All websites have a homepage. It is the most important
page of your site. It acts as the main gateway to the
entire site. Most of your prospective customers will
enter through it. Its vital to get it right. You dont
want them to just turn around and go away again.
Take a moment to clear your mind. Now go and look at your homepage
and take a minute to evaluate it. Does it work for your prospective
customers?
Most will arrive at your homepage and quickly scan through the content.
If they are interested in what they read and see they'll typically
decide to click on a link that takes them to another page where they'll
find more information. As they make that decision they'll be asking
things like:
What do they do? Do they look professional? Whats in it for me? Do
I have the problem they describe? Are they talking directly to me?
How can I get it?
Alternatively, if the homepage hasn't interested them immediately then
they'll leave just as quickly as they arrived, unlikely to return.
Your homepage is the gateway to your website and plays a critical part
in the prospects visit. First impressions count. The success of your
site depends on your homepage. Now, before we look at what a homepage
should be, lets look at what it shouldn't be.
It should not be a false homepage requiring you to click a link to
get to the real homepage. It shouldnt be a page that fails to direct
the prospect to further action. It shouldnt contain any content that
doesnt serve an immediate and clear purpose. It should never read like
a dull brochure, that does nothing to motivate prospects to seek more
information or buy immediately.
What a homepage should be. It should have a clear message. It should
be a dynamic page that instantly conveys a sense of what you do, how
you do it, who you are, how you do business, etc. It should start to
describe the direct benefits that prospective customers get by buying
your product or service. It should create prospect interest and make
them eager to find out more. It should provide direction and clearly
marked links to get them there. It should focus entirely on serving
the needs of your prospective customers and removing their anxieties.
The purpose of your website is to sell your products and services to
your prospects. To be effective your homepage must meet the needs of
your prospects exactly and provide answers to their questions. To do
this you must know what your prospects want and how they want it. If
you don't already know, find out. Ask them!
Also, spend some time looking at other homepages learning what works
and what doesnt. Are there features and styles that you could adopt
on your site?
Once you have these answers design your entire homepage around them.
Spend some time getting it right and both you and your prospects will
benefit. Dont settle for second best unless you want your website to
fail as a result of being ineffective.
When you've done it. Take a moment to clear your mind. Now go and look
at your homepage once again and take a minute to re-evaluate it. Does
it work for your prospective customers now?
Good luck!
Author: Peter Simmons
Peter Simmons is editor of the DYNAMIQ EZINE. GET MAXIMUM RESULTS FROM
YOUR WEBSITE! Increase your traffic, prospect conversions, sales, profits,
referrals and more... START GETTING RESULTS RIGHT NOW with your $129
WEBSITE EVALUATION ABSOLUTELY FREE at http://www.dynamiq.co.uk/ezine
