On a previous post, we talked about what to include on your homepage above the fold…
Now let’s talk about some of the things that you want to include on your home page.
1. WHAT? - I need to know what this website is about
People have very low attention spans, so when you’re wiring and eating your website, you need to grab people’s attention quickly, but also make sure that you let people know what your website is about.
By using images and using simple words, you’re able to tell the story about what this website is about. You don’t need to go into a story, just tell me what this is and why I need to stick around for more.
Some tips to make sure you grab people’s attention and you tell them what the website is about:
- Use short sentences
- Stick to ONE topic - for example, if you have a store, don’t put all of your products in one place, people will go crazy trying to understand what you sell. Instead, place the general categories with links to the specifics.
- Use images that show what this is about
- Avoid overcrowding with too much information - you want to explain and write the copy for your target audience, but avoid overwhelming your audience.
The most important idea here is that the home page is the place where I find out what you do. Make sure you stick to the main topic and avoid doing too much…
2. WHY? - I need to know why you exist?
So once we have covered the WHAT, people often want to know the WHY… Why is this important and why should I be paying attention?
Many times, when you’re writing your copy, you need to ask the question WHY in order to be able to bring out the truth about what you do. It’s not just a store, for example, it’s a place of belonging so that you can feel confident about yourself.
In the why, you want to cover the most important point about your visitor. What is your mission? How does that relate to the customer? Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to keep on doing this? - These are all questions that can help you to draw out the why…
Some tips to get you started on your WHY:
- This is the place where you want to be descriptive and show with emotion why this means so much to you
- This is a great opportunity to open up
- When you answer the questions above, you will naturally be able to tell the user the most important part about your why and the reasons why this is important for them.
It helps when you think about your customer in this way… What’s in it for them? Think of everyone being selfish. When you make your why about them, it becomes easier to write the copy and to make sure that your customers are on your mind throughout the process.
3. WHO? Who am I talking to?
In a previous post, we talked about the target market and why that is very important. (CLICK HERE TO READ THAT POST). In here, let’s focus on the home page and the who…
The home page should tell you who is this for… Your images are your target market’s images. For example, if you like to work with women, then put women in your images, not men.
The copy and the images need to resemble and remind your target customer about them. When they’re on your website, they need to find a CONNECTION to whatever you have to offer, so make it easy for them to create images in your customer’s mind about buying your product or service.
Some tips to get you started on your WHO:
- Pretend you’re in a coffee shop and your target market is having coffee with you, focus on speaking to them
- What are some of the things that they like to hear about your products and services?
- Focus on what will RESONATE with them, not about giving me all the information, just focus on what they would want to hear…
A great way to make a connection is to use testimonials from previous clients. Especially if you’re able to show testimonials in a video form, you are able to capture the positives of buying from you, and the target customer sees someone who might be similar to them.
When you use testimonials, make it known and obvious that the testimonial comes from a client who worked with you or bought your product. Highlight the most important part of the testimonial. Bonus points if you have a picture or an image.
4. WHERE? Where do I go from here?
So you have them on your homepage, where do they go from there? Do you make it easy to create a transaction?
One of the most important parts of a website is knowing where to put a Call To Action (CTA) or a button or link that directs the user to go from place to place.
As the website owner, you’re the one creating this customer journey so that it’s easy to stay on your page and it’s easy to move from step to step. Do you want them to leave their email? Do you want them to buy a product? LET THEM KNOW!
If the user doesn’t know where to go or where to click, they will leave your site.
Some tips to get started with your WHERE?
- Use buttons and links on every page and connect your pages to one another, starting with your home page.
- Make the connections relevant - for example - don’t connect me to your about page when I’m on your store page…
- Make sure you connect me from your home page to the most important and relevant information that you have.
- Every connection needs to add more and more value to what you’re trying to convey to your user.
The where is all about having a clear organization of your website process and how that translates to the user’s customer journey. It starts in the home page and the place of where you put your CTA dictates how the customer journey takes place.
Ok, so what will be your focus? Take a look at your website and see if it passes the 4 questions. Stick to your homepage first and see how easily it is to navigate from place to place. Are you telling me your WHAT? Are you answering the WHY? Are you focused on your WHO? Are you giving me the WHERE?
If you want to get your website reviewed, click here so we can make sure you follow the right Website Strategy that makes sense for you.