Do You Make This Mistake On Your Homepage?

October 11, 2010 by

Say you're a recent acquaintance and I invite you over to my home. You arrive and I start off  talking about my job, my house, and maybe the neighborhood...typical small talk to break the ice.

It might go something like this:

"Welcome to my home. Come on in. Yup, I'm a Web writer. My wife and I bought the house in 1988. Added a new room and modernized the wiring. Yeah, we love the bookshelves and the fireplace. And it's a great neighborhood."

And doesn't this sound kinda like:

"Welcome to the Acme Blue Widgets website. We've been serving customers since 1988. We added 33,000 square feet of warehouse space and modernized our manufacturing facility. We love providing solutions for our customers. And we're centrally located."

Is this what you want to read on your first visit to a website? Probably not. That's because visitors online most likely have a problem or want to find something. They want answers... fast.  (And of course we're hoping the answer is to buy your product or service!) It turns out that a perfectly natural way to greet new friends at home is a sure fire way to get a fast click out the door online.

So, what's on your prospect's mind when they reach your homepage?

  1. They want to know they're in the right place.
    Visitor: "Is this a website that sells Blue Widgets?"
  2. They want to be satisfied and confident that your business can help them.
    Visitor: "There's the phone number and I see I can send the product back if I'm not satisfied."
  3. They want to easily find what they're looking for on your website.
    Visitor: "Now, where do I click to find out more about the 4oz. blue widgets?"

What your prospects don't want...at least not yet...is to read all about your company. When new visitors reach your homepage, they're already action oriented. They don't need you to "break the ice."

Remember, your website must be visitor centric. Even if current customers cut you some slack, if you focus all of your homepage content on what a great company you are, first timers will click away.

Maybe we shouldn't call it a homepage. How about guide page, help page, directions page, intro page...hmmm.

Any ideas?

Until next time,

Nick

Published in Content Writing Tips, Website Usability for Easy Navigation
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My name is Nick Burns and I specialize in SEO Web writing, website information architecture, content marketing and publishing. I write and develop content for most businesses including manufacturing, internet technology, insurance, software, large non-profits, consumer packaged goods, architects, industrial and heavy equipment distributors, restaurants, financial services, advertising/marketing agencies, golf, fitness, and internet marketers.

Face to face service in Utica, Rome, Syracuse areas, Central New York, Upstate New York and the Mohawk Valley. Otherwise online, Skype, and phone works well for me and for clients.