Your homepage opens the door to your business.
It isn’t a destination – it’s the start of your client’s journey with you.
How to write and structure your homepage
Think of it as the online doorway to your business; it’s your first opportunity to make visitors feel confident they’re in the right place. Your homepage shouldn’t confuse your clients or Google, so it needs to make sense right away.
And whilst it’s where you showcase your expertise, it shouldn’t be all about you. The focus should always be on how your service helps your clients and the problem you solve.
This post focuses on service-based businesses, but the same principles apply if you sell products.
1. Make your client the hero.
Your homepage should speak to your client, not to you. And whilst you do need to share your expertise, do it in a way that explains why they need your service to solve their problem, and what sets you apart from others in your industry.
The top part of your homepage, aka ‘above the fold’, should be the hook and encourage your visitors to keep scrolling:
2. Focus on one clear message.
If you confuse your visitors, you’ll lose them as clients.
A lot of businesses offer more than one service, which is great as being able to support clients in multiple ways can make you a one-stop shop.
However, when a business tries to feature everything immediately on their homepage, the message becomes diluted. Not only for your clients, but for our friend Google too.
When you’re writing your homepage copy, it should have one clear focus that visitors see the moment they land.
Adopting this approach also makes writing your copy easier, because each service gets its own space on its own dedicated page, rather than you trying to be the master of everything in one place.
For example, a photographer may offer weddings, family and branding photography. But if the homepage tries to sell all three equally (and equally is key here), it loses direction. It’s far more effective to choose a primary focus, e.g. Wedding Photography, and then introduce your other services further down the page with links so visitors can explore them in more detail. Your secondary services should then have their own supporting pages.
This is usually the point where business owners say, “I want to promote all of my services equally!” – and trust me, I’ve been there. What you have to remember, however, is that clarity matters for both your clients and Google, which is why deciding what you want to be known for becomes really important.
3. Give your homepage a clear structure.
Visitors should be able to tell at a glance who you are and what you offer. Your homepage doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs to be clear, purposeful, and easy to follow.
When your website feels simple to navigate, people are more likely to stay on it and to trust you.
The key takeaway for your homepage content
Clarity is what connects you to your customers, and it’s what helps Google understand you too.
Do you need help with your website?
If you need help structuring your homepage and supporting pages, my Website and SEO Kickstart Hour could save you hours of guesswork o you can get on with updating your website confidently and with a plan.
For more guidance on layout and structure, visit my Web Design page.
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