A homepage is often the most important and visited page on any website. So whether you’re starting from scratch with a brand new website or updating your old one, it’s vital to get it right.
In this article we explore how to write your website homepage and what information needs be on there.
Grab your reader’s attention from the start
Studies have shown that you have 0.05 seconds to convince people to stay on your website. That’s why it’s crucial to grab your reader’s attention as soon as they land on your homepage. And what better way to do that than with a catchy and relevant heading?
Your homepage’s main heading (also known as the H1) should summarise in a few words what you do and why you’re great. It will let your audience know whether they’ve come to the right place or not. Your H1 also carries a lot of weight with search engines, so be sure to work in a primary keyword for added SEO juice. For example, the main heading for a Melbourne suit tailoring business could be “A cut above the rest – prestige Melbourne suit tailors”.
Supporting your main heading with a sentence or two of intro copy will help further your elevator pitch and explain in slightly more detail why your audience should keep reading.
Tell your audience who you are and what you do
If your main heading and intro are the most important things, then what comes next is not far behind it. Most users won’t scroll further than halfway down your web page, so you need your heavy-hitting content right at the top. After your main heading, your proceeding sub-headings and copy should concisely tell your reader:
- who you are – tell your story with a brief about us section
- what you do – your key products and/or services
- why you do it – your values or your mission
- why you’re better than your competitors – your unique selling points.
Add links to other pages across your website
Your homepage should act as the airport terminal of your website, with users landing and then taking off to other pages along their journey. It’s important that you help your user get to where they need to go – whether that’s your contact us page to get in touch, your about us page to discover about more about you, or a product or service page to find more specific information.
The easiest way to direct your user is through links to other pages. These links could be in the form of hyperlinked text, buttons, clickable images or tiles. The most important thing is that you tell your user what they can do next and drive them to act.
Incredibly, 70% of small business websites lack a call to action (CTA) on their home page. A good CTA is the difference between a user staying on your website or leaving. The best method is to write something that’s short, starts with a verb (action word) and tells the user what they can expect if they follow it. Here are some common examples of CTAs:
- contact us today
- get in touch
- discover our products
- find out more about our services.
Create credibility with client testimonials
These days we’re constantly bombarded with advertising and marketing messages. This means that people have become immune to a sales pitch. One easy way to gain cut through and credibility with your audience is through client testimonials, reviews and/or logos.
When someone outside your business praises you, it carries a lot of weight, as people place a lot of trust in reviews and testimonials. This could be as simple as adding some positive feedback you’ve received to your home page.
There can be a lot of things to consider when you’re writing your homepage – on top of everything we’ve listed above. This is where affordable, expert small business copywriters come in handy. At Shuttle Rocket, writing homepage copy is our bread and butter. So why not get in touch today to see how we can help your home page take off?