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• FFMPEG crash while cropping video

  18 octobre 2022, par Khawar Raza

  I am using FFMPEG to crop a video. I am using ffmpeg-kit as a ffmpeg wrapper in my android app where the user can select any output size irrespective of the original video aspect ratio. Below is the problematic command :

  


  -i "/storage/emulated/0/Download/83a2f6_1080p~2.mp4" -filter_complex "[0:v]crop=304:236:2:2[cropped]" -map "[cropped]" "/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/appname/vid_d8ee328d-ec7a-468b-9313-4561dceea33e.mp4"


  


  When the execution starts, the application crashes.

  


  Logs :

  


  I/ffmpeg-kit: Loading ffmpeg-kit.
I/ffmpeg-kit: Loaded ffmpeg-kit-min-gpl-arm64-v8a-4.5.1-20220101.
D/ffmpeg-kit: Async callback block started.
D/VideoEditor:  ffmpeg version v4.5-dev-3393-g30322ebe3c
D/VideoEditor:   Copyright (c) 2000-2021 the FFmpeg developers
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    built with Android (7155654, based on r399163b1) clang version 11.0.5 (https://android.googlesource.com/toolchain/llvm-project 87f1315dfbea7c137aa2e6d362dbb457e388158d)
D/VideoEditor:    configuration: --cross-prefix=aarch64-linux-android- --sysroot=/files/android-sdk/ndk/22.1.7171670/toolchains/llvm/prebuilt/linux-x86_64/sysroot --prefix=/storage/light/projects/ffmpeg-kit/prebuilt/android-arm64/ffmpeg --pkg-config=/usr/bin/pkg-config --enable-version3 --arch=aarch64 --cpu=armv8-a --target-os=android --enable-neon --enable-asm --enable-inline-asm --ar=aarch64-linux-android-ar --cc=aarch64-linux-android24-clang --cxx=aarch64-linux-android24-clang++ --ranlib=aarch64-linux-android-ranlib --strip=aarch64-linux-android-strip --nm=aarch64-linux-android-nm --extra-libs='-L/storage/light/projects/ffmpeg-kit/prebuilt/android-arm64/cpu-features/lib -lndk_compat' --disable-autodetect --enable-cross-compile --enable-pic --enable-jni --enable-optimizations --enable-swscale --disable-static --enable-shared --enable-pthreads --enable-v4l2-m2m --disable-outdev=fbdev --disable-indev=fbdev --enable-small --disable-xmm-clobber-test --disable-debug --enable-lto --disable-neon-clobber-test --disable-programs --disable-postproc --disable-doc --disable-htmlpages --disable-manpages --disable-podpages --disable-txtpages --disable-sndio --disable-schannel --disable-securetransport --disable-xlib --disable-cuda --disable-cuvid --disable-nvenc --disable-vaapi --disable-vdpau --disable-videotoolbox --disable-audiotoolbox --disable-appkit --disable-alsa --disable-cuda --disable-cuvid --disable-nvenc --disable-vaapi --disable-vdpau --enable-libx264 --enable-libxvid --enable-libx265 --enable-libvidstab --disable-sdl2 --disable-openssl --enable-zlib --enable-mediacodec --enable-gpl
D/VideoEditor:    libavutil      57. 13.100 / 57. 13.100
D/VideoEditor:    libavcodec     59. 15.102 / 59. 15.102
D/VideoEditor:    libavformat    59. 10.100 / 59. 10.100
D/VideoEditor:    libavdevice    59.  1.100 / 59.  1.100
D/VideoEditor:    libavfilter     8. 21.100 /  8. 21.100
D/VideoEditor:    libswscale      6.  1.102 /  6.  1.102
D/VideoEditor:    libswresample   4.  0.100 /  4.  0.100
D/VideoEditor:  Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/storage/emulated/0/Download/83a2f6_1080p~2.mp4':
D/VideoEditor:    Metadata:
D/VideoEditor:      major_brand     : 
D/VideoEditor:  mp42
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      minor_version   : 
D/VideoEditor:  0
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      compatible_brands: 
D/VideoEditor:  isommp42
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      com.android.version: 
D/VideoEditor:  12
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    Duration: 
D/VideoEditor:  00:02:18.11
D/VideoEditor:  , start: 
D/VideoEditor:  0.000000
D/VideoEditor:  , bitrate: 
D/VideoEditor:  1929 kb/s
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    Stream #0:0
D/VideoEditor:  [0x1]
D/VideoEditor:  (eng)
D/VideoEditor:  : Video: h264 (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 1080x808, 1864 kb/s
D/VideoEditor:  , 
D/VideoEditor:  18 fps, 
D/VideoEditor:  18 tbr, 
D/VideoEditor:  90k tbn
D/VideoEditor:   (default)
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      Metadata:
D/VideoEditor:        creation_time   : 
D/VideoEditor:  2022-10-06T11:47:07.000000Z
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:        handler_name    : 
D/VideoEditor:  VideoHandle
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:        vendor_id       : 
D/VideoEditor:  [0][0][0][0]
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    Stream #0:1
D/VideoEditor:  [0x2]
D/VideoEditor:  (und)
D/VideoEditor:  : Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 64 kb/s
D/VideoEditor:   (default)
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      Metadata:
D/VideoEditor:        creation_time   : 
D/VideoEditor:  2022-10-06T11:47:07.000000Z
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:        handler_name    : 
D/VideoEditor:  SoundHandle
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:        vendor_id       : 
D/VideoEditor:  [0][0][0][0]
D/VideoEditor:  


