How to maximise impact on your website home page
Episode 1
First impressions count. Being able to grab the attention of your website visitors as soon as they land on your home page is important if you want to get the most of your digital and online marketing.
This episode of practical snacks gives you small tweaks that you can make now to make sure your website home page captures the attention of visitors who land on it.
About the show
First impressions count. Being able to grab the attention of your website visitors as soon as they land on your home page is important if you want to get the most of your digital and online marketing.
This episode of practical snacks gives you small tweaks that you can make now to make sure your website home page captures the attention of visitors who land on it.
Grab your free optimising your website home page checklist.
Practical Snacks is a special weekly summer mini-series of short, snappy tactical marketing episodes that are under 10 mins on a particular marketing topic or theme. Make sure you follow the show wherever you listen, so you don’t miss out. And do share with others who you think will find this actionable style content valuable.
Resources and links
Optimising your website home page checklist
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Transcript
Ayo Abbas 00:05
Hello, and welcome to the first episode of The Built Environment Marketing Show Practical Snacks, short, snappy tactical episodes that are under 10 minutes on a practical marketing activity that you can do this week to make a difference to your business. The Built Environment Marketing Show is a show for architects and engineers, it talks all about how you can make the most of your marketing, and it shows best practice ideas and innovation. This show is hosted by me, Ayo Abbas. I'm a marketing consultant, content creator and I love working with built environment firms who want to make a difference in what they do. This special episode is going to be talking all about website home pages. Your website is basically your online shop window. And I think a lot of architects and engineers pay attention to what a website looks like, but not necessarily how it performs. So for me, I really, really want you to pay some attention, and just get the basics right. So your website is really serving you and your business correctly. I always see your website as your online shop window, and I think opens a whole global market to you. So really spending time on this makes a lot of sense in terms of your overall business and marketing. Because like it or loathe it, your clients are checking you out online, they are looking at your website, they will look at it just to make sure you are who you say you are, and to get some reassurance that you can do know what you're doing. So don't neglect it. Don't think that other things are more important than your website. So this episode is one I want you to try and take some action on, take a listen, I'll have a special checklist that you can kind of use afterwards, and then go off and apply these tactics. And let me know what it does. So first up, I want to talk about the types of website homepages there are. So a homepage is basically the main landing page for your overall website. So mine, for example, is www.abbasmarketing.com. It's the busiest page on my website. And it's I guess, in many respects, it's a signpost to the other pages of my website. For me, there are two types of landing pages one which was kind of a one page scroll, which has everything on that page, it will talk about who you are everything that you do your services, your offer, and a contact. So that's like a one page scrollable full website, some people just have a page, which is absolutely fine. Or if like me, your website is actually a signpost, the gateway to the rest of your website, then that's the other type of websites, which are which type of websites you have. So it's just worth having that in mind. Because then it's that will shape the types of activities that you want to do. So you know whether or not you're feeding people elsewhere, or actually you want people to read, so you want to really hit all the main messages on your page. So first up, let's start at the top of your website. When I land on your homepage, what we call in marketing above the fold. So that is that first screen when you land on a website. So that is the most important screen, because that will determine if I click elsewhere. Actually, if I leave your site, or it could be the only part of your site that I see. So you really, really, really need to make sure that that captures people's attention above the fold. So that first page that you land on, when you click on your website, homepage is the most important part. And the key thing that you need that bit to do is tell people who you are, what you do, and who you work with things get all of that in there that can be done via words, you could have a strap line that says clearly, I'm a built environment marketing consultant who works with architects and engineers, you know, so you kind of just need to say clearly, this is what I do. So it could be a strap line, it could be the image that you show, it could be a small paragraph of text, but that first above the fold, as soon as I land on your site, that is the first thing that that part of the page needs to do. Because it's a way of saying to your audience, yes. Thanks for coming to my site. And yes, you are in the right place. And I think that's the thing that people always overlook. People have websites that do not say what they do. Not clearly, I think sometimes people are trying to be clever. They try and make sure that they are there and they just use words that really