You’ve probably spent dozens of hours looking at your website. Go on, admit it.
By contrast, a first-time visitor is going to give your site a few seconds at most. After that, they’re either going to keep looking or move on to a competitor (or Facebook).
So what do your visitors experience in those precious initial seconds? If your website isn’t generating the kind of leads or sales you think it should, you’ve probably got a disconnect somewhere — and it’s time to change things up.
To help you get inspired, check out these five examples of companies who are creating a strong connection with their prospective customers on their homepages.
By the way: we all love the websites for Coke and Apple, but you won’t find them on this list. We’ve chosen ordinary small businesses and nonprofits on ordinary budgets, so you know it’s possible for you to create the same kind of compelling homepage for your business.
Dr. Thad Gala
What We Love: A headline that’s all about the customer.
Dr. Thad gets right to the point with his headline. Sure, this is Dr. Thad’s website, but the headline isn’t about him. It’s about his clients living a healthier life that’s not reliant on medication.
What You Can Learn:
You’ve got to capture a visitor’s attention in a matter of seconds. That’s tough to do if you’re talking about yourself. But if you’re instantly showing what’s in it for your customers — the problem you’re going to solve — you’ll find people staying on your site longer to learn more, reach out, and buy.
New Story
What We Love: Powerful imagery that communicates transformation.
New Story’s homepage features rotating video footage highlighting the people they serve, the houses they build — and most importantly, the tangible results of the donations they receive. You see the walls taking shape. The woman holding her keys. As a potential donor, you instantly understand how your money will help people — and you instantly trust that it will.
What You Can Learn:
In your website’s photography and video, showcase the transformation that’s possible for people when they buy your product or service. What does life look like as a result? Find an existing image that captures that transformation. If you can’t find it, create it with the help of a professional photographer.
Perfectly Placed
http://www.perfectlyplaced.org
What We Love: Two clear, specific promises in the headline.
This is a smart headline because it touches on two important yet different promises.
On the one hand, Perfectly Placed is going to give you a tidy closet and help you reduce clutter. But deep down, you want more than neat-looking shelves. You want the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is in order. By including both promises, they’ve doubled the impact of their headline.
What You Can Learn:
In your headline and supporting copy, make sure you speak to the surface-level problem you solve for your customer. But don’t ignore that deeper (and often more powerful) motivation for the internal conflict you’ll resolve, too.
Bonus! One of the reasons this image works so well? Its use of color. For more on color psychology, especially how it pertains to your own personal image, don’t miss our podcast with style consultant Toi Sweeney.
Daniel “Chip” James
What We Love: Social proof that communicates authority
Your business exists to help your customer solve a problem. But how do your prospective customers know you’ll help?
Chip communicates his authority as a real estate agent and consultant by featuring reputable brands who’ve chosen him.
What You Can Learn:
Show your prospects they can trust you by pointing to people outside your business who can vouch for you. It might be a client roster, like Chip is using, or several testimonials from clients who’ve experienced the transformation you offer.
Text in Church
What We Love: Free, valuable content to turn casual browsers into qualified leads
You can’t miss the call to action for Text in Church. Immediately, you see the invitation to register for their webinar. This strategy accomplishes a couple of things.
First, they’re giving their visitors a chance to get some valuable free content about how to follow up with church guests. This builds a lot of authority and trust (as we discussed on this podcast with Jeff Walker). Second, it gives them a chance to turn those one-time site visitors into long-term relationships via email.
What You Can Learn:
As you’re dialing in your copy, images, and social proof, you’ll find more and more visitors stick around for longer since you’ve gotten their attention. Capitalize on it with a strong offer for free content that helps you continue the relationship over email. A webinar is great, but a free PDF download, video series, or even a discount code will work, too.
We hope these examples have inspired you to take a fresh look at your website! Leave us a comment below with what tweaks you’re planning to make or drop us a note on Twitter.
Want to Know What These Companies Know?
Full disclosure: all the organizations we’ve featured here have mastered our seven-part StoryBrand marketing framework by going through our Online Course or by attending our Live Workshop.
If you’re ready to craft a better homepage (and other irresistible marketing), join us for our next Live Workshop in Nashville on November 5-7. We’ve just got a few spots left!
