The home page is an introduction to your website and business. It typically serves as a table of contents and is considered one of the most important pages on the entire site. In this guide, we cover the areas you need to consider when writing the content for your websites home Page.
1. Write With Your Customer in Mind
Think of yourself as your customer when writing the content, ask yourself what would they want out of a home page like yours? Make sure you answer all potential questions they may have and address their interests.
A common mistake businesses make is turning their home pages into a glorified ‘About us’ page, this information is better used for your second-tier pages. Focus on talking about you and your business and how it benefits them.
2. Emphasize Your Value
Your site visitors should be able to clearly understand what your company has to offer and how it stands out from your competitors. Use headlines to communicate your USPs (unique selling points) and don’t worry if they take up more than one line to communicate, you can always utilise subtext as well to make it stay prominent.
3. Use Industry Related Keywords
Images and graphics are crucial to your home page, but nothing is more important than the written word. Industry-related keywords will not only describe your business but will also help your site appear in search results such as a Google search. Try making a list of key terms associated with your business/industry, then use keyword research tools to verify their relevance such as Ubersuggest
4. Leave Out Pointless Information
Your home page should just have information your audience would want or need to read. Make your home page content goal-oriented, then help readers click to other areas of your site for more information. Once you have created your first draft, read through it and look for any unnecessary information.
5. Concentrate on Benefits more than Features
Focus on the benefits on your home page, this is what will interest your users at this point. Once your site visitors have a strong insight into how you can help them, they will be more likely to click through and learn more about the features on your product pages.
A technique commonly used by some of the best-known companies!
6. Help your Visitors to Navigate
For most businesses, and especially if you offer more than one product or service, your landing page should mostly serve to help visitors find the specific pages that they are looking for.
Navigation is not all about site design, the function is also important. It should provide access to all areas of your site, but some should be more prominent than others based on user goals.
7. Create your Headline Last
Your headline is by far the most crucial element of your home page. It is the first thing people see when they land, and it needs to grab their attention and encourage them to keep reading.
Writing it last will mean you will have even more insight into your business and therefore will help you find the perfect headline. Brainstorm a variety of headlines and A/B test them with your target audience to see which one makes more of an impact.
A great example is Nike’s iconic headline
8. Things to Consider on The Homepage
Headline
Other than the background image, this is the first thing visitors will see when they come to your site. That means it needs to be well thought out. Do not rush this!
It should be short and attention-grabbing. Aim for 6-12 words. No fluff.
Tell the visitor what benefit they will get from working with you in as few words as possible, without being vague.
Sub-headline
Here you can expand on your headline. It can be a little longer but does not have to be.
The aim is to draw them in deeper and really emphasize the benefits of what you have to offer. Avoid jargon and do not just talk about yourself/your business.
Call to action
The call to action is usually a button that is shown right below the headline and sub-headline.
What is the next step the visitor should take? It might be to schedule a call, sign up, send an enquiry, or browse your website further.
Button action
When the user clicks the button (call to action), what should happen? What page would you like them to go to?
Conclusion
You should always think of your home page as a work-in-progress that you can update and improve on.
Creating effective content for your home page can take a lot of time, effort, and testing to get right but with these tips, you will be on your way to your perfect homepage.
