Of all the pages on your web site, the homepage is the most powerful and most important.  The window of opportunity to attract, engage and convince new visitors to stay is small, you have literally only a few seconds to convince a new visitor that they should stay. 

Much of the focus on a homepage revolves around visual imagery because designers and web site owners agree that the priority is making a powerful first impression.  This is apparent on some web sites where there are lots of photos or flash movies and little or no content.  If there is no written content then once a new visitor has gotten over the first surprise of the clever imagery they will then be disappointed to find no substance to guide and help them.  From a usability perspective this will simply disappoint new users and they will leave the site.

In addition writing good homepage content is important for search engine optimisation (commonly called SEO).  Search engine spiders need written content as it helps them decide how relevant a web page is to a specific search phrase, and therefore where to list the web site in their search engine results.  The search engines give the most importance to the homepage of each web site and so it is important to have good content on this first page. 

There can be a trade-off sometimes between being totally design-focused with little or no written content, and writing too much content so the homepage looks long and overwhelming.  The search engine marketing and usability benefits of writing homepage content far outweigh the simplicity and design benefits of having no written content.  At a minimum your homepage should have 150 words and if possible 250 words or more is better.  This is a lot easier for a large business web site than for a small simple web site, however it should be applied for all.

A key point to remember when writing homepage content is that web site users do not read every word on the entry pages of web sites.  Instead they scan with their eyes for visual cues that point them in the direction of the information or help they are seeking on the web site.  They quickly click through the web site trying to achieve a particular goal which may be anything from finding a phone number, to downloading a product manual, to checking availability.  

Important rules to apply when writing your homepage content are:

1. Prioritise your key messages and goals and make sure the most important information is at the top. 

2. Ensure that at least the top of your homepage copy is visible on a laptop screen.

3. Keep sentences short, ideally under 12 words where possible.

4. Keep paragraphs short, ideally under 6 lines where possible.

5. Use bullet points of numbering to make content easier to scan quickly.

6. Make the first and last sentence of each paragraph the most important.

7. Use normal language and not marketing hype or jargon as new users appreciate honesty.

8. Provide a call to action to help guide and direct visitors from your homepage to important parts of your web site.

9. Include the keywords you have used in your web site optimisation.  If you have not employed an SEO specialist and are not familiar with search engine marketing yourself, then simply use the words on your homepage that best represent what you think your target audiences would search on.

The following four questions can help to give you structure when you are writing your home page content.  Some new users will have more questions and there will be different information requirements depending on your business or objectives.  If your web site homepage can answer these four basic questions in a matter of seconds, you will be well on the way to capturing and converting new visitors to your site:

1. WHAT - What is the purpose of this web site? (Can it help me? Is it what I am looking for?)
2. WHO - Who is behind this site? (Can I trust them? Are they credible? Can they help me?)
3. HOW - How do I use this site? (Will it be easy? What do I do next?)
4. WOW - What is so great about this site and the company behind it? (Why should I stay on this site? Why is this company better than any of the others I have seen?)

This information has to be projected in a matter of seconds, so the words and design need to complement and help each other.  Normally your web site designer will handle the visual impact of the site because it is their specialty and you are paying them for it.  Often however it will be your responsibility to either write or at least edit the homepage copy.  If you use the homepage writing guides above to help you, and if your homepage content can answer the four core questions of What, Who, How and Wow, then your homepage has a much better chance of getting the results you want and need.

For as little as $10 you can download practical guides, templates and checklists to help you write effective web site content and plan a powerful homepage.  Just visit our Products Section.