With all the things that you need to do to take care of your website, the home page requires a bit more love and extra care. This is the first thing your dream clients and visitors see, and it’s likely they will interact here with your content. Remember that online first impressions are key and this is your shot to make an outstanding one! But why is your home page like your living room? And why is my living room so important?
It might sound silly, but the fastest way to grasp this concept is by thinking about your home page as your living room.
The overall atmosphere will set up the tone. If your living room is a dump for your clothes, it might be not the best experience for any visitors. They might get in and get a bit confused if they used the back door or something. Plus, were you supposed to be home alone? Or were you expecting guests? Because it sure doesn’t look like you wanna have people around your living room (or should I say wardrobe?).
Next, your guests would expect you to be welcoming, and maybe they are a bit shy but they would love something to drink and would love to hang out with you on your couch. If you didn’t bother to clean your mess, it’s likely that you won’t be offering a drink to them either… Not cool!
I mean, you wouldn’t want your guest to pour themselves a drink from the fridge (is the fridge restocked?) and to move your clothes away so they can sit with you (have you vacuumed, at least?)… right?
The same concept applies to your homepage
You want your home page to be slick and clean so that your visitors feel welcomed. This means we don’t want to see 15 pop-ups in less than 10 seconds and we would be very glad if you could introduce your business to us, so we can decide if we want to hang out more. Oh and please, show us around! We would love it if you could take the initiative (aka guide us to the different sections of your website: about page, services, maybe blog).
Now, the next thing would probably be to have a conversation with your guests. You would be asking the right questions and engage in the conversation. This is not a one-way street, and the same applies to your home page, one more time. Pre-qualify your guests on the home page so you know if you would have a fun time together! And while you do so… You might as well use the right words, so you can both understand each other.
Similar to the idea of niching down, you don’t want to attract anyone but just the right people. That’s why it’s important to find the right balance between niche words and simple terms, without forgetting your visitors are human beings and not ATMs.
The best way to make sure your visitors will come back is to become friends with them
This means you will learn more about their pain points and desires so that you can provide a solution or help them overcome them. Sometimes all they need is someone that understands them and that can hold space for them. Whatever thing they need, a real friend would try to help.
Lastly, don’t overcomplicate things! Creativity is always encouraged but having a clear path to follow is the way to go, as well as cohesive branding throughout the website.
Homework time: run to your website home page and look it through the eyes of this living room analogy (trust me, it will change your life). How could you improve your living room and website?