D/VideoEditor:  [h264 @ 0x7654fe8500] The "sub_text_format" option is deprecated: Deprecated, does nothing
D/VideoEditor:  Stream mapping:
D/VideoEditor:    Stream #0:0 (h264) -> crop
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    crop
D/VideoEditor:   -> Stream #0:0 (libx264)
D/VideoEditor:  Press [q] to stop, [?] for help


D/VideoEditor:  [libx264 @ 0x7654fb9af0] using cpu capabilities: ARMv8 NEON
D/VideoEditor:  [libx264 @ 0x7654fb9af0] profile High, level 1.2, 4:2:0, 8-bit
D/VideoEditor:  [libx264 @ 0x7654fb9af0] 264 - core 163 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec - Copyleft 2003-2021 - http://www.videolan.org/x264.html - options: cabac=1 ref=3 deblock=1:0:0 analyse=0x3:0x113 me=hex subme=7 psy=1 psy_rd=1.00:0.00 mixed_ref=1 me_range=16 chroma_me=1 trellis=1 8x8dct=1 cqm=0 deadzone=21,11 fast_pskip=1 chroma_qp_offset=-2 threads=7 lookahead_threads=1 sliced_threads=0 nr=0 decimate=1 interlaced=0 bluray_compat=0 constrained_intra=0 bframes=3 b_pyramid=2 b_adapt=1 b_bias=0 direct=1 weightb=1 open_gop=0 weightp=2 keyint=250 keyint_min=18 scenecut=40 intra_refresh=0 rc_lookahead=40 rc=crf mbtree=1 crf=23.0 qcomp=0.60 qpmin=0 qpmax=69 qpstep=4 ip_ratio=1.40 aq=1:1.00
D/VideoEditor:  Output #0, mp4, to '/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/appname/vid_d8ee328d-ec7a-468b-9313-4561dceea33e.mp4':
D/VideoEditor:    Metadata:
D/VideoEditor:      major_brand     : 
D/VideoEditor:  mp42
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      minor_version   : 
D/VideoEditor:  0
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      compatible_brands: 
D/VideoEditor:  isommp42
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      com.android.version: 
D/VideoEditor:  12
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      encoder         : 
D/VideoEditor:  Lavf59.10.100
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:    Stream #0:0
D/VideoEditor:  : Video: h264 (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 304x236, q=2-31
D/VideoEditor:  , 
D/VideoEditor:  18 fps, 
D/VideoEditor:  18432 tbn
D/VideoEditor:   (default)
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      Metadata:
D/VideoEditor:        encoder         : 
D/VideoEditor:  Lavc59.15.102 libx264
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:      Side data:
D/VideoEditor:        
D/VideoEditor:  cpb: 
D/VideoEditor:  bitrate max/min/avg: 0/0/0 buffer size: 0 
D/VideoEditor:  vbv_delay: N/A
D/VideoEditor:  
D/VideoEditor:  frame=    1 fps=0.0 q=0.0 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.00 bitrate=N/A speed=   0x    

