Your home page is often the first page on your website that new visitors will encounter, which means that it’s your best chance to make a good first impression. More than that, It’s the best place for new and returning visitors alike to quickly understand what your business is about, as well as the products and services that you offer.
That’s why it’s so important to focus on creating a homepage that hooks your website visitors in and makes them want to find out more!
But how do you write a home page that can do that?
As always, we’ve got you covered! Keep scrolling to discover 7 tips for writing an amazing homepage, plus the 5 key features you should include.
Words: Adriana Thani
What exactly is a home page?
A home page is a page on your website that acts as a starting point for visitors in exploring your website. Think of it as a map and your website as a journey – where are the places your visitors should click to next?
To a lesser extent, your website’s home page is also a space to succinctly introduce your branding and business. People should get a feel for your overall vibe from this one page, and trust that it’ll carry through in the rest of your website experience!
Tips for writing an amazing home page
We’ve got a few tried and tested ways to create a home page that creates impact and leaves a lasting impression! It’s important to remember these key tips so you’re making full use of this important page as part of the overall content and marketing strategy on your website.
1. Use your brand voice consistently throughout
It’s really important that you narrow down how you’re speaking to the audience before you think of what you want to write. Identifying your brand voice is a key part of your branding process, so make sure you’re always adapting that voice as part of all the writing you do on your website – especially your home page!
2. Focus on ‘you’ language
Think from the perspective of the audience (AKA potential customer) when you’re writing copy for your home page. When your visitors head to your home page, they’re wanting to know how your business, product, and services serve them.
Using ‘you’ language puts the focus on how the reader will benefit from your business, which is more powerful and effective compared to heavily promoting what you have to offer. So ensure there are more ‘you’ words than ‘I’ (or ‘we’) in your home page copy!
3. Forget jargon – use relatable language instead
If you want to relate to your customers (and you should), you need to make sure you’re speaking their language. Don’t overwhelm them with technical jargon and complicated words. They should be able to immediately digest what you’re saying without needing to click away from your website to find out the definition of an unfamiliar word or phrase!
You should, of course, balance this with being professional and credible. You still want to come off as a trustworthy source of information. So always pair your casual tone with correct grammar and impeccable spelling.
4. Keep sentences short
When it comes to your website copy, short and sweet will always do better than long-winded. Short sentences are easier to read and has a more zippy rhythm. Plus, it saves your audience’s precious time, which they’ll appreciate!
Short sentences and succinct paragraphs won’t happen in your very first draft, so just make shortening sentences a primary focus when you edit and proofread. Remember, fragments are totally acceptable for your home page copy too.
5. Avoid long blocks of text
If there’s one sure way to bore your website visitors, it’s long blocks of text. Even if they’re interested in what you’re saying, it’s all too easy for them to lose focus!
We know you have a lot to say, and that’s alright, but you need to break it up visually to keep people interested. Here are a few easy ways you can add visual interest and break up long blocks of text:
- Add images and/or icons
- Use bullet points
- Separate text blocks into attractive columns or blocks
6. Optimise with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
Your entire web page should be SEO-optimised if you want any hope of turning up in search engine page results! It’s particularly important that your home page is optimised, because it acts as a useful entry point for new visitors to find what they’re searching for.
It’s not too difficult to do your own keyword research to use on your home page for SEO, but we highly recommend investing in high-quality and long-term keyword research for your website if you really want your business to grow online.
5 Key features your home page should include
1. A powerful headline (that you write last!)
While it’s best to come up with your headline after you do the rest of the content on this list, we thought it might be a good idea to put it here first so you’ll keep it in mind throughout the whole process.
We’re often asked, “what is the best length for a good headline”? Well, there’s no hard and fast rule, but you should definitely keep it on the shorter side. It’s generally been found that 6-12 words are all you need to create an engaging headline.
As for formulating the headline, we recommend using your mission statement as a guide. Your headline should contain the core of what you have to offer to your audience – how does your product or service make their life better?
Here are some examples of great home page headlines to inspire you:
- “Boutique copywriting + Instagram management services specialising in weddings & wellness. That’s Content Savvy.” – This is from our own Content Savvy home page, obviously!
- “The one stop destination for millennial women who want financial freedom (without skimping on brunch).” – This is from one of our favourite podcasts, She’s On The Money.
- “Work on big ideas, without the busywork.” – This is from our go-to project management solution, Asana.
2. An elevator pitch
If you don’t know what an elevator pitch is, it’s basically a brief and impactful statement about what you do and what you sell. It shouldn’t take more that 20 to 30 seconds to say out loud – about the length of an elevator ride!
Your elevator pitch should complement and expand upon the ideas behind your headline. Ask yourself these questions when you’re creating your elevator pitch:
- Who is your target audience? (Hint: it should be your customers!)
- What is the problem you’re providing a solution for?
- How will you provide that solution?
- What are the benefits you’ll provide your customers?
- What sets you apart from everyone else?
3. Quick intro to who you are
This is where you quickly explain how you and your business are uniquely positioned to offer the solutions that solve your customers’ problems. It doesn’t have to be your full bio – that’s what your about page is for! But there should be a quick “get to know me” feel to this section of your home page.
4. A guide to your website
Think of this section more like a map than a table of contents. Think of how you’d like new visitors to begin exploring your website, and use that to point them in the right direction. Alternatively, you can use this section to prioritise the three key pages you want to drive traffic to!
It’s important to remember that this section shouldn’t repeat the information found in your website menu. That’s where you include links to your about page, online shop, and contact page, whereas this is more like a ‘where to start’ section that highlights your top performing pages so you can really make an impression.
Here are some examples of your website pages that you can link to on your home page:
- Popular product/service pages
- Your blog page or your most popular blog posts
- Testimonials and reviews
- Subscriber sign-up forms
5. Social buttons
If you’ve got social pages on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or LinkedIn, you should include them on your website! This is a great way for you to drive traffic to those profiles and connect with your audience beyond your brand’s website experience.
Don’t forget design and user experience
While the copy of your home page should definitely be your primary focus, it’ll still fall flat if you don’t also design your home page to be user friendly and aesthetically appealing. As we mentioned before, your home page should make a big impression from the get-go, and beautiful design is a huge part of that.
Here are some things you should consider doing to make sure your home page really pops:
- Highlight your branding – this includes your logo, brand fonts, and brand colours
- Have plenty of white space
- Optimise for mobile!
- Use your best product and branding photos
Make an unforgettable first impression with an irresistible homepage
Your home page should say just enough about your brand to pique a visitor’s curiosity to learn more! Focus on creating a home page experience that is true to your brand while highlighting how your audience will benefit from giving you their time and attention.
Still not sure you can write home page copy that does justice to your brand? Well, our team is here to help! Our copywriters are skilled at crafting home page copy that’s engaging and authentic. So get in touch with us so we can help you create an amazing home page for your website.
Leave a Reply