Guide to Creating a Good Homepage on your Website

Represent the best things about your business

Often, a business is not represented well in its website because a hired web designer slaps together some meaningless words. As the business owner, take a lot of time to reflect what makes your business special and write about this in words that most people can relate to.

I recommend: 

that you first think about the best features and characteristics about your business.  Think of what makes your business special to your clients.  What sets you apart from other businesses in your field?

Then write a first draft of the content on your home page and ensure that you craft your sentences over and over at least 10 times over the course of a week or two.  Leave this alone for a few days and then return to it and see if the words you put together have the same effect on you.

Share your homepage content with a few friends and get their opinion.  Often, you may be biased towards presenting your business in a certain way or with industry lingo.  Get the perception of others and see how they might view your homepage.

www.k3nn.com is one helpful resource to get you started on writing a good homepage.

Include important information on your homepage

Your homepage must have certain pieces of information to be effective.

I recommend: 

that you include your telephone and email address, your general location, a link to a blog if possible and a well thought out menu bar.

Take a look at www.albionhillsphysio.com or www.queenwestphysio.ca for some ideas.

Use the right words

There are certain effective words that always catch more attention. You should consider using these words. One word that always seems to work is "New". People always love a new type of service or product and will likely read more after seeing the word "New". Most people often write too much when describing something. After writing your sales copy, take another look at the text and try to cut out as many words as you can to make your paragraphs crisp and too the point. Don't write long sentences. Keep them fairly short. Only use worlds that are effective at conveying your message - take out all of the fulff. To avoid a large mass of text, use headings and bullet points to break it up a litte. Use key words in your text that people would use when searching for information on the net. This can help the SEO of your site. Put some emotion into your page. If you are very happy or excited about a certain aspect of your business, say it in a charged way.

I recommend: 

you browse through www.entrepreneur.com - it has some great articles and is an excellent source of information for writing good sales copy.

Relate to the Customer

Relate to the customer. Use questions, then follow them with how you can help your customers. Be down to earth. Some professional lingo is fine but also include words that your typeical client may use. For an example of a thought out homepage and generally well presented information, check out: www.queenwestphysio.ca This page describes some key features of the service that should be important to the potential client. For example, it mentions a warm, relaxing environment and knowledgeable and professional health care professionals. It also indicates that unlike other servcies, the client is not rushed in and out during their appointment.

I recommend: taking a good look at www.entrepreneur.com