Generally you get only one chance to grab your visitors' attention. Use these four easy steps to compel prospective buyers to explore your web site.
Step 1. Headline
Start your home page with a compelling, benefit-oriented headline, followed by a subheadline.
Example:
Enhance Your Competitive Edge With a Professionally-Designed Website! Five Star Web Design uses design techniques that persuade people to click on your links, spend more time on your site, and order your products and services.
Step 2. Description of your website
Describe your website's content in one to three sentences. Target your audience. Tell what you can do for your visitors, what problem you can solve for them, what solutions you provide, and what your qualifications are.
Example:
Web Design Built on Proven Marketing Strategies! Five Star Web Design and Marketing specializes in developing custom websites for small-and medium-sized companies at competitive rates.
Step 3. Provide Links
Provide links that give visitors an overview of your site's content. Turn your links into headlines. Include action words and benefits to invite and motivate people to go deeper into your site.
Write several headlines with different hot buttons to motivate a larger number of visitors.
Link to a testimonial page. Providing testimonials from customers or authorities in your field is a powerful way to convey the benefits you offer. Provide a link to your sales letter, catalog and order form.
Examples:
- Multiply Sales, Subscriptions, and Traffic With Action Words.
- Browse Our Recommended Web Design and Marketing Resources. Click here.
- How to Design Your Home Page to Get Your Visitors' Attention and Motivate Them to Explore Your Web Site
- A Profitable Web Site Starts with Planning.
- What Clients Say.
Step 4. Capture your visitors' email
Getting your visitors' email address and building email lists of your prospects should be one of the main goals of your website.
Few people will buy from your website on first contact. Generate leads with your website, stay in touch by email, and turn your visitors into customers. Send regular email to establish trust, provide additional information and value, offer additional products and services, get visitors to return to your site, and increase sales.
Offer something valuable to get your visitors' email address such as a free special report, newsletter, evaluation, consultation, discount, or special offer.
Keep the sign-up form brief. Ask for their email address and name. Ask for their address and telephone number if you're planning to follow up by mail or phone.
Examples of valuable information:
Yes! Send me your FREE report “Top Ten Ways to Generate Web Traffic.
Enter your email address here and receive “10 Secrets That Are Guaranteed to Make Your Internet Profits Explode!”
More tips to make your home page effective and keep visitors at your site
- Keep your home page short. Visitors should be able to see the important information on your home page without scrolling down.
- Make your home page fast loading. If people have to wait to view your home page, they will leave and go to another Web site.
- Make it easy and logical for visitors to get to the information they want.
- Make it easy to contact you. Provide your phone number, email address and Web address.
Let's recap how to motivate your prospects to explore your web site: Target your ideal prospects, grab their attention with benefit-oriented headline and links, and tell them what you can do for them. Don't forget to capture their email address and stay in touch by email to turn your visitors into customers!