Whether you are writing copies for your website or you hire someone to help you write the copy, you want to make sure to get it right, especially your HOMEPAGE. This is because even though your homepage might not be that high converting money page in a direct response marketing sort of ways like a dedicated service or product landing page, it is where people go when they want to know more about you (business/brand) and what you do (service/product).

Think about it, you may be scrolling through Instagram and seeing a brand name or a person that you want to know more about. What do you do? You google them!

Or, maybe you are on Facebook and you see an ad in your feed for a free e-course and you click because it is a great ad, but the resulting landing page is set up for nothing more than lead generation with minimal information about the brand behind the course. So what do you do? You click on over to the home page.

Or maybe you are at a networking event and you give someone your business card or someone visits your profile on LinkedIn or you reach out to potential new clients, the first common thing they will want to do is to visit your website. All of these are ways organic traffic will come to your website and if you are not addressing what a potential customer or client needs to know quickly, chances are you will lose them forever.

The goal of your homepage is simple. It is to create trust, build authority and offer the next steps. It's your public image, which is why I like to refer to your homepage as your PR page. It is public relations at its finest. Your homepage is often the first thing your prospects see when they come to your website. So you have to make that first impression count.

According to MarTech, today, a company's homepage accounts for up to 50% of a site's total page views, and CrazyEgg, another website optimization source, estimates that you only have 30 seconds to get visitors to stick around.  You need to professionally communicate the What, the Who,  the where, the when, the why, and the How of your business ASAP.

Now, before I dive into our six-step formula for writing an authority-boosting homepage, I do want to set a couple of things straight.

What I am talking about today is your homepage, not an about page or a landing page. Your about page is separate from your homepage and it's where you expand on your background, company history, values, mission, and team. It's where all that stuff goes. Those are important but do not need to be known right away by your ideal prospect.

So think of your homepage as your elevator pitch that is about who you are and what you do, it is where people can go for the full story. Now a landing page, on the other hand, is designed to receive direct traffic from a very specific source like an ad or an email hence the word 'landing page'. Landing pages or conversion tools focus on a singular call to action. They are built for paid traffic campaigns, promotional pages, and lead generation and are not necessarily designed to be permanent pages in your site's main navigation. Unlike your homepage which acts as a permanent route to your .com.

All right, let's get into it.

Here is our six-step formula for writing your homepage copy that works. Now each one comes in the form of a question that you must address in the mind of your ideal website visitor. Be sure to think about your answers carefully.

Question 1: What can you do for me?

Well, your website visitors do not want to know who you are. What they really out is what you can do for them. The header section that appears on your homepage above the fold is the most essential part of your homepage. This is what determines whether someone stays and scrolls or bounces out of there. The best header copy states clearly what you help your prospects with and why that matters. Do not and I repeat, do not write "Welcome to our Website". That will be a waste of prime real estate on your website. Write in simple terms what you do and how that will benefit your website visitors.

Do not forget to plug in a call to action button immediately after your hero or header text. This is very critical to generating leads for your business.

A great ‘header’ example is what we did with the FLPRO Limited website which uses their headline to convey a powerful benefit and a sub-headline that quickly summarizes what they can do for you.

And do not forget to include other elements in your header that are focal to your brands, such as your logo and a clear and easy-to-navigate menu.

Question 2: Why should I listen to you?

Here is what your prospect is asking in other words; What makes you different? How did you get here? What's your mission? Why are you the one that can help me?

On your homepage, be sure to include a short description of you and your story to create trust and relatability. Note that people are looking for businesses they can relate to. This is especially important if you are a personality-based brand like a coach, consultant, or service-based business.

You can do this through a short bio like what Marie Forleo did on her homepage. Or you could quickly dive into your origin story to be real about your journey like what Connor Beaton, empowerment coach and founder of ‘Man Talks' did on his homepage.

If you are not writing copy for a personality-based brand, you can use this copy to share your brand purpose statement to establish trust like this awesome example by FLPRO Limited where we clearly stated their mission of ‘Shaping Talents to be Pros!’

FLPRO Ltd Website.png Image

Okay, so now that you have gotten your audience's attention with what you can do for them and why you are doing it, it's time to answer the third question.

Question 3: What makes you legit?

It is important that your homepage builds trust and credibility, therefore, showcase as much social proof as you can. These authority elements can include client testimonials, media appearances, press coverage, or featuring any notable brands you have worked with.

A great example of this is Author Brene Brown's homepage, which is sprinkled with loads of social proof from podcasts she has been on;  her Netflix special, media appearances, to her best-selling books.

Of course, we're not all Netflix stars with people like Oprah backing us up but you get the idea.

If you don't have these credibility boosters just yet, you can link to your social media accounts to showcase the following size, or at the very least demonstrate that you're active across all social media platforms, which gives your business more visibility and therefore credibility. And no matter what, please always make sure it's fact-checked and authentic.

Alright! Moving along to the next question on everyone's mind. Question Four.

Question 4: What do you do?

So many brands and businesses make the mistake of leaving this critical information elsewhere on their sites like an 'about page' or a dedicated 'work with me' page. Well, it is still a good idea to have these two pages, but do not take the risk of having a visitor bounce off before they even have the slightest idea about what your service is or what you do. Even if you have mentioned it briefly on the hero/header part of your homepage, make sure to have a section that clearly summarizes your work or your unique offer and conveys the benefits that this will provide.

In this example below, we did a really clever job with this on our website with a wide section that clearly explains briefly each of the services we offer and the benefits the client will experience by working with us, followed by a little section on what we do and how we do it.

Okay, now that you have got that covered, it is time to answer the question. Where do I start?

Question 5: Where do I start?

Do not make people guess the next steps. Let them know how to get in touch with you to experience your product or potentially work with you.

If you do have a lead capture on your homepage, make sure that it is visible at multiple points throughout your copy. So do not just rely on a single call to action at the header or the footer You can feature it midway on your homepage or use a floating signup bar in a way that does not disturb your visitors.

If you are not capturing leads or featuring a sales launch, you can simply suggest your visitors contact you for a quote, a call or a strategy session via a contact form or a meeting booking platform like Calendly.

It all depends on your brand and your business. But here is a tip, your CTA should be highly relevant to what you offer as specified in your header copy.

Okay, now we are down to our last question. Question number six.

Question 6: Why should I stick around?

Ultimately, the goal of your homepage is to turn those lurkers into leads. You want to keep your ideal customers on your website or in your brand's ecosystem. So your homepage needs to make it really easy for your audience to visit other parts of your site. This can be done by linking your homepage to other featured pages on your website like your about page, services page, work with me page, pricing page, and blog.

Sharing your social media and content platforms is also a great way to get your visitors to explore your brand. So make sure you have visible social media icons on your homepage to make it easy for visitors and prospects to connect and engage with you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube if you are active on those platforms.

We did a great job of this with the FLPRO Limited website as we showcase their Instagram recent activity on their homepage. Other social media platforms are also linked on the footer of the website.

Alright, those are the six questions you need to answer to create massive authority with your homepage copy. But the most important tip of all is to keep it short, simple, and clear. Homepages are meant to be punchy and you will want to use powerful and precise wording to get your message across in the shortest way possible. Got it?

Give me a thumbs up below if you find this article helpful. Also, leave a comment and let us know if you are answering these questions on your homepage already.

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