It doesn’t surprise me. The amount of time you can devote to ensuring your homepage is perfected. The imagery, the message, the navigation. If there’s one page of your website that needs to represent your business. To create the biggest impact. It’s your homepage. Correct?
So why….
What’s the deal? 80%, 90% (straw poll, not conclusive) of websites start off by telling us about the fact the business is ‘one of the leading’ this that, or the other. I’m sorry, but when was the last time you bought a product online, or chose a particular service feeling safely assured because they were ‘one of the leaders’. It doesn’t happen.
So, we throw a whole range of generic content on to our homepage interspersed with ‘SEO-driven’ chatter about the named products or craft we offer.
We might drop in a few pictures of pretty suited folks courtesy of a stock photography reseller and voila! The homepage is perfected.
It’s not good enough
Here’s my concern. I think the vast majority of businesses are getting their homepage wrong. The generic content filler is beginning to crack.
What makes your business great? The experience, the insight, the knowledge embedded within those 4 walls. The experience, insight and knowledge that should be represented within your business’ blog. The idea-drivers. The inspirational content that makes your reader sit back and think. The stuff that turns your audience into your customers.
Your business is unique
Question – what is it that makes your business unique? Is it the product you sell? Is it the service you provide? Or, is it the story that has taken you from where you started to where you are now?
I’m placing my bets on the latter. We’re all busy trying to artificially present our ‘differentiators’. There are far too many businesses presenting pages entitled ‘what makes us different?’. They just make me feel slightly ill. SHOW ME what makes you different. Again, let’s go back to my earlier point, is it your offering, or your story that makes you different?
Is it your offering, or your stories, that’s going to make me warm to your brand? Your competitors can replicate your offering. They can’t replicate your stories.
So… the magical mix?
How about this. Your homepage is your blog. It’s a mixture of content that shines a light on your insight, experience, industry knowledge and… your story.
Your offering becomes secondary. Why? Because, until I’ve bought into your business, I won’t buy from your business.
Allow me to buy into your business. Do it. Right from your homepage.
Think about the people that actually visit your homepage. They’re the ones that know your business by name. They’re the visitors mid-way into their journey through your site and are now looking for some point of navigational reference. They’re coming up for air.
Those that know what they’re after (the product seekers… the service seekers) will probably land on the more appropriate page. The page designated to your offering. Don’t worry about them at the moment.
Here’s my point
You’re spending all the time and effort to make your homepage look presentable and easy to navigate. Why not infuse it with a blend of what really matters? The blend of difference that your blog articles present.
If the answer is no, then, what are you going to start doing to improve that blog of yours? If your blog isn’t representing the real you, just whose benefit are you writing for?
If the whole idea of leading your website, from your homepage, with your latest articles makes you want to run for the hills, there’s a challenge waiting for you. Get writing.
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