CreatWeb - Homepage Content Writing, Homepage Copy, website copy

How to write copy for the homepage of your website

The homepage is the last page you write

When you have a new website developed, the designer will show you an example of your website design which most likely contains words that cannot be read. This text which usually starts with the words "Lorem Ipsum" is called "greeking" and it is not a language. It is simply dummy text which allows you to take in your website design without being distracted by meaningful text. The design is about the layout of the website, not the content. That's the reason why no real text or content is used so that you - the client - can concentrate on the look and feel of your website. Have a look at this example so you understand what we mean.

Example of Greeking

Once the design is signed off, the developer can go ahead and start developing your website. Some developers will ask you to provide all content at the start of the development. It's sometimes better to hold back until the website is almost ready to go live.

The website structure has to be discussed first before you start developing the site. For industry sites for example - the smaller the number of clicks to the information the visitor wants the better. Your website visitors don't have any time to look for the information. Give them the information they want - fast.

Think about what your company offers, what is your most important service / product - and who is your most important type of client - this will help you guide into the right direction for your site structure.

If a company deals mainly with architects for example, having a link called "architects" on the homepage will greatly please any architect that visits your site, because they immediately feel welcome.

The most common mistake some companies still make is adding lots of content on the homepage which is about the company and not about their products. This puts the company in the center rather than the client. This should be avoided and a summary of the services and/or products you offer should be highlighted on the homepage.

Websites follow the same structure as authors who write books: They write the book first and then they write the introduction - the first page. Once your website is almost ready, you will know the content of the different pages and you can better provide a summary of your main products / services.

The best thing is to test-drive the site with web visitors who know nothing about the product/service your company offers. Ask them - without clicking on any other pages - if they know what you do and what you specialise in just by looking on your homepage.

Keywords are King

So you company develops blue medium-sized widgets. Put yourself into your clients' shoes and visit open up Google. In order to buy blue medium-sized widgets, what would you enter in Google to find a website that sells blue medium-sized widgets? - Yes, correct - you would enter "blue medium sized widgets". That's why you need to include keywords into your content, exactly those keywords your website visitors would use in Search Engines to find websites like yours. So if you have content on your website that describes your company history, you missed a big chance, because the company history will not highlight blue medium sized widgets.

Keywords vs Key Phrases

What's a keyword? - A keyword is a single word such as "photography", or "design", or "website".

What's a key phrase? - A key phrase consists of several keywords, such as "web design west lothian", "commercial photography Bathgate". When people perform a search in Google, for example, they have learnt that key phrases will give them a better result rather than just single keywords. If you are trying to find a web designer, and you only enter "web design" in Google, you will spend the next year trying to go through the millions and millions of result pages that are displayed. However, if you enter "Web Design Bathgate", you will more likely find a web designer that is located in Bathgate.

Homepage Content - Examples

Have a look at the below examples for some homepage content.

CreatWeb is a web design company based in Bathgate, West Lothian who specialise in website design, website maintenance, website updates, search engine optimisation, website translation, and commercial photography. CreatWeb have developed an impressive website portfolio which clearly demonstrates the diversity of industries for which we develop websites.

This small paragraph summarises what CreatWeb do and where we do it. If you are a national company, you can re-phrase this:

CreatWeb is a web design company in the UK who specialise in designing websites, website maintenance, website updates, search engine optimisation, German & French website translation, and commercial photography.

The keyphrases used in the two examples are as follow:

How to write product pages...