What in the heck does go on your business' home page?

Do you say this at the top of your home page? "Welcome to XYZ, Inc."

You call it 'welcoming them in.' I call it 'the Kiss of Death.' Your visitor doesn't call it anything- she simply clicks away.

Like many people, you've probably agonized over how to start the home page of your website. What will really catch their attention, without being full of hype or manipulation?

When you first walk into a party, what do you do?

My wife and I had the pleasure of going to a friends' party recently. Now, I'm not a big party person, but I do like hanging out with interesting people and eating good food.

The party was already in full swing when we got there. I could hear music and voices as I approached the door. Knowing our friends, anyone and everyone could be there- they know so many different people from so many different walks of life.

I have to admit I felt ever so slightly apprehensive. Was I going to know people there? Was it going to be easy to make a connection with people I didn't know?

The first thing I did, unconsciously, was to start to look for people I either knew, or thought I could feel comfortable with. I realized that until that moment when I saw someone I knew, which happened immediately, I was a little nervous and holding my breath. When I saw our friends, I could breath again, settle in and enjoy the party.

It takes a LOT of gumption to crash a party.

Although I can be an extrovert, it's a pretty rare moment when I'm comfortable in a place where I don't know ANYONE.

When someone comes to your website, the first thing they are looking for, unconsciously, is whether they belong there. They are asking, 'Do you know who I am? Am I going to be comfortable here?'

Your job is to make them feel welcome. And, saying 'Welcome to my website,' in bold at the top of your home page just doesn't do it. Why not?

Have you ever seen someone looking your way, and asking you a question: "Want to come to a party?", and then you answered them... only to realize they were talking to someone behind you. How foolish did you feel?

Your visitors have experienced that also- yuck! So, simply saying 'welcome' doesn't let them know you are talking to them. They let the 'welcome' slide right over them.

The other big mistake with visitors? The Third Degree

Some people take a stab at creating empathy by asking questions. Have you ever seen a website, or flyer, that starts out like this:

"Are you struggling with a crying baby?
Are you exhausted from not enough sleep?
Do you want more from life than round-the-clock baby care?"

This is what I call the "Third Degree Syndrome" as used in marketing. Someone walks into your website, and before they can even take a breath- BAM- you shine a bright light in their face and start barking questions at them: "Where were you on the night of April 12? Did you kill Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick?"

Your visitor's instant reaction: "Ahhh! I don't know! It wasn't me! (I'm getting out of here.)"

So if a big welcome doesn't work, and the Third Degree doesn't work, what does do it? How do you help a new visitor feel welcome, so they take off their coat, and stay awhile?

Keys to Welcoming Strangers to Your Home

• Instead of questions, or words of welcome, they need empathy.

Think of who your business serves, and what problem they are facing before they get help from you. Then, describe it in a few clear sentences.

Example: "Is caring for your baby a far cry from what you expected?"

"As a new parent, all the advice in the world won't prepare you for the helpless confusion you may feel as you try to understand your baby's needs."

"As you struggle to satisfy those needs, you may be operating on limited or no sleep, arguing with your spouse, or irritable with your other children. This can make it even more difficult to understand why your baby behaves in unexpected ways."

 A headline and three sentences is all it takes, and if you are a parent with a baby, I bet you are going to feel welcome and comfortable.

(This example, and the two below, are from a website someone in my marketing class developed: www.whatyourbabyknows.com )

• What are they looking for?

This has to be in their own words. What, in their own words, are your clients looking for? What kind of results and outcomes do they need?

On the home page, don't tell them how to do it. Don't give them any big expositions or much detail. Just give them reassurance that they can get what they want. When we showed up at our friends' party, I wasn't informed as to how the food was made, or what food was there. I was just told, 'Come on in- we've great some great food here.'

That was enough for me. I could stop worrying about dinner, and relax into the party.

Example:
"But you want to KNOW - and CAN KNOW, not guess - what your baby needs."

On the home page, that's enough.

• The way in.

Many websites leave you hanging. If they've managed to engage you at all, you've read down to the bottom of the page, and the original navigation bar has scrolled out of sight, and... bam! They leave you at a dead-end.

When someone comes into your home, there aren't a dozen doors out of your entrance-way- maybe there's one or two. In our home you can either go to the left into the living room, or straight ahead into the dining room. Once you are in those rooms, there are other choices. But initially, only two.

At the bottom of the home page, suggest where you want them to go next.

Example:
"Click here(link) for my complimentary guide, “When Your Baby Cries: How To Support Yourself and Your Baby”

Not sure I can help your particular situation? Click here(link) to find out more."

Empathy. Reassurance. The way in. With these three you have some of the most elemental parts of an effective home page, that leads people where you want them to go, because they want to go there.

And you've done it without hype, and without manipulation. Just caring, clarity, and love.