Home Page Hit or Strikeout? 5 Content Tips to Cover Your Bases
Striking out on home page content can turn customers off and turn them away from your brand. Your home page serves as the front door to digital visitors coming to evaluate your business, so anticipating their needs and delivering on their expectations are critical to achieving a home run with them.
So, what are the top five things to consider when crafting your home page content?
- Be inclusive
Include home page content that speaks to all your audience segments – not just one. If you’re like most companies, you have different target audiences for different product lines or service offerings. Create content for each segment to ensure that everyone who lands on your home page can instantly connect with something relevant.
Tip: Your home page slider is a great place to feature content that speaks to different audience personas. Create a slider image with a line of content for each one and link it to a content page or asset that speaks directly to those individuals.
- Avoid confusion
Don’t let home page creativity get in the way of clarity when it comes to telling prospects what you do – and why you do it. Communicate your company’s value proposition in five words or less. Prospects won’t take more than a few seconds to decide if your business is right for them. Get this wrong and you’ll see high bounce rates on your home page, which would be an indication of the mass exodus of traffic leaving your site.
Tip: Lead your home page with an engaging, compelling headline that appeals across all audience segments and clearly communicates your unique selling proposition.
- Communicate trust
Once you captivate your audience with your company’s message, it’s time to gain their trust and confidence. This can be done in a number of ways, including via testimonials, client lists, case studies, media coverage and industry awards/recognition. Prospects are looking for validation that your business is credible and that your brand can be trusted, so don’t bury this information too deep within your site. Put your best credentials on your home page, where they can work on your behalf.
Tip: Name-drop or include a powerful testimonial from one of your most prominent clients on your home page to quickly establish brand credibility.
- Engage strategically
Today’s digitally savvy audiences are primed for video and interactive content that gets them involved with your brand. Be sure to include video-based content on your home page to satisfy this demand. The video you include should be appropriate for all audience segments – and more thought leadership than overt sales. Invest in a top-of-funnel, branded video that’s visually appealing, short and informative to engage prospects quickly.
Tip: Avoid highly technical how-to videos on your home page, as they will appeal only to one specific audience niche and won’t appeal to non-technical decision makers.
- Optimize the journey
Consider your users’ experience when crafting home page content. Be sure to include content that’s clear and pays off on what is expected. Take care to link to subpages that deliver on the promise that you made. Don’t offer up too many links or assets on one page, as that may confuse or fatigue users. Map out the user journey based on his or her place in the sales cycle and serve up content that’s appropriate for those needs.
Tip: Include content on your home page that lets prospects choose their journey so you can lead them through a path of content that’s tailored to their needs: top of funnel, highly engaged or ready to buy.
Need more inspiration for home page content? Take a look at your website analytics to see which pages are gaining the most traction and then infuse some of that content into your home page.
Is your home page optimized with these five home page essentials? If not, contact us for home page copywriting services that inform, engage and convert.