Website Writing: The Home Page

Home pages have been called "the most valuable real estate in the world" with good reason. Most people who visit your website will make an quick, but lasting impression of your business from what they see on your home page. Give them what they are looking for and you have a potential customer who will stay and find out more. If not, they will quickly click elsewhere.

If you want to get the right content on your home page, put yourself in the shoes of a visitor who knows nothing about you, but is looking for a business like yours. Then, make sure that your home page answers the most common visitor questions:

1. Where am I?

Your visitor should see your organization name prominently displayed at the top of the page. If your organization name is not clearly indicative of what you do, follow the name with either a tagline or a descriptive heading. For example, the business name "Home Care Services" could mean a lot of different things to different people. Adding "Caring for Your Home While You Are Away From Home" helps to establish your business category.

2. Can they help me?

Provide the visitor with clues to the target market for your particular products/services. Some common market separators include:

• geography: do you serve "the Chicago area" or "the international marketplace?"
• income-level: is your product "world-class" or "affordably priced?"
• occupation or interest: are you addressing "cat lovers" or "business travelers?"

You will also want to provide brief descriptions of your products/services. This might be a list of your six lines of business or photos of your main products. Include any key words or concerns that people would typically have in mind when looking for a business like yours. It's always a good idea to ask people you know who are representative of your target audience what they would look for.

3. Are they any good?

Make sure to include why visitors should trust you with their business. What makes you better than the rest? This might include your:

• number of years in business
• connections to the right people
• experience that no one else has
• degrees or licenses
• legions of delighted customers
• satisfaction guarantee

Be careful to back up any general statements with specifics. Visitors will be skeptical of "customer first" mission statements or "lowest price" offers. Customer testimonials, direct comparisons, or certifications from authoritative third-parties can go a long way towards supporting these types of assertions.

4. Where should I go next?

The goal of your homepage is to pull target visitors deeper into your website. Draw them in with enticing descriptions or examples of what they will find on your interior pages. For example, a bland "Learn more about our services" can be replaced with something more along the lines of: "Our services range from reliable truck rentals to a zero-effort move. Discover the moving package best for you."

One thing you don't want to do is confuse people by adding non-essential clutter to the page. Distractions like moving images, the current date/time, or links to other sites can lead people's thoughts away from your next page. Stick to answering the questions above with zesty writing and your home page will bring visitors a step closer to becoming customers.