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In this article I’m assuming that your home page is your main landing page; that is, this is the page that most people usually “land” on the first time they visit. The following is directed toward service professionals who are using their site to help build relationships with their visitors.

The most important part of this page is to immediately generate attention and interest. At minimum, that means an eye-catching headline, and a compelling 2-3 sentence statement of how you help your clients—not just what you do.

If they’re looking at graphics or animation, that’s included in the ten seconds—so if you plan on putting those elements in, make sure they don’t distract from your key message. I generally recommend to my clients that they omit the bells and whistles and needless distractions of graphics and fancy logos.

Your headline can be problem-oriented: “Retail Managers-Do you struggle with employee retention?”

Or your headline can be promise-focused: “Florists: How to make Valentine’s Day pay off for the rest of the year!”

In each of these I’ve specified a target market. Although not necessary for your headline, if you have a clear population you market to, this technique can provide greater clarity.

After your headline, develop your 2-3 sentence opening statement. This can be in question form or a simple statement of how you help your clients. By focusing on their specific challenges, you can help visitors see your profession in a new light.

“If your dog seems to be feeling under the weather, we can provide a wellness consultation to assess underlying problems. Dogs can’t speak, but they communicate in many ways. We’ll help you figure out what’s going on.”

“Your marketing materials form the basis of your communication with prospects. And your business card is key to opening up and maintaining lines of communication. How often have you forgotten the face associated with the card, but still been intrigued by the service? We’ll help you design attractive and compelling written materials that keep your service at the forefront.”

CAPTURE

I’m a big proponent of giving away useful information that helps you establish credibility with your visitor. A common way of doing this is to offer a free report to anyone who signs up for your list. The free report is nothing new, but if done well, I think it remains one of the best ways to attract clients to your business.

I’ll discuss how to structure a free report in an upcoming article, but for your home page you want to capture the name and email of your visitor, using an attractive box above-the-fold.

If you’ve enticed them, your visitor will sign up. One of the strategies I teach my clients is to test their home pages and sign up rates, by comparing the number of unique visitors with subscription rates. Your sign up box should be seen immediately upon landing, and your copy should clearly state what you offer and how it will help your reader. Nothing more.

If your wording is good, you’ll get a significant sign-up rate for your free information. What’s significant? I would say anywhere from 5-10%. But this is tricky. If you’re getting much lower rates, analyze where your traffic is coming from; you could be attracting the wrong target market.

NEXT ACTION

1) Figure out what kind of freebie you could give. Also called a “One-Banana” or “Pink Spoon” from the Multiple Streams model, your free report should be truly valuable, easy to access, and not so extensive you never get it done.

2) Write the copy for your sign-up box. Test different versions with your target market and your colleagues to see what resonates with people.

3) Now write your intriguing and clear opening statement.

4) Lastly, write out your headline. Again, test this with your colleagues, and test different versions if you’re not getting the results you’d like.

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