Homepages are notoriously difficult to write. There’s pressure for them to tick all the boxes, cater to all audiences and get across all your most important points – usually in fewer words than most other pages on your site.
Plus, everyone in your business will have an opinion on it.
Here’s where I’d start…
Leave it until last
This kills two birds with one stone. By putting it off for as long as possible postponing it until you’ve drafted the other pages, you have a fresher overview of what needs to be included. Working on it first is like writing a summary of a book you haven’t finished yet.
Having said that, you know yourself best. If you’re likely to run out of steam, it makes sense to tackle it earlier. I’d still recommend reviewing it and making changes once all pages are completed to make sure it pulls everything together.
Find out what keywords are bringing you traffic
The ideal website has traffic well-distributed across all important pages, but in reality, many sites (especially those that aren’t well-optimised) rely on the homepage for a really high portion of their traffic. Often the homepage ranks for terms that key product or service pages should be appearing for.
When you’re doing keyword research for your new site, therefore, it’s really important to be aware of what terms are currently bringing traffic to your homepage. That’s not to say you can’t shift focus, but if you’re knocking out keywords that account for a large percentage of your traffic, you need to be prepared.
Wireframe it
Your homepage is like a roundabout, directing users off to different parts of your site, and giving an overview of all key information. (Hopefully) you wouldn’t build a roundabout without designing it first, and similarly, mapping out the structure of your homepage is essential to good navigation.
Often we’re talking about multiple small chunks of content rather than long form copy, so in this instance, mapping out what to include is half the work.
Be clear about what you do
Your heading and opening statement need to be punchy and memorable, and herein lies the temptation to cross an important line. Trying too hard to be clever or original sometimes comes at the expense of clarity. Call a spade a spade – if you’re a digital marketing agency, say you are. If you sell carpets, tell people that. Nobody should have to scroll or visit multiple pages to understand what you actually do.
State benefits not features
Customers do not care about how you label things internally, they care how it affects them. This is your opportunity to address the challenges of your audience(s), demonstrate how well you understand them and persuade them you’re the solution.
Include testimonials and other trust signals
Many companies will have a dedicated case studies page, but I’m a big advocate for also drip feeding these around your site where relevant, and that includes your homepage. These can be snapshots of case studies, just testimonials, or any other trust signals that reassure new visitors, such as awards, press coverage, or memberships to industry bodies.
Be concise
Brevity is always a beneficial writing skill (take note ChatGPT), but especially so for your homepage. Your copy is likely to be included in short, broken up bursts, creating the need to say more with less. Breaking up the formatting of your copy is another way to make it more digestible.
Make sure your imagery fits with your copy
Not strictly a writing point, but when you’ve come this far, you don’t want to undermine your copy with imagery that conflicts with, or just feels at odds with, what you’re writing or your tone. Even if the visuals aren’t your responsibility, push to have your say. All elements need to come together and when everyone works in silos, misalignments happen.
Cut yourself some slack
Drafting a new site isn’t easy, and the homepage is probably the trickiest of the lot. It’s easy to overthink it, but remember, you can’t please everyone.
You can, however, outsource it to an agency that specialises in these things ;-)
