How to Write a Killer Home Page

November 12, 2008 by Melissa Donovan

You can write your own home page. After all, how hard could it be?

You can also hire a website copywriter like me to write it for you. Either way, you should know exactly what goes into crafting a home page that is both effective and purposeful.

Think for a moment about the role your website has in contributing to the success of your business. Think about how your site works toward helping you achieve your goals. Your home page is your store front, your magazine cover, business card, brochure, and television commercial all rolled into one. It is your number one marketing tool, and it has an enormous job to do.

The Purpose of a Home Page

The visitors that come to your site are like window shoppers. They’re standing there for just a moment, checking out your sign, peeking at your inventory, and wondering if they should step through the door. You have that one moment to capture their attention and convince them to come inside.

Each home page is unique but they all have one common purpose: convert visitors into customers. A customer can be defined in many different ways — someone who subscribes to a newsletter, a person who purchases a product or service, or anyone who signs up as a registered user — these are just a few examples of who is considered a customer.

A website copywriter has to understand how to dress up that window so people want to come in and become customers. If you can do that, convert visitors to customers, then you’ve written a killer home page.

The Four Cornerstones of a Killer Home Page:

So how do you get passerbys to come in? One way to do this is through the four following steps:

Define your Offer – Tell people what you offer on your website by clearly describing your product or service.
Identify a Need – Explain why visitors need your product or service. Tell them how it solves a problem or fulfills one of their desires.
Make a Promise - It’s not enough to tell people what you’re selling and why they should buy it. You have to give them a reason to buy it from you. In this step, make a promise that makes your offer the most attractive one on the market.
Issue a Call to Action - Lead the visitor to the next step using links, buttons, or clickable images. Take them to a registration page, catalog, or to the online store. Direct that traffic! This is where the conversion from visitor to customer happens.

To put it simply, you tell people what you’re offering and why it will make their lives better. Then, you explain why yours is the best place to get it and nudge them toward the cash register.

Copy That Makes People Want to Come in

Once you’ve established your four cornerstones, you’ve got the foundation for your home page and all you need to do is develop the structure. Laying the groundwork is as easy as pouring cement but building rooms and hallways, putting up windows and doors — doors that customers will want to walk through — that’s the tricky part.

Good website copywriting is a specialty all its own. There are specific techniques for writing a killer home page, an intriguing about page, or a compelling product or services page. And then there are skills that apply to all of the written content on a website.

Truly great website copywriting:

Is clear, concise, and compelling
Speaks to the customer in a language they can understand
Incites visitors to take some action so they become customers
Focuses on benefits for the customer rather than features of the product
Always maintains the company brand and image, and adheres to the company mission and philosophy

There are plenty of other factors too, like keyword research and search engine optimization (SEO), which draw visitors to a site through search engines.

A website copywriter has a job that combines the skills of writing, marketing, and psychology with an understanding of how people use the Internet and respond to web content. Anyone can write a home page, that’s the truth. But writing a killer home page, that just might require a specialist.

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