The Smart Way To Write Your Website’s Home Page

This is one of the most common mistakes I see business owners make when they’re writing the copy for their website for the first time. 

They sit down to draft their website copy and start with where visitors land first — the home page. 

When you start with writing your home page first, there are too many unknowns.

What exactly are you selling?

What do your potential customers want?

What do your prospective clients say? 

After writing hundred of websites for creative businesses, I never write the home page first.

What to do: Write your home page LAST.

Once you’re clear on the work you do to serve and who you’re serving, there’s a specific order I recommend writing your website in:

1. Sales page — sell your stuff

2. About page — tell your story as it relates to your audience

3. Home page — let visitors know they’re in the right place 

4. Any other pages — your blog page, contact page, speaking page, etc.

I recommend writing your sales page first because if you have only ONE page on your website, let it be the one that makes you money. That is what makes your business a business, after all, right?

Before you start drafting your home page, here are some writing prompts and outlines for your other main pages:

25 Writing Prompts for a Sales Page That Does Its Job — Sells!

12 Fun Writing Prompts To Help Craft a Standout About Page

Once you’ve created your sales and about pages — you have a bank of words to draw upon to inspire your home page.

Your website home page has one job — let readers know they’re in the right place.

Unless readers land on your website from a blog post or one of your offers, they’re going to see your home page first.

Your home page is the curb appeal for the rest of your website. If the pavers are loose, your grass is brown, and you have a Christmas welcome mat in April, visitors will quickly turn around thinking, “I must be in the wrong place.”

Tell your website visitors they’re in the right place and motivate them to get comfortable and stay awhile.

4 elements your home page should include:

1) An opt-in for your email newsletter.

(If you have one) with a compelling invitation to sign up, that’s not, “Hi, join my list!” No one wants to be on a list. They care about what they get.

If possible, include this in two places: 1) above the fold — before you start scrolling and 2) at the bottom near the footer of every page — because if a reader made it all the way to the bottom of the page, they might want to hang out with you in their inbox.
Tell them what they’ll get, how often, and how their life will be better for handing over their email address.
Example: Get weekly tips to improve your writing.

2) Who you serve.

Write what you do, who you help, how you help them, and the results they’ll get from working with you, summed up in 1-3 short sentences.

Here’s a quick fill-in-the-blanks.

I’m a [title/what you do].

I [work with/serve/help] [people/business owners/entrepreneurs/CEOs/visionaries/cats/unicorns] who [struggle with/are frustrated with/are totally over/are tired of/are craving/really want to] [problem/opportunity #1], [optional problem/opportunity #2], [optional problem/opportunity #3].

I [help them/support them with/create/make things] [describe what they say they want] so that they can tap into [what they really, really want].

I call this your Intuitive Intro. Get the free worksheet here.

3) Tell them what to do

Instead of leaving your website visitors awkwardly hanging out in your virtual foyer, tell them to read your blog, grab a freebie, send you an email, learn about how to work with you, book a call, or whatever else you want them to do.

If you have ONE main offer you want to promote, include a link to this on your home page.  

4) Intuitive Navigation.

Please stay away from trying to be overly clever here. Simple and clear copy like, About, Work With Me/Services, Blog, Contact — are golden. Being clear and concise in all your website copy is a service for your reader.

Tip: If your logo directs visitors to the home page, you can often remove the item “Home” in your website navigation to save space.

Intuitive Writing Tip: This advice applies to everything you write — ever. Step away from your computer if you’re working on your website copy if you start to feel any negative emotions. Explore your emotions, move them, and come to the page in a positive, feel-good state.  When you feel good, your reader feels good.

Write all the pages on your website with my easy-to-follow templates and guidance in the writing & copy coaching community:

If you enjoyed this article on writing your home page copy for your website, check these out next:

• A Simple Strategy To Infuse Your Sales Copy With Empathetic Writing

• 25 Writing Prompts for a Sales Page That Does Its Job — Sells!

• 12 Fun Writing Prompts To Help Craft a Standout About Page

• 7 Things You Can Do To Be More Authentic in Your Writing

• 7 Simple and Smart Ways to Reconnect with Your Email List after Ghosting