Does your website woo visitors…or shoo them?

Your homepage is the store window the world peers through to get a glimpse of what you're offering.

So it’s essential you display quick, clear enticements to pull people in.

Yet, you’d think some websites were created with the express purpose of making visitors go away. Their headlines are clichés, generic, unclear, dull, or too coy for their own good. ?

Take for instance a site that greets you with words like these:

BUSINESS BLATHER: We offer business solutions that increase productivity, simplify your workload and improve your bottom line.

That’s the headline. What’s so bad about that, you may wonder. Well, consider:

If you sold pencils on a street corner, this statement could apply. If you dealt in industrial supercomputers, ditto. Likewise with virtually any other B2B enterprise in captivity.

So why should I be lured in by the same bland, worn-out claim gazillions of companies are making when they haven’t even told me what the heck they’re selling?

Your headline is the most precious piece of real estate on your website. Nothing comes close to its importance because it’s your make-or-break opportunity to hook your visitor and get them to explore further. Blow it, they’ll be history in a heartbeat.

For heaven’s sake, let people know, in no uncertain terms, where they are, what you’re dealing in, and what’s in it for them:

BETTER: Our groundbreaking software for real estate developers fully automates and tracks every aspect of the projects you undertake.

Now, if I were a homebuilder, that headline might strike a nerve the hackneyed “business solutions” blather would not.

Another nonstarter, and I would guess this is the most widely used headline on the web, is “Welcome.”

Cordial of you, but a sterling opportunity to impart essential information about your product or service…squandered.

If you were investing $60,000 in a full-page magazine ad, would your headline be "Welcome"? Pretend you’re shelling out that kind of money when creating your homepage header.

In all likelihood it’ll be a good one.

? 2024 Jerry McTigue

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Based on the book Business Blather: Stop Using Words That Sound Good But Say Nothing! Available on amazon in both print and Kindle editions.