What the first word on your website should be

You never get a second chance, the sages will tell you, to make a first impression.

When you train to be a journalist, you learn the importance of getting the intro right. 

Start your article in the right way and the rest of the words will fall into place naturally.

So the opening words on your website – indeed, on any marketing materials – are absolutely key to getting your message to resonate with anybody who reads them.

It is surprising, then, that so many businesses tell their story in a way that does not reach out and engage the very people they are trying to persuade.

Companies spend thousands of pounds designing their public-facing content, invest heavily in branding and take serious time to come up with a headline that catches the eye and ticks all the SEO boxes.

Then what? All too often, the actual written content starts with a proud recitation of all the great things the company in question does. 

There’s detail about their services, their expertise, their deep knowledge of their craft.

It’s all I, we, us and our.

I firmly believe the first thing you need to do is to establish that you understand why a potential customer has clicked on your home page or picked up your brochure.

You have to show you understand their pain points and recognise the challenges they face.

By doing that, you establish an all-important emotional connection with the reader, who is comforted that you understand exactly where they are coming from.

Only once that is done can you roll out the credentials that prove you are uniquely placed to ease their pain and help them meet those challenges.

As a consumer, I respond to brands and individuals who have clearly thought long and hard about why I might be considering investing in them and their products.

So why would I, as a copywriter, produce words that focus initially on services, rather than the benefits those services bring?

What, then, should the first word on your website be?

It should be “You”. 

Let me know if you’d like me to help you give it a try.