The 3 Big DON’Ts for a Money-Making Homepage
And How to Fix Them
“Happy families are all alike,” wrote Leo Tolstoy, “every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
The same holds true for the homepage of your website. Homepages that make money all have certain things in common. Which means that if yours isn’t “bringing home the bacon” to your bottom line, you’re missing a few of those things.
As a copywriter, I look at a lot of homepages. And I talk to a lot of business owners who want to make the most of having a presence online. But a lot of the time, it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what that involves.
“Watch how the JETs take the field,” one of my clients recently told me. “I want my website to be like that. When you see it, you say ‘Wow!’” (I'm no football fan, but I love the different ways we all express what's awesome.)
So, here are the top 3 things NOT to do, if you want a homepage that gets folks to buy what you're selling:
1. Don't be clear about who's in your target market. “I will lose business,” this line of thinking goes, “if I don’t talk to EVERY POSSIBLE kind of customer.” Zut, alors! This simply isn’t true! In fact, it JEOPARDIZES the only chance you have to speak to the only group that REALLY MATTERS.... your ideal client. If you’re a personal trainer, it’s way easier to talk to brides-to-be than to “everyone.” And to connect with that specific group, instead of trying to be so general that you end up not saying anything meaningful.
>> FIX: Who uses your product or service most? (Or, who would you LIKE to be your ideal client?) Talk to them, in words they would use, and no one else. I also recommend this low-down-and-dirty formula, as demonstrated by stevepavlina.com’s “Personal Growth for Smart People”: [I offer X] for [this group of people].
2. Don't solve one problem. You’ve got plenty of talent, but what we really want is someone to help us solve one pain-in-out-bottoms. And not just any pain, but the one that keeps us up at night. By the way, a lot of businesses call what they sell “solutions.” This probably won’t make them any money. I, for one, usually can’t figure out what they’re actually talking about or selling. When businesses resort to the “we sell solutions” thing, it means they’re having a hard time describing their product/service, and the benefit it offers their clients.
>> FIX: SHOW US that you know your stuff by empathizing with our “wake up in the morning” problem, and describing, step-by-step, what you would do to help us solve it. In loving detail. And if you’re a coach, this goes triple for you. Unless people know you personally, “change” is usually a really hard sell. Making more money, attracting a relationship, or learning how to create a successful joint venture partnership are a whole lot easier.
3. Don't have a mouth-watering, "man, that's gonna be good!" offer. Whoa, boy. This may be the MOST COMMON mistake… and it’s two-fold. One, your homepage has no offers to start communicating or working with or buying from you right away. Or two, you have more than one offer, so you’re confusing people. (Remember: “a confused mind says no.”) Both are momentum-killers.
>> FIX: Once you know the one problem you solve, and you are clear on who you’re solving it for, it’s fairly easy to come up with things that would make their life a whole lot ------------. (Fill in the blank here: Richer. Easier. More relaxed. Stress-free.) Step two, think of WHAT ELSE you can give them to really motivate them to email, call, or opt-in. A free consult, analysis, report, MP3, or other gift.
Want more? This list is excerpted from a longer checklist for money-making homepages, that's part of a free teleclass on I'm hosting on Oct. 14. Registration goes live here on Oct. 2 (my birthday!). I’ll be sharing my full checklist for money-making homepages exclusively to folks who sign up for this no-cost call. Stay tuned.