A/libc: Fatal signal 11 (SIGSEGV), code 2 (SEGV_ACCERR), fault addr 0x745d9ff000 in tid 16893 (pool-15-thread-), pid 16696 (videocompressor)


A/DEBUG: *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Build fingerprint: 'samsung/x1sxx/x1s:12/SP1A.210812.016/G980FXXSFFVH7:user/release-keys'
Revision: '22'
ABI: 'arm64'
Processor: '5'
A/DEBUG: Timestamp: 2022-10-09 18:57:38.882598912+0500
A/DEBUG: Process uptime: 1086s
A/DEBUG: Cmdline: com.app.packagename
A/DEBUG: pid: 16939, tid: 20568, name: pool-15-thread-  >>> com.app.packagename <<<
A/DEBUG: uid: 11091
A/DEBUG: signal 11 (SIGSEGV), code 2 (SEGV_ACCERR), fault addr 0x74640ce000
A/DEBUG:     x0  0000007594f30960  x1  00000074640c9a60  x2  00000074640c9eb4  x3  00000074640cac34
A/DEBUG:     x4  00000074640cdff4  x5  00000074671bb2dc  x6  00000000fffffffb  x7  0000000000000013
A/DEBUG:     x8  000000000000000e  x9  00000074640cddc0  x10 0000000000000013  x11 0000007488459ffc
A/DEBUG:     x12 00000074640c9c70  x13 000000000000000e  x14 0000000000007fff  x15 0000000000000013
A/DEBUG:     x16 00000074640cac04  x17 00000074640c7a58  x18 000000746626e000  x19 0000000000000027
A/DEBUG:     x20 000000776541c3b0  x21 00000074671bc4f8  x22 00000074640ca9f0  x23 0000007765422300
A/DEBUG:     x24 0000000000000027  x25 00000074640cac04  x26 0000000000000028  x27 00000074640c9a30
A/DEBUG:     x28 0000007594f30940  x29 000000000000010a
A/DEBUG:     lr  000000748841a960  sp  00000074671bb290  pc  000000748845a010  pst 0000000080000000
A/DEBUG: backtrace:
A/DEBUG:       #00 pc 0000000000359010  /data/app/~~IBCbjRbZBpQ00ORNDFZdxg==/com.app.packagename-5sdOCmN82SjJJTibcsYMpQ==/base.apk!libavcodec.so


  


  I don't know what is wrong with the output width and height parameters. If I change [0:v]crop=304:236:2:2[cropped] to [0:v]crop=304:304:2:2[cropped] with change in height, the process completes successfully. The original video (1080x808) is not smaller than the output size. It does not seem to be a problem in the video as I have tried different videos. Any tips on what is missing from my command ?

  


• FFMPEG & ytdl-core | Muxing highestaudio and highestvideo results in mp4 with incorrect time

  17 mars 2023, par Niek Peters

  I want to combine a file with only video and a file with only audio from the ytdl-core package into a mp4 and stream it in the response. I get the files using the highestvideo and highestaudio quality settings. I tried to modify a part of the ytdl-core-muxer module to change the output format to mp4, for which I also needed to add -movflags frag_keyframe+empty_moov, to allow the output mp4 to be seekable. This all seems to work and it produces a mp4 file without errors. When I open it with the Windows Photos app however, I noticed that even though video plays normally in perfect quality, the time is completely wrong.

