Your homepage has a job to do.
It needs to help people understand what you offer, decide whether it’s for them and know what to do next.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Then suddenly you’re adding your entire life story, six different buttons and a paragraph beginning with “Welcome to my website”.
Before you know it, your homepage has become a digital junk drawer.
Let’s sort that out.
Start with what your visitor needs to know
When someone lands on your website, they’re trying to work out whether you can help them.
They might be looking for a service, comparing options or following a link from one of your posts. Your opening section should help them get their bearings.
A useful headline makes your offer clear. The sentence underneath can explain who you help and what they can expect.
For example:
Bookkeeping that helps you stop dreading your business finances.
I help small business owners keep their accounts organised, understand their numbers and feel ready for tax time.
There’s a service, a recognisable problem and a reason to keep reading.
You can still have personality. Clear doesn’t mean boring.
Give them an obvious next step
Once someone understands what you do, make it easy to take action.
That might be:
- Explore your services.
- Book a consultation.
- Shop your products.
- Take a quiz.
- Join your membership.
Choose a main action that makes sense for your business and the visitor’s stage of interest.
Someone who has just discovered you might need more information before booking. Someone looking for a specific product may be ready to buy.
You can include other links, but give the most important action more prominence. If every button is shouting, it’s hard to know which one to listen to.
And make the button wording useful. “See website design packages” tells me more than “Discover more”.
Show that you understand their problem
Your visitor shouldn’t need to translate your copy to figure out whether you’re talking to them.
Describe the situations they recognise.
If you’re a web designer, that could be a website they’re embarrassed to share, a homepage that gets visitors but no enquiries, or a site they’re scared to update.
If you’re a bookkeeper, it might be receipts stuffed into a drawer and a growing sense of dread every time tax gets mentioned.
Use the language your customers actually use.
Nobody has ever messaged me saying, “Kels, I’m seeking a transformative digital ecosystem.”
They say, “My website is doing my head in.”
That’s a much better starting point.
Give people a clear route to your offers
Your homepage doesn’t need to contain every detail of every service.
It does need to help people find the right one.
A short section for each main offer can explain what it is, who it helps and where to learn more.
Use clear names. A visitor shouldn’t have to decode “The Elevation Experience” to discover that you’re offering a website review.
You can use a creative name alongside a plain explanation. Give people enough information to choose their next click.
Add proof that helps people trust you
You know you’re good at what you do. A new visitor needs something to go on.
Relevant testimonials, examples of your work, case studies and awards can help build that confidence.
Choose proof that supports what you’re offering.
A testimonial explaining how you made a confusing process manageable says more than “She’s amazing!”
Show the work where you can. Explain the problem you helped solve. Let people see what working with you might be like.
And only use claims, logos and results you can honestly stand behind.
Introduce yourself without publishing your autobiography
People often want to know who they’ll be working with, especially when they’re choosing a small business.
A good photo and a short introduction can make your homepage feel more personal.
Explain who you are, what you help with and something useful about your approach.
You can mention your experience, but connect it to the visitor. What does that experience help you do for them?
Your About page can hold the longer story. Your homepage needs the introduction.
Answer the questions that could stop someone taking action
A short FAQ section can deal with the things visitors are wondering before they contact you.
Do they need an existing website? Do you work with beginners? What happens after they enquire? Can they get help with a small problem?
Use questions your customers actually ask.
Keep the answers direct. If a question needs a detailed explanation, link to the relevant page.
An FAQ should make the decision easier, rather than add another wall of text.
Include useful content with a purpose
A few relevant blog posts or a useful free resource can help someone who isn’t ready to buy yet.
Choose content that connects to your offers and answers a real question.
You don’t need to display every post you’ve ever written. Give visitors a useful place to start, then a route to explore more.
What can you leave off?
Start with anything that takes up space without helping your visitor.
“Welcome to my website” rarely tells them anything they need to know.
Long paragraphs can usually be shortened or moved to a more relevant page.
An enormous list of qualifications may work better on your About page, with the most relevant ones highlighted on your homepage.
Outdated offers, broken links and decorative sections with no clear purpose can go too.
You don’t have to fill every gap. A little breathing room makes the important things easier to notice.
Check it on your phone before calling it finished
Read your homepage on an actual phone.
Can you understand the opening section? Is the text comfortable to read? Do the buttons work? Can you find your services without a scrolling expedition?
Check the links and try the main action yourself.
A homepage can look brilliant in the builder and still be awkward to use.
Give your homepage a quick reality check
Look at your page and ask:
- Is it clear what I offer?
- Can the right person recognise themselves in the copy?
- Have I given them a reason to trust me?
- Is the next step obvious?
If those answers are buried under decorative waffle, you’ve found somewhere to start.
You don’t need to rebuild everything today. Fix the first thing that makes someone work too hard to understand your business.
Not sure where to start? Take my free website quiz to get a clearer idea of what might be holding your website back and what to focus on first.
