Web Strategies #13

What To Say On Your Homepage

This issue tells you what information people are looking for on the homepage. The following is ideal for professional service businesses like coaches, trainers, designers, architects, healers, health practitioners, wealth builders and others whose business is knowledge based and educational. I find the approach works will for a number of trades and products as well.

Use your home page to let visitors know from the moment they arrive at your site if your service is for them or not. In three short paragraphs you will give them the essential information they are seeking.

Here’s what goes in the three paragraphs:

Paragraph One- What problems do people come to you for. What problems can you solve. “Is your back giving you pain and making you feel old and lethargic?

Paragraph Two-Tell them your solution. “Using current chiropractic approaches I can heal your pain quickly, and help you feel flexible and energetic again in few weeks.”

Paragraph Three-Tell them exactly how you can help them. “I help people feel better by healing and strengthening their backs. I teach people how to avoid future injury, maintain strength and keep their back healthy for the long term. I also help people improve their overall health through nutritional counseling and exercise.”

You don’t want your homepage to be too long. Too long is more than twice what fits in a browser window because people don’t like to scroll down.

Next you want to tell people where to go next. It is gracious to give people directions rather then let them bumble around. And by telling them where to go you also increase the likelihood that they will stay and learn more about how you help people and who you are.

At the end of the page put a line with a link to two other pages on your site that you would most like them to see: For example: The next place to go is the Services or Portfolio section. Read below for where to find more marketing help like this for independent service professionals:

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My Favorite InfoGuru

For more information on how to market your professional service business, go to the master Robert Middleton. At Almost Everything Communications we have relied on Robert's ideas for growing our business and find they work very well. He is down to earth, generous, knowledgeable and compelling to read. And just as importantly, we've been able to learn marketing methods we consider dignified and avoid those we don't like (cold calling.).

Sign up for the More Clients eZine if you don't get it already. It's the best free thing I have ever received. Find Robert Middleton at www.actionplan.com.