How to Write a Home Page Copy for Your Corporate Web Site
Writing web sites is easy. It’s so easy actually that you can end up with a home page that does not bring you any new business. Since it’s easy to write and publish on the web, making mistakes is as easy as coming up with the correct home page. Don’t forget that most people have about 5 seconds to linger at your home page. If they do not understand what’s going on or if they don’t like what they see (in the sense that they decide your web site will not or cannot provide a solution to their problems), they will click and move on to another site. CAUTION: You’ve got only 5 seconds to capture their attention and “sell” whatever it is that you’re trying to sell (more about this important point down below). Here are some rules for writing good business home pages. RULE 1: Leave your ego at the door.If the main reason why you’re placing something (word or image) on your home page is because you are “proud” of it, or that you like it because you’re the one that thought about it, then you may be on the wrong track. Don’t forget: your web site is NOT about you. It’s about THEM. Get rid of all that ego-centered-thinking and ego-centered-language (which is expressed by words like “us”, “we”, “our”, “ours” in the text) and immediately adopt a visitor-centered-thinking and visitor-centered-language (which is expressed by words like “you”, “your”, “yours” in the text). For example: WRONG: “Welcome to Our Web Site!” CORRECT: “Welcome to Your Solution Center!” WRONG: “Follow our instructions.” CORRECT: “Solve your problem by following these instructions.” RULE 2: Decide the main BENEFIT you’re trying to get across. Or: what are you “selling”?Also closely related to this rule: RULE 3: Decide what exact ACTION you’d like your visitors to take.Let’s look at these two important rules together: What is the purpose of your web site – (BUT not your business) ? You may be selling rocket ships or therapy sessions. Doesn’t matter. Are you trying to sell a product or service from your web site? Is that the purpose of your web site? Or… are you trying to INFORM and EDUCATE the visitors with the hope that they will keep returning to your web site and keep reading your content? Or… are you trying to have them give you their name and email address and SIGN UP for some kind of list, ezine, or autoresponder? Or… are you trying to get them to TRY OUT something FOR FREE or for a fee? Are you trying to sell a TRIAL edition of a product or a service? Without answering those questions first, the chances are whatever you put on your home page will be wrong and will not serve your main business interest. For example: If what you are trying to do is have your visitors sign up for a list, do you have your sign up form prominently displayed on your home page? Or is it buried down at a second-tier page which can be reached only by clicking a link? If what you are trying to do is sell a product or service through a shopping cart, are you also needlessly trying to entertain and educate your visitors with all kinds of content links that would take a visitor away from the home page? Do you have the kind of text and clickable buttons that ask for the sale? If you are trying to establish an ongoing conversation with your visitors, do you have “BUY NOW!” kind of direct language or one that emphasizes BENEFITS and then provides all kinds of content to educate and entertain your visitors? Do you have social networking links that encourage your visitors to share the content? If you provide clear written answers to such crucial questions in advance, you’ll have the kind of relevant home page copy that would serve both your and your visitors’ best interests. Have a Great Tip, Photo or Comment About This Topic?Do you have a great tip or photo about this? Something that you believe we should read or see? Contribute and share it today! 
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