  


  As you can see, the time says there are 53 million hours remaining, even though the video is 1:32 mins long

  


  I have tried adding a fixed framerate with -r 60 and regenerating the timestamps with -fflags +genpts, but to no avail. I have also tried encoding the video and audio formats to h264 (using libx264) and acc, but that didn't solve it either.

  


  


  


  // create the ffmpeg process for muxing
const ffmpegProcess = cp.spawn(
  ffmpeg,
  [
    // input audio by pipe
    "-thread_queue_size", "4096",
    "-i", "pipe:3",

    // input video by pipe
    "-thread_queue_size", "4096",
    "-r", "60",
    "-i", "pipe:4",

    // map audio and video correspondingly
    "-map", "0:a",
    "-map", "1:v",

    // change the codec
    "-c:v", "libx264", 
    "-c:a", "aac",
        
    "-preset", "ultrafast",

    // Allow output to be seekable, which is needed for mp4 output
    "-movflags", "frag_keyframe+empty_moov",

    // output mp4 and pipe
    "-r", "60",
    "-fflags", "+genpts",
    "-f", "mp4", "pipe:5",
  ],
  {
    // no popup window for Windows users
    windowsHide: true,
    stdio: [
      // silence stdin/out, forward stderr,
      "inherit", "inherit", "inherit",
      // and pipe audio, video, output
      "pipe", "pipe", "pipe",
    ],
  }
);
audioStream.pipe(ffmpegProcess.stdio[3]);
videoStream.pipe(ffmpegProcess.stdio[4]);
ffmpegProcess.stdio[5].pipe(result);

  


  


  



  Full console output :

  


