Creating a Compelling Headline for Your Website's Home Page

Your home page is the most important page of your website. It is the one that will determine what your potential client or customer does immediately after they arrive (i.e. stays or leaves your site).

Research on web usability shows that you only have a few seconds to catch the attention of your website visitors. One of the most important ways to do this is through your opening headline.

Your headline’s main purpose is to attract attention and generate enough interest so that your visitors keep reading. It’s a first step in a process where your goal is to entice them to stay at your site long enough so that they eventually take action on your offer.

Here are a few tips for creating powerful headlines:

• Let the reader know that your site is for them. People want to know instantly when they arrive at your site if they are going to get what they are looking for. Your headline should give some indication that the visitor is in the right place.

• Make sure your headline focuses very specifically on the core problem of your target market or the key benefit that you are offering.

• Choose interesting, meaningful and/or thought-provoking words. Ideally, your headline should jolt your reader into saying something like, "Hey this is for me!”

• Speak to your client’s emotions. People typically make purchasing decisions based on their emotions so you want to be sure you illustrate to your visitors that you understand the feelings they are experiencing.

• Your headline should be clear and to the point. Your reader should understand your message immediately. Do not water down or convolute your message so that the reader has to struggle to find it’s meaning. A few moments of confusion could mean that your visitor is gone to the next site.

Writing successful attention-grabbing headlines can be challenging as there are many components to consider. You might want to do some reading in this area or hire someone to help you create an effective headline. Your headline can make all the difference in determining whether your website is drawing, as opposed to repelling, potential clients and customers.