What is the most important part of your homepage? It’s not what you think. In fact, it may be the one element that’s missing from your homepage and holding back conversion rates.
But don’t worry: I’m going to tell you how to fix this problem and increase conversions with just a few tweaks!
A homepage is often the first impression visitors have of your site or business. If they aren’t able to find what they need quickly and easily, then there’s a high chance they’ll leave without engaging further with your content.
How to fix the homepage copywriting problem and increase conversions
While homepage copywriting is a huge element of your homepage, it’s often neglected. Yet this may be one of the biggest reasons you’re not converting visitors to customers!
You want them to stay on as long as possible – after all, if you can hold their attention for just two minutes more than the average time spent on a homepage, then you’re doubling the time they may spend on your copy.
That’s valuable real estate! Every second someone spends on your homepage is another chance to convert them into a customer, and that time is too important to waste. So what should you be doing?
The homepage is all about persuading readers to move forward. It should be the first place people look for information on your site and it needs to tell them everything they could want or need to know.
But how do you know what visitors need? There are two options:
Assume
Option one is to assume you know what they’re looking for, and then tell them about it. You can find the answers to all their questions in your content areas – it doesn’t matter if they don’t know what they’re looking for yet, you have something that will interest them at some point!
Investigate
Option two is to ask people what they want out of your homepage before writing any copy – this gives you the chance to find out what matters most to them, and use those insights to improve your homepage.
Option one sounds like it makes more sense but it misses an important point: visitors have a purpose when they come to your homepage. They want something that you have, whether that’s information or a product/service – the only difference is how they go about getting it.
This is the key to homepage copy – you need to make sure it’s clear what they can get from your homepage, and how they find it. This gives people a clear idea of whether your homepage is for them or not, and makes conversion rates higher as a result.
I recommend asking yourself a few questions:
1. ‘What do people expect to find on this page?’
If you’ve used option two above and asked your customers (or even just random visitors) what they want, then this should be clear. There’s a good chance the homepage content will be similar from visitor to visitor, so this will help you write appealing homepage copy that’s easy to read.
2. ‘What do I want people to find?’
I doubt you’ve thought about this before – but it’s important! Think about what you want visitors to get from your homepage and state that clearly in the copy. It could be an offer, a message or a freebie – anything that you want people to take from your homepage.
Something else that impacts homepage copy is the design of your homepage. If you already have a homepage template, then it’s important that this fits in with the writing and vice versa.
3. ‘What does my homepage do for people who visit it?’
There’s a chance you don’t know the answer to either of these questions, so listen up! Your homepage is part of your user experience. You’re going to have to understand what would make someone want to come back to your homepage, and what makes it so much better than other sites around with similar content.
Some homepage tips
If you can answer these questions then you’re finally ready to get started on writing homepage copy that converts! The next step is to put some of the following tips into action. They are guaranteed to improve homepage conversion rates .
1. Give visitors a reason to read!
There’s no point having homepage copy that reads like your shopping list. Your homepage is there for people to get information or take action, and they won’t do it if the writing doesn’t make sense. The homepage should have a hook – a statement about why your site is important or interesting.
Also, try to make homepage copy personal . Your homepage should speak to the visitor directly and ask them questions. This will work as a more natural conversion tool than just listing product facts and features.
2. Make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for!
Your homepage needs to clearly show visitors where they can go next. It doesn’t matter if you have an informative homepage or a ‘call to action’, as long as it’s obvious to people where they go from here. There are lots of homepage layout options available that help visitors find the next step when they’re ready, so explore your options and choose what works best for you!
3. Include visuals wherever you can!
They say a picture paints a thousand words. Pictures can bring homepage copy to life in the same way, so use homepage images wherever possible. This could be an image of your team , or just some content that happens to have a visual element to it . If this is tricky to include then don’t worry – there’s always homepage copy to make up for it!
4. Include a call to action as your homepage headline.
This is crucial homepage copywriting that people often overlook . The homepage headline should be the most important part of what you’re trying to say here, and should also be clear on what you want visitors to do next [e.g. ‘Order Now’].
5. Include a strong call to action at the bottom of homepage copy.
Make sure that your homepage isn’t just about you! Try including a homepage responsibility paragraph , or something that lets customers know where to go next. If the homepage is about one specific thing then it’s good to include a round-up paragraph about how to find out more.
6. Use homepage copy to highlight what makes you different from the competition!
As well as being informative, homepage copywriting should focus on what it is that sets you apart from rival companies and brands . If your homepage isn’t showing visitors why they should be on your site instead of your competitors’ then you’re not doing homepage copywriting right!
Wrapping it up
The homepage is the first thing visitors will see when they visit your site. It’s important to make sure that it has copywriting that convinces them to stick around and explore what you have to offer. Use these homepage tips and tricks for better conversion rates!
In this article, you learned about the most important part of your homepage and why people are likely to miss it.
You may also want to consider hiring an SEO or marketing agency who can help execute this homepage strategy on a larger scale . A company like ours could be just the right fit if you’re looking for more than just a homepage design template!
We’ll take care of all homepage copywriting needs, and our team of experts are ready to partner with you at any stage in the process from planning out new content ideas all the way through execution. If you need more information about how we work then look no further than our homepage .
If you need a homepage design that will convert, then get in touch with us today!
Your homepage copywriting is one of the most vital parts of online marketing. Get it right and you could see an immediate increase in homepage conversion rates.