  ffmpeg version 5.0.1-essentials_build-www.gyan.dev Copyright (c) 2000-2022 the FFmpeg developers        
  built with gcc 11.2.0 (Rev7, Built by MSYS2 project)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-static --disable-w32threads --disable-autodetect --enable-fontconfig --enable-iconv --enable-gnutls --enable-libxml2 --enable-gmp --enable-lzma --enable-zlib --enable-libsrt --enable-libssh --enable-libzmq --enable-avisynth --enable-sdl2 --enable-libwebp 
--enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxvid --enable-libaom --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libvpx 
--enable-libass --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvmaf --enable-libzimg --enable-amf --enable-cuda-llvm --enable-cuvid --enable-ffnvcodec --enable-nvdec --enable-nvenc --enable-d3d11va --enable-dxva2 --enable-libmfx --enable-libgme --enable-libopenmpt --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libtheora --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libgsm --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopus --enable-libspeex --enable-libvorbis --enable-librubberband
  libavutil      57. 17.100 / 57. 17.100
  libavcodec     59. 18.100 / 59. 18.100
  libavformat    59. 16.100 / 59. 16.100
  libavdevice    59.  4.100 / 59.  4.100
  libavfilter     8. 24.100 /  8. 24.100
  libswscale      6.  4.100 /  6.  4.100
  libswresample   4.  3.100 /  4.  3.100
  libpostproc    56.  3.100 / 56.  3.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'pipe:3':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 0
    compatible_brands: isommp42
    creation_time   : 2022-08-21T19:56:49.000000Z
  Duration: 00:01:32.11, start: 0.000000, bitrate: N/A
  Stream #0:0[0x1](und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 1280x720 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 1892 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-08-21T19:56:49.000000Z
      handler_name    : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/21/2022.
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
  Stream #0:1[0x2](eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s (default)    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-08-21T19:56:49.000000Z
      handler_name    : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/21/2022.
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
Input #1, matroska,webm, from 'pipe:4':
  Metadata:
    encoder         : google/video-file
  Duration: 00:01:32.12, start: 0.000000, bitrate: N/A
  Stream #1:0(eng): Video: vp9 (Profile 0), yuv420p(tv, bt709), 3840x2160, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 60 fps, 60 
tbr, 1k tbn (default)
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:0 (aac (native) -> aac (native))
  Stream #1:0 -> #0:1 (vp9 (native) -> h264 (libx264))
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] using SAR=1/1
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 SSE4.2 AVX FMA3 BMI2 AVX2      
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] profile Constrained Baseline, level 5.2, 4:2:0, 8-bit
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] 264 - core 164 r3094 bfc87b7 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec - Copyleft 2003-2022 
- http://www.videolan.org/x264.html - options: cabac=0 ref=1 deblock=0:0:0 analyse=0:0 me=dia subme=0 psy=1 psy_rd=1.00:0.00 mixed_ref=0 me_range=16 chroma_me=1 trellis=0 8x8dct=0 cqm=0 deadzone=21,11 fast_pskip=1 chroma_qp_offset=0 threads=12 lookahead_threads=2 sliced_threads=0 nr=0 decimate=1 interlaced=0 bluray_compat=0 constrained_intra=0 bframes=0 weightp=0 keyint=250 keyint_min=25 scenecut=0 intra_refresh=0 rc=crf mbtree=0 crf=23.0 qcomp=0.60 qpmin=0 qpmax=69 qpstep=4 ip_ratio=1.40 aq=0
Output #0, mp4, to 'pipe:5':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 0
    compatible_brands: isommp42
    encoder         : Lavf59.16.100
  Stream #0:0(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s (default)     
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-08-21T19:56:49.000000Z
      handler_name    : ISO Media file produced by Google Inc. Created on: 08/21/2022.
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
      encoder         : Lavc59.18.100 aac
  Stream #0:1(eng): Video: h264 (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(tv, bt709, progressive), 3840x2160 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=2-31, 60 fps, 15360 tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      encoder         : Lavc59.18.100 libx264
    Side data:
      cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 0/0/0 buffer size: 0 vbv_delay: N/A
[matroska,webm @ 0000022aa056cd00] Thread message queue blocking; consider raising the thread_queue_size option (current value: 4096)
frame= 5527 fps= 77 q=-1.0 Lsize=  424599kB time=00:01:32.11 bitrate=37761.2kbits/s speed=1.29x    
video:423226kB audio:1329kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: 0.010570%[aac @ 0000022aa05ca240] Qavg: 17828.035
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] frame I:23    Avg QP:19.83  size:292044
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] frame P:5504  Avg QP:22.92  size: 77519
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] mb I  I16..4: 100.0%  0.0%  0.0%
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] mb P  I16..4: 26.5%  0.0%  0.0%  P16..4: 14.1%  0.0%  0.0%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:59.3%
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 10.6% 27.6% 7.0% inter: 6.5% 12.8% 1.4%
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] i16 v,h,dc,p: 57% 26%  8%  9%
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] i8c dc,h,v,p: 43% 24% 25%  7%
[libx264 @ 0000022aa059be80] kb/s:37637.70


  


• Homepage Design : Best Practices & Examples

  5 octobre 2022, par Erin

  Did you know users spend about 50 milliseconds deciding if they like your website’s homepage design or not ?

  With billions of websites and scrolling often done on the go, you have to make a strong first impression because the chances for a once-over are slim. 

  Learn how to design magnetically-appealing website homepages from this guide. 

  What is a homepage in web design ?

  Homepage is the front page of your website — a destination where users land when typing your website URL address. It’s located at the root of the website’s domain (e.g., matomo.org) or a subdomain (e.g., university.webflow.com).

  Design-wise a homepage has two goals :

  • Explain the purpose of the website and present overview information 
  • Provide top-level navigation to lower-level web pages (e.g., blog, sales pages, etc.) 

  Separately, a homepage is also the place where users will return each time they’ll feel stuck and want to start anew. Thus, your homepage website design should provide obvious navigation paths to other website areas.

  6 Must-Know Website Homepage Design Best Practices

  Behind every winning homepage design stands a detailed customer journey map. 

