4 Questions Your Website Homepage Should Answer

Your website acts as your virtual store, even if you don’t sell a physical product. Imagine your homepage as a shop window, it’s the first impression your visitor gets that helps them decide if they should stay or if they should go.

We’ve all been to those websites where almost instantly you know it’s not the site for you. It could be the functionality, the design, or you simply don’t know what the heck they do. You must draw your visitor in, leading them to explore more, and ultimately decide to contact you. That’s what you want, isn’t it?

There are 4 questions that every homepage should answer for its visitors, let’s jump in.

1. What do you do and who do you do it for?

This question seems self-explanatory, but let me tell you, so many people think the name of their business tells visitors everything they need to know, and that is simply not the case. 

Let’s use a fictitious brand as an example throughout this blog post. Our imaginary brand is called A Better You and they are an anxiety counselor that treats millennials. They decide to use A Better You as the heading on their website. 

Not only will that not rank for any keywords on Google, but it also leaves the visitor confused. A Better You is a great business name for a counselor. The problem is you could sell clothes, or have a workout program, it could truly be any type of business. 

There is no need to repeat your business name as your heading when your logo is strategically placed in your top navigation. Use that valuable space to tell visitors exactly what you do and who you do it for, leaving confusion at the door. 

An example here could be: 

Headline: Anxiety counseling services for millennials.

This is super straightforward but it’s clear. We know exactly what this business does and who it’s for. 

2. What value does your service provide?

Next, we need your value proposition, which is a short statement about why your customers should choose your product or service. If you’ve been around here a while, you know I’m always mentioning, tell your site visitor what’s in it for them. Well, this is exactly what I mean when I say that. 

You search for the value in all things you buy, for example, you buy eggs because they are a good source of protein, and keep you full for a long time. When you buy something, you want to know what value it is going to provide to you.  

Back to our anxiety counselor example:

Logo (in the top navigation): A Better You

Headline: Anxiety counseling service for millennials.

Value Prop (could be the subheading): Overcome your anxiety, and find a better you through therapy sessions you’ll love going to.

3. Who are you, and what makes you different?

I know what you’re thinking, “but isn’t this what the About page is for”? You’re right, you do need an About page on your website, but your homepage should also include a brief introduction of yourself. The key here is that it’s not REALLY all about you yet, it’s still about your visitor. 

Let’s call this the ‘Why You’ section, where you introduce yourself and tell them what you do for them. Remember, what’s in it for them? It pertains here too.

Example:

Why You: Hey, I’m Katie! I am a licensed professional counselor with 10 years of experience. I am passionate about helping other millennials like myself enjoy therapy, and overcome their anxiety. I will help you look at your life from a holistic view, assessing your mental, physical, and spiritual health ultimately leading to a better you. 

{Learn more about me} (Link to your About page)

Did you catch that I did a brief introduction but still leaned heavily on what the visitor is going to get out of this service?

4. What are other people saying?

In this section, we will focus on social proof which helps establish your authority, and increase your credibility. We as humans want reassurance we are making the right decisions. When it comes to buying a service, we want to hear other people's experiences. 

This is exactly why we love recommendations from friends and family about who remodeled their kitchens. If your friend/family member had a good experience with their contractor, you are more likely to choose them because someone you know personally had a good experience, and you have seen their results. 

Here are a few examples of the different types of social proof you could include in this section:

• Testimonials

• Google reviews

• Case studies

• Social media shoutouts from customers

• Trust icons (if your business has been talked about in the media you could include those logos in this section)

This is not an exhaustive list of what to include on your homepage. *Spoiler alert,* we haven’t even introduced your services yet, which is a must! But this is a great start to any homepage. 

For more information just like this, click the link below to download my free guide for 8 website must-haves for service-based businesses.