Homepage Heaven
Your homepage is arguably the most important page on your site. It’s the place where most people will land, and the impression it gives in a few seconds will determine whether people continue to contact you for a potential sale or just keep surfing.
There are a number of things you can and must do to ensure your homepage is working effectively for you. These include having a clear title, aligning your product or service effectively, establishing trust, and making it clear why visitors should choose you.
Catchy Titles
A few carefully chosen words can catch someone’s attention, intrigue and have them eager for more. If you have a great unique selling point, use that, or here are some more ways to make an impression with a headline:
Use ‘how to’ phrases – people are often looking for information quickly.
Promise a major benefit – save £100 a year
Target specific customer types – e.g. ‘websites for plumbers’
Ask a question that makes them say ‘yes!’ – Are you baffled by the Internet?
One Product or Many?
If you only have one product or service, it’s important to get to the point quickly. Hit them with your Unique Selling Point straight away, and the benefits they will gain from purchasing what you offer.
If you offer a range of products it is more important to emphasise why you are the company to go for. You could sell yourself as the best value in the market place, on location, variety or quality customer service.
If you have any unmissable specials, make sure they're clearly explained and immediately spotted.
Establish Trust
Everyone says they offer great customer service, but can you prove it? Use customer testimonials to show you’re not just blowing your own trumpet.
Also, stating what qualifications you have and even providing scans of the certificates will prove that you’re serious about what you do. If you have any awards, don’t be shy! Tell your customers what they are for and include logos of awarding bodies.
Now it’s possible for almost anyone to make a website, but many people are worried that a company they contact online might take their money and run. If you can include an address and photographs of your premises or branded vehicles, you prove you are not a fly-by-night rogue trader.
Finally, using the logos of relevant associations and official bodies, or even just other known companies can give you ‘borrowed credibility’.
Calls to Action
As any marketer will tell you, Calls to Action are powerful persuaders. Of course, no human is quite mindless enough to blindly follow the order ‘Buy Now!’ just because it says so – but research shows that calls to action have a subliminal effect and a direct impact on enquiries and sales.
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