How to Lay Out Your Home Page
This blog is a part of the Writing Your Own Website series!
So far on the blog we’ve discussed writing your Home page, About page, and Sales page. In this blog, we’ll dive into the 3 major factors you need to take into consideration when writing and laying out your Home Page.
People read in an F formation
Though controversial, it’s generally accepted that most people read websites in an F scanning pattern. The information at the top of the page is considered more important and receives more engagement than the information at the bottom of the page.
For this reason, it’s important your content is well organized and easily skimmable. To take advantage of this, the most important messages and call-to-actions need to be prominently placed and near the top
This makes your hero header (the first line of copy on your site) of the utmost importance. This is the first impression a visitor will have of your site, and may determine whether they continue scrolling.
Nailing your headlines
On the Home page, headlines are your most valuable real estate. As I’ve said in past blogs (and will continue to say!) don’t write cute headlines that sacrifice being clear.
Get to the point! Your hero headline should answer 3 questions:
What do you do?
Who do you do it for?
How does it help me?
If you’re unsure, do a spot check on your hero headline. Ask yourself:
Is it clear?
Does it speak to your offer?
Is the biggest benefit to consumer front and center?
Is it as short as it possibly can be?
If the answer is no, it may be time to workshop your headlines.
Copy dictates design
Tough love: the prettiest website in the world is useless if it doesn’t convert people and close sales. The messaging is the most important part, so lay out your copy sections first, and plan the design around that.
Let’s get into the most common Home Page sections, and what each of them contain.
A quick note: You can rearrange these sections as you would like, but always keep in mind what will appear “above the fold”. This is an old journalism term that means the headlines and articles that appear on the front of the newspaper, above the halfway fold. On our websites, it means the copy that appears without having to scroll.
You don’t need all of these sections, but if you’re looking to build out a robust site, this is a good place to start.
Common Home Page Sections
1. Hero headline, sub-lines and CTA
This is the first thing people see when they click onto your site. 2 – 3 lines of copy here; the main header and one additional sentence should be all the copy you need, along with a compelling call-to-action button.
2. Services/ value proposition
Here you have the opportunity to expand with a few more sentences on your services and the value add you bring to your clients.
3. Process
What happens after people sign? Is it the same for every client? Which parts get customized?
Potential customers may not know they have these questions, but they’ll feel more confident in your abilities as a professional to see your process laid out. Spelling out your process speaks to not only your thought leadership, but your business acumen.
Think of it this way: if you were hiring someone to help you migrate from your old CRM and into a new one, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if they’re able to walk you through the process step by step?
4. Work with me
Are you asking for the sale? You need to be! You need clear calls to action throughout your site, including on your sales page and the home page link directing to that page.
5. Social Proof
Do you have testimonials? Good reviews? Show them off! You could host an entirely separate testimonials or reviews page, but there’s no guarantee anyone will click on it. Putting these throughout your site, especially on the Home page, boosts their visibility.
6. Thought leadership
Do you have a blog? Are you featured on podcasts? Have you been a guest writer on other sites? Do you have published work? Brag a bit! Share links to any pages hosting this information. This also gives you the bonus of sharing external links on your site; something Google considers when they look at ranking factors and domain authority.
7. Lead magnet
Do you have a freebie to entice people to join your email list?
Pro tip: This also works well as a pop-up when someone is on your Home Page. Having it as a pop-up may increase your email list sign-ups, but it’s best practice to have it somewhere static, as well as in the pop-up.
