Writing your website copy can feel like a never-ending game of ping-pong in your brain. Am I saying enough? Too much? The right thing?

You know what page is way too easy to overthink? The coveted, front-and-center homepage. Where you feel need to tell your people anything and everything all at once, while also not overwhelming them AND making them want to buy from you. Easy, right?

It can be! The best way to think about your homepage is like a story, letting your readers know they’re in the right place, you see them, and better yet, why you’re the perfect person to help them.

Of course I’m not just going to leave you there. We’re going on a journey through each step of writing your home page, why it’s important, and how to make you an easy yes for your people.

• Hero Section
• Introduction
• Mini About
• Services Overview
• Optional: Social Proof & Testimonials
• Optional: Freebies & Opt-Ins
• Final Call-to-Action

Writing Your Hero Section:

WHAT IT IS:

Hero section, headline, whatever you call yours, this is the very first section someone sees when they hit your website. I like to think of this as your home page’s address. Just like your house numbers, we want to use this section to let people know they’re in the right place.

HOW TO WRITE IT:

Not every hero section will look the same, you can play around with the amount of text vs. visuals depending on your business. But, make sure you’re answering two things: what you do and who you do it for.

See her full website here: baileyfeldman.com

• What she does = fresh take on leadership development
• Who she does it for = women-led businesses in the messy middle of growth who want the most out of their careers

Your Introduction:

WHAT IT IS:

Contrary to popular belief, your introduction really isn’t about you. You’ve let your readers know they’re in the right place, now is the time to make them feel seen.

It’s so easy to think we need to hop into selling and sharing all about our own experience, but if people don’t trust you first, it doesn’t really matter (sorry, someone had to say it)!

HOW TO WRITE IT:

Here, we get into a bit of a ‘choose your fighter’ situation. The first path is speaking to the struggle. You might here these referred to as pain points. In this case, you’re focusing on what your readers/ideal clients are tired of, their biggest frustrations, what they want to stop doing immediately.

The other side of the coin is aspirational. How things could look if they didn’t have to worry about that problem, or where they’re yearning to be (even if they don’t know quite how to get there). TL;DR, these first two sections are essentially saying, “you’re in the right place, and I see you.”

This example is from my homepage! I have absolutely zero problem being personality-led (and sometimes a little 🌶️) in my copy, and I wanted to be as direct as possible here, speaking to a specific feeling/struggle that they’re trying to solve.

Your Mini About:

WHAT IT IS:

This one is self-explanatory, and let me tell you, an absolute must for service providers. Your personality is one of your differentiators, and as humans, we’re psychologically looking to make emotional connections first.

Reminder: this is not a resume. This is your time to strengthen that coveted connection with your readers. You can take this so many ways – specific fun facts (not that you love coffee and dogs, so does 95% of the population.

HOW TO WRITE IT:

Emotional resonance is the key here, aka, just be yourself! Easier said than done, but out of every section, this is the one you shouldn’t worry about saying the “right” thing, because there is none. Keep this section short, a few sentences or a paragraph, maybe throw in some bullets if you’re feeling fancy.

When writing, you want to share your personality, but in a way that makes sense in context. My bullet points give you specific insight into my personality, while the rest of the section focuses on my perspectives about branding, selling, etc – what my edge is, and what makes my vision different.

Social Proof & Testimonials (Optional):

WHAT IT IS:

Social proof is really just a fancy way of saying, if others trust it, then it must be good. Psychologically, when we haven’t experienced something first-hand, we usually look to others to fill in the gaps. The most common (and my favorite) social proof on websites are testimonials, but you can also add additional layers like features in publications, podcasts, or other awards that subconsciously signal your readers can trust you.

HOW TO DO IT:

Yeah, we can do so much better than a “can you leave me a review” after your project is done. Offboarding forms are one of my favorite ways to do this in my projects! Whether you’re using a form or emailing questions, getting the best testimonials comes from asking the right questions.

By giving guided, open-ended questions, you’re asking your clients to say not just that they liked working with you objectively, but why. Some favorites of mine include:

• What were you struggling with the most when you reached out/started to look for someone?
• What ultimately chose to make you choose me over another service provider?
• If a friend was asking you about working with me, what would you tell them?

You’re not asking for much, but just these three can give you juicy information on what your clients are struggling with, what your differentiator was that made them choose you, and an authentic, stream-of-consciousness endorsement that doesn’t feel like they have to fake praise you with five stars.

(Bonus: I also link my Google Business Profile on these forms and ask them to leave a testimonial if they feel inclined! Testimonial 🤝 SEO benefits).

Freebies & Opt-Ins (Optional):

WHAT IT IS:

Optional but highly encouraged, your freebies and opt-ins are those little breadcrumbs that make your readers feel like they’re getting a gift, while you get the gift of their email! What we don’t want to do is have basic form that says “join the newsletter for updates” – BORING, and I don’t even get anything out of it!

Usually, these are done by embedding forms (if you’re looking for an email marketing platform, I can’t recommend Flodesk enough), and setting up a workflow to automatically deliver when people sign up!

HOW TO DO IT:

Your job is to give a little taste of what it’s like working with you, in a bite-sized, actionable way. I personally love mini resources – think checklists, walkthroughs, mini-workshops, free templates, a free week of your workouts or a percentage off of your products.

Currently, I have my Spring Cleaning SEO Checklist up – seasonally relevant, immediate download, and easy to understand. Think minimal effort on their part (and yours) with maximum impact. Here’s one that I did for a fellow brand designer:

See Her Full Website Here: https://www.palmetta.co/

Closing Call to Action (CTA):

The goal of every page is to guide your reader through what you want them to do. Imagine if you had an entire page of all of this hyper-specific, resonant copy that your readers are drooling over and begging to spend their money on, for them to just be like … “where do I go next”?

You want to make it as easy as possible to let them know how to move forward with you!

Is this filling out your contact form? Is it sending an email? How can you give them a final closing to reassure them that they are ready to take the next step.

Generally speaking, this looks like a little blurb with a button that links to your contact form, where they fill out more info about what they’re looking for!

Want to learn more about website copywriting and having a 10/10 homepage?

It’s great that you landed here then! Whether you’re re-doing your website copy for the fifth time, searching for guidance on where to even start, or pondering the “do I really wanna do this myself” question, I’m happy to help.

I help service providers and founders like you build their voice through personality-led copywriting and messaging, helping you build a community that buys from you, because of you.

If you found this helpful and feel like you’re talking to a friend, then I think you’d love my newsletter, The Current! Dropped (almost) weekly on Wednesdays, it’s half-unhinged, half-educational, and a whole lot of fun. This is where you’ll really see my personality come through 👀💌 – you can subscribe here!