How To Write A Home Page That Captivates Readers

Have you ever thought about the journey someone takes when they come across you online? Whether it’s on social, on Youtube, or wherever you show up, that person was interested enough to click through to your website. 

But, where do they land on your website, and, more importantly, what happens when they land on your website?

I’ll take a wild guess they’re landing on your Home Page. And if they don’t land on your Home Page initially, they are probably heading there next. That’s why your Home Page is a key player in your website, so you need to make sure it’s working for you. And that starts with your copy.

As the main page of your website, your Home Page has a lot of work to do in a very short amount of time. You need to tell your readers:

• What you do

• How you do it

• Why it’s worth the investment

• Where they need to go next to work with you

While design and branded photos certainly help connect you to your readers, it’s your copy that’s going to hook them, keep them reading, and convince them to work with you. 

That’s why you need to learn how to write a home page that WOWs. Because if you don’t WOW your audience on the number one page they visit, they probably won’t click onto any of your other pages either.

So how can you write a compelling and unmissable Home Page? Here are 4 of my best tips that work for my clients and will work for you too! I’ll even throw in an extra five tips at the end to help you write a Home Page that builds brand loyalty and lands clients.

Write A Great Headline

A great Home Page should always start with a compelling headline that hooks your reader enough to keep reading to learn more about you and what you offer. Not only should your headline convey the value of working with you, but it also needs to be written with these three questions in mind:

• Why is your reader landing on your site in the first place?

• What do they need?

• How can you give them what they need? 

Give them the answers in your headline. Think of your headline as your promise to your reader. Explain the benefit your clients get when working with you so they understand exactly what you can do for them. 

Depending on your industry or niche, you can have multiple headlines on your Home Page. Headlines are a great way to highlight important information while also breaking up the text on your page and making your Home Page more scannable. Use subheadlines if you need a little more room to expand on your promise.

Which leads me to my next point…

Write For Your Audience

Similar to writing your About Page, your Services Page, or any page on your website, you need to write for your audience. It might be your website, but you need to make it about your reader. You’re writing about the problems they are facing and how you can solve them to make their life better. But, to write to your reader, you need to know who you’re talking to first. 

This is where understanding your ideal client avatar (ICA) and their deepest desires come in. Knowing your ICA  is one of the first things you learn as a business owner –or should learn. 

Why do you need to know this? Because you’ll be talking to your ideal client in every part of your business moving forward, including your website, your social channels, your advertisements, and anywhere else you have copy. 

When you know exactly what your ideal audience needs and what keeps them up at night, you are better able to write directly to them. Knowing your reader inside and out will help you write copy that convinces them you’re the person they need to help them get what they want and ultimately invest in your offer. 

A great way to make sure you’re writing to your reader is to check how many times you’re using “I/we” versus “you/your” in your copy. That should quickly tell you if your Home Page is more focused on you rather than your reader. 

Write About Your Value

Remember how your headline promised your reader something? Explain the promise your headline makes by expanding on the value you provide your clients further down your Home Page. 

You can tell your reader why you’re different from your competitors, what you bring to the table, what problems you solve, and what benefits you deliver that will change their world. Don’t focus on features. Just focus on specific benefits your customers get by working with you. 

Write Concisely

You want to keep your writing concise and cut to the chase as soon as possible. Internet and mobile users have short attention spans, so if you don’t tell your reader what your website is about right away, there is a good chance they’ll click off your Home Page fast. 

Don’t waste time on details, and please don’t give a full biopic background of your business. Just tell your reader what your value is and the biggest benefits of working with you. Give your reader enough information to take action. You can fill them in on the details later. 

Other Tips For Writing Your Home Page

1. Always include testimonials if you have them. It’s a great way to brag about yourself and what you can do for your clients without actually bragging. 

2. Include your bio on your Home Page but make sure you’re not copy-pasting your About Page. You want a short bio that highlights your unique value and your credentials while establishing that know, like, and trust factor — but you also don’t want your bio to overwhelm your Home Page either. Keep it short and simple.

3. You can write the best home page copy out there, but if your home page doesn’t look good, it’s probably not going to convert your readers into paying clients. Invest in a designer that knows what they are doing. It really makes a difference in the readability of your Home Page. 

4. Always proofread your copy! Grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes happen to us all, but they can also distract your reader from the promise you’re offering them. Take that extra 10 minutes to catch those mistakes.

5. Tell your reader exactly what the next step is. Do you want them to check out your services page? Book a consultation call? Listen to your podcast? Nail down your Call To Action and clarify what you want your reader to do next.

6. Try not to make your reader hunt down ways to work with you. Make it as easy as possible, and include your contact info somewhere on the page. Or, at the very least, link to your contact page.

If you need a little more help in structuring the copy and flow of your Home Page, check out The Home Page Outline in the shop, or if you want a copywriter (like me) to write your Home Page for you, contact me to see how we can work together!

Don’t forget to check out my post about how to write an About Page that is compelling and unmissable.