There seem to be two schools of thought about home page content:  the all or the next-to-nothing.  Since the home page is the logical starting point for most visitors to the site, business owners feel compelled to either present everything they can fit, or else to make it sparse, flashy, and entertaining.  Often it is a hybrid of these two approaches that yields the best results.

Resist the temptation to put absolutely everything on the home page.  This typically results in a cluttered look that disorients the visitor.  If there is no clear place for the eye to land and rest, there is little chance that your customers will linger.  But also resist the temptation to go with a purely artistic landing page.  Visitors get frustrated when they have to click an “enter the site” choice, since they obviously came there seeking to enter in the first place.

Make sure that the Who, What, Where, and When of your business are easy to see, since this is the most sought-after information.  WHO owns or sponsors the site; WHAT is the purpose or product offered; WHERE will the visitor find further information; WHEN was the website content created or updated (is this a current site).  While offering this information, remember to use key words as consistently as possible in the copywriting to maximize your SEO results.

It helps to add some movement, preferably near the top of the page.  Visitors get a better sense of a vibrant, dynamic business when the page is not static.  Use one small Flash animation or slideshow, and make sure that the images it contains are optimized for the web.  Customers will leave if the feature takes forever to load.  Most of the time any text within the animation will not be searchable, so do not rely on these spaces for SEO content use.  Instead, use them for marketing phrases, slogans, and taglines that do not necessarily relate to key words.

Complete your home page with clear, simple navigation options.  Customers will have a satisfying experience and will be more likely to explore the site further.

Tags: copywriting, SEO, SEO content, Website Content