Easy Tweaks to Make Your Homepage Copy Zing
The homepage is one of the most important pages of any company website, but many businesses struggle to get it right. Without the right elements in place, a company’s homepage will fail to engage visitors and damage conversions.
If you think your homepage conversion rates are low, the problem could be your copy. But don’t worry – it’s never too late to turn things around.
Fortunately it’s not too hard to focus your homepage copy to make your customers fall in love with you.
Even small changes to the words and phrases you use on your homepage can make all the difference.
Emphasise what makes you unique.
Emphasise your unique value proposition
As a business, you must have a clear understanding of what makes you different.
The Unique Value Proposition is a clear statement that describes what you offer and how potential customers will benefit from doing business with you rather than the competition. The key is to make it concise and powerful. Answer the following:
- What specific problem affects your target audience?
- How does your product or service benefit users?
- Exactly what makes you different from the competition?
Put your unique value proposition near the top of the homepage, preferably using a large or bold font.
Directly refer to your target audience
Make sure you refer to your target customers early on in your homepage copy.
For example, “If you are a homeowner without home insurance…” or
“As a new mother, you need to take care of yourself as well as your new-born…”
By talking directly to your target customer, the copy comes across as more personal. Use familiar language to build trust and to help people visualize themselves with your product or offer.
The allplants homepage demonstrates some good homepage copy practices. “All prepared. All delivered. All for you.” is the Unique Value Proposition. It uses personal pronouns effectively. “Discover our menu” is the strong call to action. “Eat dinner, save the world” emphasises the brand values and value proposition.
Turn statements into questions
The homepage is a great place to insert a bold question. Whenever someone reads a question, it forces them to pause and think about the answer. It also makes people want to keep reading to find out if they’re right.
For example, here’s an example of a typical marketing message.
“Reduce the cost of your health insurance”
It’s not very interesting. Instead, turn it into a question:
“Can you reduce your health insurance costs today?”
Suddenly, the copy is more powerful and intriguing. You can then go on to explain how prospects can benefit from lowering their insurance costs with your offer.
Using questions relevant to your industry can also increase the search engine rankings of your content, as the questions will closely match search engine queries.
Use personal pronouns
Using the words “you” and “your” in homepage copy is another effective way to make visitors feel a connection to your company.
By using personal pronouns, you keep the focus on the visitor rather than your business, forcing people to think about how they might benefit from your offer.
Identify your primary conversion goal
What is the main action you want visitors to take once they land on your homepage? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, contact you, visit a critical page on your site, or something else? It depends on your short and long-term goals, but focus on just one thing. This will reduce confusion and ensure more visitors take the desired action.
Place the call-to-action above the fold – before users have to scroll down.
And remember to be assertive and concise. For example, “Sign Up Now” or “Find Out More.”
Ensure your homepage is concise, easy to scan and reassuring.
Ensure copy is easy to scan
Many people that visit your homepage don’t have time to read through long paragraphs of text; they want quick answers. What do you offer? Why is it good? Why is it better? The unique value proposition is a key part of this, but it needs to be followed up with short and snappy explanations.
These should be easy to scan for people looking for quick answers to their questions. Use bold text, bullet points, and short sentences to emphasise your key messages.
Use reassuring language
Think carefully about the words and phrases that appear on the homepage. Words have a psychological impact on website visitors and can determine their next step.
For example, “Buy Now” sounds like a strong call-to-action. However, it reminds people that they’re spending money. A phrase such as “Add to Cart” feels like less of a commitment, and it’s the reason why Amazon and many other websites use this phrase instead.
Insert other phrases on the homepage such as “Free trial,” “Money-back guarantee,” or “Trusted by” to give visitors reassurance before they make a buying decision.
Is your copy helping your business?
If you’re offering a good product or service, it’s important that your homepage supports your marketing goals and inspires visitors to take action. You may have lots of website visitors, but if they’re failing to convert into customers then you’re missing out on a lot of business.
Try some of these copywriting techniques and analyse the results.
Don’t forget to make use good use of conversion tracking.
Do certain words and phrases increase engagement and inspire visitors to take action? If not, tweak the copy and measure the results again.
Over time, you should be able to boost visitor engagement and improve the conversion rates on your homepage now and in the years ahead.