26 Jul Home Page 101

Home pages are the welcome mats you roll out for your readers when they visit your website. This is a typically under appreciated but vitally important page that your website MUST have in order for you to communicate to your readers and get them to stick around. In today’s digital environment, we only have a few seconds and even fewer words to be able to hold our readers attention, and without an “interesting” homepage there is almost no way you can stop your readers from leaving your website. There are a few tips, however, that you can use to help keep your viewers engaged with your content so that they don’t wonder away from your site.
Why Are you Better than the Competition?
First, you need to come up with your Value Proposition. In 20 words or less, you need to tell your readers why they should be engaged in your website and why they should do business with you. This is the hook that you use to reel in your readers and keep them engaged. While 20 words might not seem like a whole lot, when you put your mind to it, you can cut out the extra fluff and get to the heart of the matter in an interesting way that readers will appreciate.
Now that you’ve gotten your readers interested, you’ll need to address the Pain Points. What can you offer your customers and what problems can you solve for them? This is where you get into the meat and potatoes of your message. This is where you tell them what you are offering and how you differ from the competition. Exercise your salesmanship here but, more importantly, be authentic and be unique with your message.
It’s Not About You!
One common mistake people make is that their homepage tends to be about themselves and not their website. Don’t fall into this trap. Your homepage is not about YOU but instead it is about your audience and what they need. It’s about what you are trying to sell and it’s about what message you want to get across to your readers. Save the author’s bio for the “About Us” page.
Keep your homepage short and sweet. You have mere seconds to get your readers attention, so avoid rambling paragraphs and blocks of text. Don’t bombard your newfound readers with information right away. Remember, your homepage is your welcome mat, so you have to invite them in first so that they may explore your site freely and without hesitation.
Ethical Bribe
You could also consider using a Lead Magnet (or ethical bribe). Provide something of value in exchange for their email address. People, initially, tend to do research before they hit that “buy” button, so a lead magnet is a good way to establish trust which allows you to market to them later on.
Keep it Fresh
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, keep your content fresh! Updated content is THE key factor in staying alive on the internet. News travels faster than ever before and people crave updates, whether it’s about the news or what’s happening on their Twitter feed. So, don’t get left behind! Keep your site current, fresh, and accurate so that your readers come back to you looking for authoritative information they can count on