image courtesy of stuartmiles/freedigitalphotos.net
As I said last week, I think it’s a good idea to forget those annoying sliders and concentrate on an effective homepage headline instead.
Sliders are hard to read and they spray out too much info at once, creating a confusing user experience. The problem with that is it’s too easy to click away if you make your visitor work too hard.
So, what are the basics for a headline that satisfies your visitors, especially new ones to your site?
Write a Homepage Headline that That Draws Visitors In
Keep in mind that your homepage is your portal. It’s the place that a visitor sizes up your site. He or she uses it to determine quickly whether or not it’s the place they can get the answers they’re searching for.
So, create and organize your homepage content for the new visitor. Returning visitors will cut you some slack with info they already know, but confused new visitors will click away.
This is why you should replace that slider with a powerful headline that: 1) tells your visitor what you do and 2) lets them know how you can help them.
Let’s look at some examples of homepage headlines. The first is mine and the rest are headlines I’ve written for clients…
NKB Marketing
“Business and Non-Profit Marketers Get a Winning Content Strategy PLUS the Special Web Writing to Make it Work”
Notice here the headline not only lets you know that I can help with your content strategy and web writing but it also makes clear who I can help.
Beauty School
“Beaulaz Beauty School and Laser Training Centre is Your Fast Track to an Amazing Career in the Beauty Industry”
Obvious what this business is and what it will do for aspiring beauticians.
Public Adjuster
“Insurance Claim Recovery Experts Working to get You the Best Possible Property Loss Settlement”
You get the picture. Notice also the keywords in each of the headlines: “Content Strategy,” “Web Writing,” Beauty School and Laser Training,” “Insurance Claim Recovery,” and “Property Loss Settlement.”
I sometimes wonder if the tendency to forego a headline on the homepage is a reflection of marketers’ old fashioned, pre-internet view that “our audience already knows us, why announce what we do on our website?”
Which begs another question, why even bother with the Web if everyone already knows about you? The fact is that the Web expands your marketplace, even if you’re a regional business or non-profit. If you want to take advantage, you have to change your approach. Successful inbound marketing demands an easy user experience.
So, let’s get more sales, visitors, donations, whatever you want from your site, by starting with an effective homepage headline.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns is an SEO web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. He provides clients a winning content strategy plus the special web writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
