What’s your homepage saying about you at this very moment?
Is it shouting about your credibility - who you are, what you do and why people should give you their business – or is it full of nice sounding rhetoric, that doesn’t really tell clients anything at all?
Credibility – along with visibility - are key to keeping you front of customer mind, especially in the current climate, according to Alistair Marshall of Sydney-based Professional Services Business Development. Everyone who ‘meets’ your business – whether that’s online or networking – will have the same set of questions about you.
Essentially, who are your customers? And what do you do for them?
Does your homepage tell people this? Bear in mind we spend just a couple of seconds reviewing a website and only around five to six seconds scanning its images and text. First impressions matter.
UNCOVERING YOUR CREDIBILITY - WHAT’S YOUR USP?
So here’s a good exercise. Go through the six key points below to make sure your homepage ticks all the boxes. It’s a really useful way to nail the ‘credible’ aspect of your business and uncover exactly what it is that makes you stand out.
Incidentally, these are the fundamentals of writing a news story from when I studied journalism. All these points needed to be covered in the first couple of paragraphs of any story to capture reader attention - very much like your website homepage needs to as well.
If your website homepage doesn’t cover most of these points, consider investing in a refresh and update.
SIX THINGS a great business homepage needs to say
WHO? – Who are you? I don’t mean your company name but who are you as a business? Are you a commercial law firm? Property lawyers? Recruitment agency? Summarising the ‘who’ tells people instantly that you have the services and knowledge that they need. Think about here what people would type into Google to find you.
WHAT? – What do you offer? What are your services? Make it clear (summary or bullets will do) what you can do for someone.
WHY? – Why should someone choose you above others? Think of your ‘hero’ statement – what makes you different from anyone else? What’s your USP? Is it personal service? Product/services range? Industry knowledge and experience?
WHERE? – Where are you based? Where are your offices? Clients may never need to come in depending on what your services are, but it’s good to know that you’re easy to get to and accessible. And remember that people do put locality into Google search.
WHEN? – When would someone be likely to need your services? In what circumstances? This ties into the ‘What you offer’ and is an opportunity to elaborate. So not just ‘property conveyancing’ but ‘buying or selling a home’. This makes your services instantly relatable to your client’s situation and demonstrates a track record in helping people just like them. A testimonial on your homepage also provides great evidence for the ‘when’ aspect as well as the ‘why’ - we all love real stories and it’s proof positive that you’re great to do business with.
HOW? - How can a client get your help? How can they get in touch? Is there a call to action ‘contact us’ to push enquiries? Is your telephone number clear? Your email? Is there a link to online bookings or appointments if you offer these?
making YOUR HOMEPAGE client & SEO-FRIENDLY
Put all this on your website homepage and you’re making it very easy for people - and search engines too - to clearly understand in those few precious seconds:
Who you are
Who you help
What you offer
Why you’re the best choice for what they need
Where you are located
How to get started
So take a fresh look at your homepage, see if it answers the questions that it needs to. And take action if it doesn’t. There’s no time like the present.
If you need help to concisely communicate on your homepage what you do and what makes you so great, get in touch with me here.