Everyone knows that it's imperative to have good plans drawn up before beginning any type of construction. You need blueprints, diagrams and a solid foundation if your structure is to stand and be functional.
The same is true for your website's home page. Failure to make adequate plans can result in low traffic, and poor reader retention - both of which spell disaster if you're hoping to atrract clients.
Here are 7 important questions to ask, and answer, before you begin construction of your home page.
1. What is the purpose of your home page/what is your business about.
This is the most important question because all other decisions will be based upon the answer. Are you selling a product? A service? Do you want people to sign up for your newsletter? Are you providing basic information? Do you want the reader to take action or are you providing a passive service?
The key in this stage is to boil down exactly what your goal is for your business and your home page. Get it down to one sentence so that it clearly communicates what you want to accomplish.
2. Who is your audience?
Imagine you're in a crowded room and you have to pick out one person to make your sales pitch to. Who would that person be? How old are they? What's their annual income? Are they married or single? Are they blue collar or white collar?
It's important to get as specific as you can when it comes to who your target is because a mass-market approach doesn't work on the internet. You can't cast a net, hope to get a few good fish and throw the rest away. Web users are very specific in what they're looking for, which is why you have to be very specific when you're looking for them.
3. What content do you need to build on the home page?
Your home page must be designed as a hierarchy of information. You have to map it out for your reader to ensure they see the whole picture. If you slap things on your page without thinking, the reader may miss out on your offer, or may just get lost, in which case they'll go someplace else.
Use an outline or a diagram that'll guide your readers from the most important piece of information, then to the next, and so on. Make it easy for them to follow - like a map. This reduces reader confusion and keeps them on your site longer, and that makes it more likely that they'll buy into your offer.
4. Is my copy engaging my visitors?
There are hundreds of thousands of web pages online that offer people something to read. And to be honest, a lot of it is poorly written; lacking solid facts and just plain nonsensical.
Don't make the mistake of getting people to your homepage and then giving them less than stellar copy to read. It doesn't have to be written by an English professor, but it does have to have good grammar and spelling. It has to provide unique information that's not readily available elsewhere. And it has to hold the reader's interest from start to finish.
Too many website owners skimp on the copy portion of their website. They use words randomly, thinking that something is better than nothing - it isn't. There's just too much competition online to take a chance on the one thing that can make or break your business.
5. Do readers see me as credible?
A big problem with the Internet is that anyone can buy a domain name and throw together a web-based business. They can be living in a foreign country or in their parent's basement and the customer won't likely know the difference.
The trouble is that it's so easy for people to get burned by shopping online - and many have - which makes them distrustful.
One thing that's key to any successful business is credibility. Do your customers trust you? One way to make sure that they do is to get third-party testimonials from people who have done business with you in the past. People are much more likely to do business on the recommendation of a peer than they are by reading marketing hype. Get good testimonials and feature them prominently on your home page.
6. Do I have a call to action?
You can have the best-designed website with the most engaging offer, but you'll fail if you don't tell people what you want them to do.
There's an old adage that salespeople use, and that's: Always Be Closing. What that means is that you ask for the sale often in your presentation - not just at the end. The same goes for your call to action.
By now, you should already know what it is you want your readers to do. The key is to tell them to do it. If you want them to sign up for your newsletter, tell them in the beginning, the middle and at the end of your copy. Give them multiple chances because people may be convinced after your first paragraph. Don't make them wait till the end.
It's surprising how many web-based business owners want business, but don't ask for it. Leaving out the call to action is like neutering a champion racehorse.
7. Am I using the right keywords?
Remember the fishing analogy? Well, keywords are like a baited hook that's designed to catch a specific kind of fish.
When most people go online, they're looking for something very specific. They type in what they're looking for into their search engines and scan the results. Studies show that if you're not on the first three pages of these search results, then you may as well not exist.
This is why it's so important to select the right keywords, and phrases, to use throughout your website. There are online resources available that'll help you select the most popular words relative to your business, or you can use a good web design/search engine specialist to help you narrow down your choices.
Remember, it doesn't matter how awesome your offer is if people can't find you.
- Nina Menezes
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