PDA

View Full Version : Writing home page for website



Just H
03-17-2009, 09:16 AM
I have been asked to write a home page for a website featuring Life Coaching and workshops/seminars geared around helping people cope with the current stressors. The site will also focus on addressing life-long obstacles and present mindsets that can be altered and approached differently to move the person toward what they really want. What areas and kinds of move-to-action statements do you think would be the most dynamic to include to make this page one that really converts the viewer?

vangogh
03-17-2009, 12:29 PM
Hard to give details without specifics, but here are some general thoughts about home pages. I think home pages have two main functions.

First they need to let people know what the site is about and make it clear what someone can expect looking deeper into the site. Much of that can be done with the logo and tagline and a quick intro paragraph. Technically people might enter your site on any page and so the logo and tagline should probably do most of the work here. You can also have design elements in the template that helps make it clear what the site is about.

The second function of the home page is to direct people further into the site. You might direct people to the service or product category. The idea is to figure out who might visit the site and what those people would be interested in.

In your case it sounds like the main idea of the site is to help people reduce stress. That's probably what the site is about and that's what should be made clear in the logo/tagline and intro paragraph. The intro could be a couple of facts about how less stress leads us all to make better decisions and lead happier lives. It might be tempting to focus on the negative aspects of stress, but keep the copy on the positive side. Let visitors know how being stress free improves their lives. You don't need to sell the services at all in this paragraph. Just make the connection between less stress and happier life. Look for other benefits of a low stress life too.

Then offer a quick sentence or two about the different services the site offers. Are the workshops different than the seminars? Is one a one day event while the other is a weekly event for a few months?

If so then you could add two block on the home page. One for seminars and one for workshops. Knowing that visitors likely to sign up are already sold on the idea of less stress think about what advantages the seminar and workshop offer them. Maybe the block for the seminar sells on the idea of a lower time commitment and all the info in one small package, while the workshop sells on the idea of having someone there to guide you and help you reduce stress over the course of time.

It really depends on how the different services are defined and what would be the advantage of each. I don't think you need to write a lot of copy for each on the home page. More a quick sentence or two about the main benefits of each with a link to more detailed info. You also want to make each service stand out so people wanting a seminar can find it quick and people wanting a workshop can find it quick.

Sometimes an image with a sentence around it or a block or text clearly separated from the other blocks of text works well to separate the information and make it easy to find.

cbscreative
03-17-2009, 01:23 PM
Since I'm not sure of your experience with web copywriting, let me add just a couple things to what vangogh said. First, the general rule of a Home page is short but powerful, but the marketing methods for the site will determine what your page needs to accomplish. For most Home pages, I favor no more than 3-5 paragraphs. Something to note about web writing is to keep you paragraphs to no more than 5 lines.

As vangogh pointed out, it needs to be scan or skim friendly. Headings and subheadings help a lot in segmenting content. Perhaps putting things in blocks; vangogh's site is a great example the way he uses the torn edge note effect. You may have heard of the 8 second rule which means that a visitor spends an average of 8 seconds before deciding whether to stay or leave. You want them to have a good idea of what your page is about within that time.

Dan Furman
03-17-2009, 02:10 PM
I'll add that you want to ask yourself how the person got there - what is their mindset (in general terms)?

How will the site be advertised? What keywords, etc? This will go a long way in determining what the mindset of the visitor is. That's what you generally want to address - the reason most visitors came.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 02:27 PM
what is their mindset (in general terms)?

Yep. I tried to get at the point, but not as well as you just summed up. You really have to do your best to understand why someone landed on your home page and what they're looking for. Then make it easy for them to find it.

You could present calls to action based on the services you offer or the personality type of the visitor. You could present things based on whether the visitor is a buyer or is seeking information.

Here's an example of site (http://www.seoresearchlabs.com/) that does this and is actually the site that led me to these ideas. The site isn't pretty, but if you look at the home page you can see it clearly defines 4 possible visitors and helps each find what they might be looking for quickly. I forget whether it's mentioned in an article on the site or if it's in the free SEO book (http://www.seoresearchlabs.com/seo-training.php) that's offered through the site, but Dan Thies, the person behind the site mentioned how setting up the home page that way had a dramatic increase in visitors converting into buyers.

Dan Furman
03-17-2009, 02:52 PM
but Dan Thies, the person behind the site mentioned how setting up the home page that way had a dramatic increase in visitors converting into buyers.

This is a GREAT homepage. Because at a glance, it addresses why I came, then gives me a clear place to go. I love it.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 07:28 PM
I thought so too. I wish I knew where Dan (the other Dan) described how they came to that design and the results it led to. I'm thinking it's in the free SEO Book they offer, but I honestly can't remember and it might be one of the articles on the site

My own home page is somewhat modeled on the SEO Research Labs home page. I thought about the three things people might be interested in when visiting my site and tried to make it obvious how to get to each. The way SEO Research Labs differentiates based on the customer is probably the better way to go.

Just H
03-17-2009, 08:15 PM
Good info on that site, nice succinct heading, lots of resources. Thanks.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 08:35 PM
Glad to point you towards it. Dan Thies is a good guy and knows his stuff. His focus has been on keyword research, but he has good advice in general. I do recommend reading his SEO Book too.