  A customer journey is a schematic representation of how site visitors will move around your website to accomplish various goals. 

  A good customer journey map lists different actions a user will take after landing on your website (e.g., browse product pages, save items to a wishlist, register an account, etc.) — and it does so for different audience segments. 

  

  Your homepage design should help users move from the first step on their journey (e.g., learning about your website) to the final one (e.g., converting to a paid customer). At the same time, your homepage should serve the needs of both new and returning visitors — prospects who may be at a different stage of their journey (e.g., consideration). 

  With the above in mind, let’s take a look at several website homepage design ideas and the reasons why they work. 

  1. Use Familiar Design Elements

  Whether you’re designing a new website or refreshing an old one, it’s always tempting to go “out of the box” — use horizontal scrolling, skip header navigation or include arty animations. 

  Bold design choices work for some brands, mainly those who aren’t using their website as a primary sales channel (e.g., luxury brands). 

  But unfamiliar design patterns can also intimidate a lot of shoppers. In one observational study, people were asked to guess where specific content (e.g., information on international calls) would be placed on a telecom website. 75% of users picked the same location. This means two things :

  • People already have expectations of where specific website information is typically placed 
  • Yet, one in four users struggles to identify the right areas even within standard website layouts

  So why make the job harder for them ? As UX consultant Peter Ramsey rightfully notes : 

  The truth is : designing the best experience isn’t about being unique, it’s about being easy. And guess what feels really easy to use ? Things that feel familiar.

  Therefore, analyse other homepage layout designs in your industry. Pay attention to the number and type of homepage screens and approaches to designing header/footer navigation. 

  Take some of those ideas as your “base”. Then make your homepage design on-brand with unique typography, icons, visuals and other graphic design elements.

  Take a cue from ICAM — a steel manufacturing company. Their niche isn’t typically exciting. Yet, their homepage design stops you in your tracks and tinkers your curiosity to discover more (even if you aren’t shopping for metalware). 

  

  The interesting part is that ICAM uses a rather standard homepage layout. You have a hero image in the first screen, followed by a multi-column layout of their industry expertise and an overview of manufacturers. 

  But this homepage design feels fresh because the company uses plenty of white space, bold typography and vibrant visuals. Also, they delay the creative twist (horizontal scrolling area) to the bottom of the homepage, meaning that it’s less likely to intimidate less confident web users. 

  2. Decide On The Optimal Homepage Layout 

  In web design, a homepage layout is your approach to visually organising different information on the screen. 

  Observant folks will notice that good homepage designs often have the same layout. For example, include a split-view “hero” screen with a call to action on the left and visuals (photo or video) on the left. 

  

  The reason for using similar layouts for website homepage design isn’t a lack of creativity. On the contrary, some layouts have become the “best practice” because they :

  • Offer a great user experience (UX) and don’t confuse first-time visitors 
  • Feel familiar and create a pleasurable sense of deja-vu among users 
  • Have proven to drive higher conversion rates through benchmarks and tests 

  Popular types of website homepage layouts : 

  • Single column – a classic option of presenting main content in a single, vertical column. Good choice for blogs, personal websites and simple corporate sites. 
  • Split screen layout divides the page in two equal areas with different information present. Works best for Ecommerce homepages (e.g., to separate different types of garments) or SaaS websites, offering two product types (e.g., a free personal product version and a business edition). 
  • Asymmetrical layout assumes dividing your homepage into areas of different size and styles. Asymmetry helps create specific focal points for users to draw their attention to the most prominent information. 
  • Grid of cards layout helps present a lot of information in a more digestible manner by breaking down bigger bulks of text into smaller cards — a graphic element, featuring an image and some texts. By tapping a card, users can then access extra content. 
  • Boxes are visually similar to cards, but can be of varying shape. For example, you can have a bigger header-width box area, followed by four smaller boxes within it. Both of these website layouts work well for Ecommerce. 
  • Featured image layout gives visuals (photos and videos) the most prominent placement on the homepage, with texts and other graphic design elements serving a secondary purpose. 
  • F-pattern layout is based on the standard eye movement most people have when reading content on the website. Eye tracking studies found that we usually pay the most attention to information atop of the page (header area), then scan horizontally before dripping down to the next vertical line until we find content that captures our attention. 

