Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Three Secrets to a Winning Home Page

By Hallie Smith


As everyone knows, first impressions count. That's why every website needs an outstanding home page. Whether your site contains just a few pages, or a thousand, your home page is the place to make a powerful impression, and the start of an ongoing relationship.

First-time visitors often end up on your home page. They want to know who you are, what you can do for them, why they should trust you and what makes you different. Most of all, they want these answers fast.

Here are 3 tips to a winning home page:

Clarity

Is your website design simple and clear? Does it quickly communicate your company's personality and value proposition? Does it tell them what makes you different and why they should trust you?

Start with your value proposition in your headline, and then go on to expand and clarify in your copy.

They'll have more questions along the way, so make it easy for them to find what they need. Keep the flow throughout your home page, and provide simple, uncluttered links to relevant pages. This way, you can engage your visitors and build trust.

Content

Visitors come to your site for a reason. What benefits will I get from what you offer? What about productivity and efficiency? What ROI can I expect? How easy is it to implement? Give me the technical details.

Your home page is where you direct your visitors in the right direction.

Offer valuable information they can use. For example, in a white paper that explains a complex new technology, demonstrate your expertise with in it and outline the business case for using the new technology.

Offer marketing collateral to promote your solutions. Brochures, datasheets and case studies all work here. Invite interaction with multimedia of customer success stories. Use third party research to back up your claims.

Deliver the latest news about your company, and information about upcoming events.

Confidence

Most of the top B2B websites present a strong personality in their home pages. They present confidence by showing their leadership qualities and by being different.

But here's the important point, they don't use a hard sell. After all, no one likes being sold to, do they? The best B2B websites avoid corporate speak, buzz words and overt sales talk. Through valuable content, they create the right balance, which keeps prospects coming back until they're ready to make a buying decision.




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