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Copywriting: Why It's Better to Write the Homepage Last
When you first sit down to write website copy, which page would you think you'd be writing first? The homepage, right?
Usually when I begin writing web copy for new clients, they assume I'll be writing the homepage first and then moving on to the supporting pages like "About Us," "Services," et cetera. It would seem to make sense to work this way, wouldn't it? Well... not so much if you really consider the function of the homepage as compared to the rest of the website, and the approach you need to take if you want to "hit it dead on" without having to crank out multiple redrafts and wasting tons of time and energy.
The clients who expect this often display what I call Home/About Us confusion. That is, they expect that a summary of the company will appear on the front page of their website. Actually, this is not the case. Recall that a company synopsis is what the About page is for! Head spinning yet? I thought so.
Okay, here's the thing. The homepage of your website is the "megaphone" that turns heads and gets people excited and curious about what's inside. Ideally, you'd want people to feel inspired immediately, and then call you up and ask you to do business with them. But, because people rarely act on the first impulse, we have supporting pages to help build their confidence in your ability even further.
Knowing this, your homepage should be a shout to your future customers. It should grab their attention, address their wants and needs, touch their vulnerable spots. Then it should introduce your product or service as the solution, and appeal to the reader to click through and learn more. In other words: the homepage is a driver for the supporting pages, and then the deeper content of your site.
Of course, you don't HAVE to write the homepage first - it's not a requirement. But think about this. As your copywriter, I need to have a deeper understanding of you and what you do. So, as you'd expect, my first task would be to thoroughly research your field, as well as your experience within that field. Next I'd write ALL the supporting content, defining the strongest incentives to buy. Finally, I'd sum up with a powerful homepage sell.
It's a time and cost effective way to work - from the outside in, or better said, from the most detailed pages to the general overview. Think of your website as a pyramid, with the most in-depth information living in the inner layers, to a layer of category pages, to the homepage that rests at the pinnacle and "points" your customer to the rest of the site.
Next time you have occasion to write website copy, try my method of writing the supporting pages first and the homepage last. See how much more pin-point accurate your sales message becomes! After all, it's easy to sum things up when you've examined the finer points from every angle.
Dina's Method for Writing Website Copy
1. Write the About page - including company history, mission, values and unique selling proposition. Include any bios of company principals or a "personal story" if it's relevant to the business that you're in.
2. Write the Services and/or Products page (some people prefer to have a "Solutions" page). Isolate the benefits and features. Explain the "what you get." Cover rates or price points, and don't forget to do a value comparison on packaged products.
3. Write a handful of supporting articles to illustrate how well-versed you are in your craft or field. Informative copy gives readers confidence in your ability to do the job right, and ups your trust factor in a big way. People want to buy from those whom they trust.
4. Create the newsletter page. This is where you'll eventually be publishing links to your newsletter archive. Of course, you can opt to NOT publish links, but it's better for your Google rank (and Findability Factor) if you do. Tack on an introductory paragraph explaining what's included in your monthly mailings. Encourage new signups.*
* Don't overlook the importance of an email newsletter! It's a critical piece of your bottom line sales. Get a mailing list and start building your customer base today.
5. Don't forget the Contact Us page - an easy spot for visitors to surf from the top navigation and quickly locate the information they'll need to reach you NOW.
6. NOW, you're ready to tackle the Homepage sell message. If you've followed the above steps, it should be virtually effortless to sum up all the benefits of working with you (or buying from you), and the features that come with your products and/or services.
Try out this method of writing website copy, and let me know how it works out for you. If you need extra support in this area, contact Dina@Wordfeeder.com for a copywriting quote today.
Copyright 2008 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.
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