  User behaviour analytics (UBA) tools are the best way to determine what type of layout will work for your homepage. 

  For example, you can use Matomo Heatmaps and Session Recording to observe how users navigate your homepage, which areas or links they click and what blockers they face during navigation.

  

  Matomo can capture accurate behavioural insights because we track relative positions to elements within your websites. This approach allows us to provide accurate data for users with different browsers, operating systems, zoom-in levels and fonts. 

  The best part ? You can collect behavioural data from up to 100 different user segments to understand how different audience cohorts engage with your product.

  3. Include a One-Sentence Tagline

  A tagline is a one-line summary of what your company does and what its unique sales proposition (USP) is. It should be short, catchy and distinguish you from competitors.

  A modern homepage design practice is to include a call to action in the first screen. Why ? Because you then instantly communicate or remind of your value proposition to every user — and provide them with an easy way to convert whenever they are ready to do business with you. 

  Here’s how three companies with a similar product, a project management app, differentiate themselves through homepage taglines. 

  Monday.com positions itself as an operating system (OS) for work. 

  

  Basecamp emphasises its product simplicity and openly says that they are different from other overly-complex software. 

  

  Asana, in turn, addresses a familiar user pain point (siloed communication) that it attempts to fix with its product. 

  

  Coming up with the perfect homepage tagline is a big task. You may have plenty of ideas, but little confidence in what version will stick. 

  The best approach ? Let a series of A/B tests decide. You can test a roaster of homepage slogans on a rotating bi-weekly/monthly schedule and track how copy changes affect conversion rates. 

  With Matomo A/B test feature, you can create, track and manage all experiments straight from your web analytics app — and get consolidated reports on total page visitors and conversion rates per each tested variation. 

  

  Beyond slogans, you can also run A/B tests to validate submission form placements, button texts or the entire page layout. 

  For instance, you can benchmark how your new homepage design performs compared to the old version with a subset of users before making it publicly available. 

  4. Highlight The Main Tasks For The User

  Though casual browsing is a thing, most of us head to specific websites with a clear agenda — find information, compare prices, obtain services, etc. 

  Thus, your homepage should provide clear starting points for users’ main tasks (those you’ve also identified as conversion goals on your customer journey maps !).

  These tasks can include : 

  • Account registration 
  • Product demo request 
  • Newsletter sign-up 

  The best website homepage designs organically guide users through a set number of common tasks, one screen at a time. 

  Let’s analyse Sable homepage design. The company offers a no-fee bank account and a credit card product for soon-to-be US transplants. The main task a user has : Decide if they want to try Sable and hopefully open an account with them. 

  

  This mono-purpose page focuses on persuading a prospect that Sable is right for them. 

  The first screen hosts the main CTA with an animated drop-down arrow to keep scrolling. This is likely aimed at first-time visitors that just landed on the page from an online ad or social media post. 

  The second screen serves the main pitch — no-fee, no-hassle access to a US banking account that also helps you build your credit score. 

  The third screen encourages users to learn more about Sable Credit — the flagship product. For the sceptics, the fourth screen offers several more reasons to sign up for the credit product. 

  Then Sable moves on to pitching its second offering — a no-fee debit card with a cashback. Once again, the follow-up screen sweetens the deal by bringing up other perks (higher cashback for popular services like Amazon) and overcoming objections (no SSN required and multi-language support available). 

  The sequence ends with side-by-side product comparison and some extra social proof. 

  In Sable’s case, each homepage screen has a clear purpose and is designed to facilitate one specific user action — account opening. 

  For multi-product companies, the above strategy works great for designing individual landing pages. 

