Expense management is a niche industry within fintech, yet it’s pretty competitive. G2 lists 299 companies with expense management software.
We’re still in a stage where many companies have to be convinced that they need more advanced spend management software. So, companies will focus their copy on the benefits of expense management rather than the benefits of their company. And that’s exactly what I saw with the five randomly selected expense management solutions today:
Their design is almost the same, the copy is quite similar, yet details make the difference between an ok home page and a great one. Let’s start with the one that needs most changes.
Watch the live breakdowns
Payhawk
In Payhawk’s defence, I didn’t think any of the five home pages here are bad, but this one has a few things I’d change. The biggest issue is a complete lack of social proof.
The visuals are actually quite fun, and I encourage you to have a look at them. But the fact that the photos look like stock photos makes this promising idea feel a bit wasted. And then the four chat boxes on top completely ruin it.
Lessons: No stock photos, one chatbox will do (but do you even need one?)
Soldo
Soldo does it a bit better, but the background gradient is horrendous. It just makes the entire company feel a lot let professional.
I’m also confused with the CTA buttons. Do they want me to get started or to book a demo? In the hero section, the former is highlighted and in the menu it’s the latter.
I do like the visuals on this home page. It shows the product and software offer so potential clients know what to expect.
Lessons: show your products, don’t make your design look like you’ve just discovered gradients for the first time.
Divvy
After the previous homepage, the black and white design of this one is a relief. I love how it makes the blue CTA button stand out.
We’re also starting to see some more social proof, so things are moving in the right direction.
I do have two issues with this page. (I could have addressed it with the previous one too). 1. The titles are LAME.
“The flexible spend management platform”, “The all-in-one expense management solution”, “Spending, simplified”, “Spend and Scale. Globally.”
I can’t even remember which title belongs to which company. They’re that boring and vanilla. And I also hate how the only attempt at positioning themselves is using the word the as if the other companies didn’t exist or offered a completely different service.
2. The CTA button is a bit of a lie. I didn’t get started. Instead, I got a demo page and a follow-up email a bit later.
Lessons: deliver what your CTA promises, make your title a little more memorable.
Ramp
Another good-looking design with simple colors and a beautiful visual. It’s the same idea we saw with Soldo, but this time it’s served on a golden platter.
What I also love about this page is the call to action. “What’s your work email” maybe feels a bit too direct but it could work if they want a more conversational approach. But the great part of this call to action is the line below “No personal credit check or founder guarantee”. It answers important questions and makes applying a lot easier.
The only sad thing about this home page is the title. I see where it’s coming from but it feels too simple. And it raises questions – simplified, how?
Lessons: reduce friction where possible, make your title as specific as possible.
Spendesk
Overall, this is the best home page in this category (from the ones I’ve reviewed at least).
The banner is interesting because it addresses a different type of audience. While the usual call to action is targeted at the bottom of the funnel – people (almost) ready to buy – the banner addresses people higher up – people interested in finance and probably spend management.
The title isn’t much better than the others, but it’s easily the best one in the list. Maybe this is personal, but “7-1” makes me curious. I want to find out the 7 solutions.
I do still have two issues with this page. First: the visual. Why is this guy looking at me and why is he relevant? At the very least, the guy should be looking at the CTA button, as I mentioned last week, but we’ve seen much better visuals today.
Secondly, I love the social proof, but I’m not sure if it’s real, and that’s a big issue. According to G2’s list, they came in seventh! Maybe I’m overlooking something?
Lessons: Make sure your social proof is legit, don’t use random images, please.
Lessons Learned + The Best Combined
It’s quite easy to sum up today’s lessons:
- Make relevant visuals: product examples are great.
- Create a good contrast. Use colours that make the CTA button stand out.
- Spark a little bit of curiosity. But not at the expense of losing clarity
- Use lots of social proof: regulations, client logos, number of clients, awards …
- Keep the subtitle short. No more than three lines.
Keeping all of this in mind, here’s a Frankenstein-esk attempt at bringing the best elements of each home page together into one. I need to work on the colors…
