For most businesses, the homepage gets all the attention. It’s the design centrepiece, the budget hog, the stakeholder battleground. But the homepage is not the only important page on a website.
In fact, for many websites, it isn’t even the most visited page.
Today’s web user is task-oriented, impatient, seasoned rage clickers and driven by intent. They arrive via links in search results, ads, social shares, email campaigns or deep pages bookmarked in a hurry. That means they’re far more likely to land on an inner page than your homepage.
If your homepage is the only part of your website designed with care and strategy, you’re leaving opportunity and revenue on the table.
The Myth of the Homepage as the ‘Front Door’
Once upon a time, users typed your URL into their browser and walked through the digital front door. That’s no longer how people experience the web.
Google is the homepage.
Social is the homepage.
Your blog article is the homepage.
A PPC landing page is the homepage.
Even a product page, a category archive, or your About page – they’re all homepages, depending on the user journey.
This shift requires a strategic overhaul in how you think about entry points into your site.
What Is a Strategic Entry Point?
A strategic entry point is any page that acts as a landing page – intentionally or not. It’s where a user first interacts with your brand digitally. These pages must:
- Make sense in isolation
- Convey immediate value
- Align with user intent
- Encourage further exploration or conversion
- Load quickly, clearly, and beautifully
They’re not just pages – they’re touchpoints in a conversion journey.
5 Key Strategic Entry Points (That Aren’t Your Homepage)
a. Service or Product Pages
These are often the first point of contact for organic search. Yet, most are treated as technical detail pages instead of persuasive sales tools.
Ask yourself:
- Does each product/service page stand alone?
- Does it speak to pain points, benefits, and differentiation?
- Is there a clear next step – CTA, related services, trust indicators?
This is where buying decisions actually begin.
b. About Page
Your About page is one of the most visited on your site – especially for B2B and service-based businesses. It’s where people validate your credibility, culture, and capability.
This is an emotional entry point, not just a bio page. Tell a story. Show your mission. Make it human. It’s often the tipping point between “maybe” and “let’s talk.”
c. Blog or Resource Articles
Well-optimized blog posts are high-performing SEO magnets. But many treat them like one-off content silos. A user who lands on a blog article should be subtly guided to:
- Related articles
- Downloadable lead magnets
- Contact forms
- Related services
Treat each post like a gateway, not a dead end.
d. Landing Pages (Campaigns, Ads, Email)
These are the most intentional entry points – but they’re often thrown together quickly for short-term use. A proper landing page should:
- Align exactly with the message that drove the click
- Remove distractions (navigation, competing CTAs)
- Be tested, iterated, and improved over time
Whether it’s Google Ads, Meta, or newsletter traffic – each campaign deserves a dedicated, optimized landing environment.
e. Search and Archive Pages
In e-commerce or content-heavy sites, archive/category/tag pages are often the actual path users take – not the homepage. Yet many of them are default, poorly styled, and offer no SEO value or conversion hooks.
If you have a WooCommerce site or a blog with category pages, don’t leave these on autopilot. Curate them. Control the messaging. Turn them into hubs.
How to Design for Strategic Entry Points
✳️ Design Each Page Like It’s the Only Page They’ll See
Because it often is. Every page must provide:
- Orientation (Where am I?)
- Relevance (Does this match my intent?)
- Direction (What should I do next?)
✳️ Use Intent-Driven UX
Structure each entry point based on how the user got there:
- From Google? Give them the answer fast.
- From an ad? Reinforce the promise.
- From a blog? Bridge them to your service or offer.
- From a directory? Show instant credibility and proof.
✳️ Never Leave the User at a Dead End
Bounce rates skyrocket when users hit a page and don’t know what to do next. Every entry point should invite action – even if that action is as simple as reading another article or exploring a service.
A Data-Driven Approach to Entry Points
One of the simplest but most overlooked steps is checking your landing page report in Google Analytics (or GA4). You’ll often find that:
- 70% of your traffic enters via 3-5 pages.
- Your homepage isn’t in the top spot.
- Blog posts, service pages, or even old URLs are your real performers.
That data tells you where to invest your energy. Those high-traffic entry points need:
- Clearer CTAs
- Better internal linking
- Updated content
- More strategic copy
Every Page Is a Welcome Mat
The homepage might still get the glory – but in the real world, it’s just one door among many. The path to conversion doesn’t start on your terms. It starts wherever the user lands.
Stop treating your homepage like the star of the show. Instead:
- Audit the top entry points.
- Design for context, not just consistency.
- Add strategy where users are already engaging.
Your site’s most valuable real estate might be hiding in plain sight.