  5. Design Proper Navigation Paths

  All websites have two areas reserved for navigation : 

  • Header menu 
  • Footer menu 

  Designing an effective header menu is more important since it’s the primary tool visitors will use to discover other pages. 

  Your header menu can be :

  • Sticky — always visible as the person keeps scrolling. 
  • Static — e.g., a hidden drop-down menu. 

  If you go for a static header and have a longer homepage layout (e.g., 5+ screens), you also need to add extra navigation elements somewhere mid-page. Or else users might not figure out where to go next and merely bounce off. 

  You can do this by : 

  • Promoting other areas of your website (e.g., sub-category pages) by linking out to them 
  • Adding a carousel of “recent posts”, “recommended reads” and “latest products” 
  • Using buttons and CTAs to direct users towards specific actions (e.g., account registration) or assets (free eBook)

  For instance, cosmetics brand Typology doesn’t have a sticky header on the homepage. Instead, they prompt discovery by promoting different product categories (best sellers, bundles, latest arrivals) and their free skin diagnostic quiz — a great engagement mechanism to retain first time users.

  

  Once the user scrolls down to the bottom of the page, they should have an extra set of navigational options — aka footer links. 

  Again, these help steer the visitor towards discovering more content without scrolling back up to the top of your homepage. 

  Nielsen Norman Group says that people mostly use footers as :

  • A second chance to be convinced — after reading the entire homepage, the user is ready to give your product a go.
    
  • The last resort for hard-to-find content that’s not displayed in global header navigation (e.g., Terms and Conditions or shipping information pages).

  As a rule of thumb, you should designate the following information to the footer : 

  • Utility links (Contact page, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, etc.) 
  • Secondary-task links (e.g., Career page, Investor Details, Media contacts, etc.) 
  • Brands within the organisation (if you operate several) 
  • Customer engagement link (email newsletters and social media buttons)

  The key is to keep the area compact — not more than one standard user screen resolution of 1280×720. 

  6. Show Users What’s Clickable (Or Not) 

  A homepage invites your site visitors on a journey. But if they don’t know which elements to click, they aren’t going to get anywhere.

  Good homepage design makes it obvious which page elements are clickable, i.e., can take the user to a new page or another segment of the homepage. 

  Here are several must-know homepage design tips for better on-page navigation : 

  • Use colour and underline or bold to highlight clickable words. Alternatively, you can change the browser cursor from a standard arrow into another element (e.g., a larger dot or a pointy finger) to indicate when the cursor hovers over a clickable website area. 
  • Make descriptive button texts that imply what will happen when a user clicks the page. Instead of using abstract and generic button texts like “see more” or “learn more”, try a more vibrant language like “dive in” for clicking through to a spa page. 
  • Use a unified hover area to show how different homepage design elements represent a single path or multiple navigation paths. When multiple items are encapsulated in one visual element (e.g., a box), users may be reluctant to click the image because they aren’t sure if it’s one large hit area leading to a single page or if there are multiple hit areas, leading to different pages. 

  Homepage of BEAUSiTE — a whimsical hotel in the Swiss Alps – embodies all of the above design principles. They change the cursor style whenever you scroll into a hit area, use emotive and creative micro-copy for all button texts and clearly distinguish between different homepage elements.

  

  How to Make Your Homepage Design Even More Impactful ? 

  Website homepage design is roughly 20% of pure design work and 80% of behind-the-scenes research. 

  To design a high-performing homepage you need to have data-backed answers to the following questions : 

  • Who are your primary and secondary target audiences ? 
  • Which tasks (1 to 4) you’d want to help them solve through your homepage ?

  You can get the answers to both questions from your web analytics data by using audience segmentation and page transition (behaviour flow) reports in Matomo. 

  Based on these, you can determine common user journeys and tasks people look to accomplish when visiting your website. Next, you can collect even more data with UBA tools  like heatmaps and user session recordings. Then translated the observed patterns into working homepage design ideas. 

  Improve your homepage design and conversion rates with Matomo. Start your free 21-day trial now ! 

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