerce shop.

If you want more practical ideas, check out these resources from the Academy:

• Build Out From the Brand – A practical guide to using your brand as your blueprint
• Wireframe in Web Design for Free: A Complete Guide – Our practical system for planning pages before you build
• The PixelHaze Principles of Design – An overview of our core design principles, jargon-free

Wrap-Up

Wherever your business or project stands, your homepage is always your frontline. Keeping it clear, sharp, and welcoming takes regular attention.

Clear signposting, strong prioritisation, mobile-friendly adjustments, good balance between visuals and words, and the use of visual bands can turn even a messy website into a focused, user-friendly shop window.

And if you get stuck, don’t suffer in silence. If you want more helpful systems like this, join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.