don't make sense. You know, window. A visual engineer, for example, could be someone who cleans windows, but you just kind of need to make sure that it clearly says I'm a marketing consultant. I work with these people, and this is what they do. So having that clear strap line, making sure that first time I land on your site. I know who you are, what you do and who you work with. And it's clear as possible. So that's point1. Point 2. It's about writing to your audience, not at your audience, you really, really, really want to think about putting yourself in your audience's shoes. So for me quite often, I will sit there and I will write a slight, a few paragraphs on who my key audience are, who I'm writing to, what's their job title? What's their stay awake issues, just have that in the back of your mind, when you're writing your audience, you're writing your copy for your website, for your homepage, look at your homepage copy, does it seem to that target audience that one person needs to be one person? So think about rather than writing loads of features about what you do? What's the benefits, you will help that what that audience actually achieve? What's the transformation that you can help them make? That is what will inspire people that is what will take them, you know, along with you that that is what will make them want to scroll down to the end of a page. And that is what is going to make them want to kind of click to the other pages. So use that kind of picture of who they are and who you're writing to? And why they should read on? Have that in the back of your mind. And just look at your homepage now and go does it do that? Does it write to that target audience? Is it clear? Is it clear that I am writing to them, will they know. And I always think the sign of a good website is when someone turns around to you and says, I read your website. And it was like you were talking to me. That is what you want to get to that is the kind of holy grail when it comes to our homepage and making it really, really sing for your audience. I think the other thing is it's to bear in mind is just to use normal language is so easy to get technical use acronyms. Use kind of language that you think makes you sound, I guess more impressive when actually using plain simple English explaining any definitions that might be technical, that your audience might not understand. And just making it so it's so easy to grasp what it is that you do, who you work with, and why you're worth working with. And that is so so important. How do you just use normal language as a way, I guess to connect with people, you want to connect with humans you want to come across in the way that you are? You don't want someone to land on your website and think, Hmm, that doesn't sound like John. It's like actually it needs to sound like you. So using normal English and being approachable and being friendly. That is so so important to have a look at your homepage. Does it do that? Is it normal language? Are there acronyms or names of associations that people wouldn't understand? Make sure that you've explained stuff and that it's obvious. I think the other thing that people also think about websites is they just make them a bit cold. So if I'm landing on Joe Bloggs website, I want to see a picture of Joe Bloggs. Why it's another way of reassurance, it's another way of knowing that I'm in the right place. And also, who doesn't love to see a friendly face. Because after all, you've got to remember that people do business with people. Even if you're a company, they're still the people within it that people are actually buying into. So please, if you've got a founder show your face, you know, you know all that all your management team or something. So because your homepage not just feel like a faceless organisation, actually, does it feel like the types of you know, can you see the personality and the people that you'll be doing business with? Do I have a sense, check, look at your homepage and think does it do that? Does it show us does it show me. And I think don't be afraid of doing that. So, so important, again, that will just make people want to read on or click through depending on what type of landing page and homepage you have. And finally, I guess the key part is give people the option to connect with you to contact you make it easy. The amount of websites you go on, whether it's just like there's no email address, there's no phone number, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to email you What do you want, I might want to land on your homepage, make sure you are legit, and get in touch, make it easy, have a form. You know, just make sure that that kind of CTA that call to action is there. So that if I want to find out more, it's easy for me to do. The amount of websites where there are no contact information at all is just crazy. Because it's like having a short window, but keeping the door closed. You don't want to be doing that. So you don't want to keep that door closed. You want people to feel invited in feel that, you know they've got more questions they can get in touch with you and ultimately do business with you. Anyway, so those are my tips in terms of improving your website homepage. So hopefully this practical snack has given you some ideas on what you can do. There'll be a simple download that you can use that can also just give you the tips. And if you've got any questions feel free to drop me a line at Ayo just AYO@Abbasmarketing.com which is Abbasmarketing.com Anyway, hope you enjoyed the episode. If you did, make sure you either leave me a review or share it with others that always really really helps. So the more people hear about the Show Hope you enjoyed it take care bye
