A FOUNDER ASKED:
We just hired an agency to redesign our homepage and website. We need this to go well because our site is outdated and hurting sales. How can we make this a success?
HOW TO MAKE A HOMEPAGE REDESIGN A SUCCESS:
I’m so glad you’re thinking ahead about what you need to create an amazing homepage. Whether you’ve hired an external firm or have an internal team working on a website refresh, you need to make some critical decisions in advance.
Before you start drafting copy and designing new modules, you must answer seven key questions. Letting the team dive straight into a redesign is a recipe for a confusing, watered-down site (and sometimes for having to redo the entire project). I’ve seen it too many times.
The goal of your homepage is to get your ideal customer to take the best next action: buy your product, start a trial, talk to sales, or something else. What you say on your homepage, and the content you share throughout your website, need to help your prospect make a decision and take this action.
You may hope that the agency will guide you through every step and know what information to gather. Sometimes, that works out, but I’d encourage you to be proactive about sharing the insights your team already has. Your team knows your customers, their challenges, your competitors, and the reasons to buy your product better than anyone else. This knowledge will shape your homepage redesign.
Here are the questions you must answer to ensure your new website is primed to convert your prospects:
#1) WHO IS OUR HOMEPAGE TRYING TO CONVERT?
Defining a clear “ideal customer” that you’ll speak to on your homepage is the most important first decision (and one that many teams overlook).
Yes, you may sell to multiple customer segments or have a range of people involved in a buying decision. However, it’s still better to focus your homepage on one clear buyer and route everyone else to pages that directly address their needs. Each landing page can speak to a specific person, which increases their interest in your product.
Define these layers to figure it out who gets the love on your homepage:
- Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): what companies do you serve best?
- Buying Committee: who is involved in the buying process at those companies?
- Primary Buyer: who takes the lead in evaluating and making the decision to buy?
Your homepage needs to speak directly to your primary buyer, showing how you can solve their challenges and deliver the results they want most.
#2) WHAT IS OUR PRODUCT & WHAT DOES IT DO?
Does everyone on your team describe what your product is a little differently? Before you overhaul your website, you need to clarify that description.
Create a succinct Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your homepage’s hero module. This statement signals to your ideal customer that “this product is for you!”
Here’s a USP formula:
[Product name] is a [what / category] for [who / ideal customer] that delivers [important, appealing result].
This one-line elevator pitch will not only appear at the top of your homepage. It’s also the standard way that your team will describe your product to the press, on social media, and more.
#3) WHAT TOP BENEFITS DOES OUR PRODUCT DELIVER?
Your prospect is interested in your product because it solves key problems and delivers important outcomes. You need to align on which benefits to emphasize because they’ll appear right after the hero module on your homepage (high visibility real estate!).
Narrow down to 3-5 benefit statements, called value propositions, that emphasize why your product is so useful. A helpful way to craft these benefit statements is to start with either:
- An action verb: save, increase, improve, produce, lower
- A descriptor: fastest, proven, easier, quickly, best
Remember, a list of your top features is NOT the same as a set of value propositions. Features are proof points that your product can actually deliver results. To turn your features into benefits ask, “What jobs does this feature help someone accomplish? What’s the emotional benefit of getting this job done?”
#4) WHAT MAKES OUR PRODUCT DIFFERENT AND BETTER?
Your homepage also needs to make it very clear why prospects should choose your product over any other solution. Many startups make it hard for prospects to figure this out. Don’t be one of them.
What makes your product different and better? Why is it the obvious best choice to solve your ideal customer’s challenges? Answer these questions throughout your website.
An agency can help with competitive research, but your team likely already has a clear picture of what makes your product the best solution. Share this.
Your standout differentiators likely fall into four categories. Which are true for you? Our product is better than other solutions at:
- Serving a specific customer segment
- Solving an important use case
- Delivering the best results
- Offering the best user experience
Make sure that a couple of your top value propositions highlight your differentiators too. A good test: if you copied and pasted your value propositions onto a competitor’s site, would they accurately describe that competitor’s product? If so, you need to amp up the differentiation in your messaging.
#5) WHY TRUST THAT OUR PRODUCT DELIVERS RESULTS?
Here’s another area where the agency will definitely need your help: supplying ample proof that your product truly delivers results. Your homepage needs to showcase proof that quickly builds trust and credibility, moving prospects toward a purchase.
Prepare proof points that validate each of your value propositions. Proof points usually fall into three buckets:
- Features: Product functionality that delivers the results and explains “how it works”
- Social proof: Customer testimonials, case studies, and press mentions
- Data and information: Quantifiable results and user guides
#6) WHY BUY NOW?
Even with all this clear, benefit-oriented, differentiated messaging, you may find that prospects still drag their feet. Think ahead about the most compelling reasons a prospect should buy now. Then plan to highlight these on your website through messaging and content.
Messaging that adds urgency to a buying decision includes:
- Highlight hidden costs: What problems will get worse for this prospect? What costs will keep growing? Make it clear how delaying purchase will impact employee engagement, operational efficiency, speed to market, and more.
- Emphasize missed opportunities: What revenue-generating opportunities will the company miss if it waits to buy? Share what near and medium-term business wins your product will unlock, showing the opportunity cost of waiting.
- Encourage to future proof: What changes are underway that your prospect needs to prepare for now? Show that they’re at risk of getting left behind if they don’t change their approach and invest in your technology.
Many startups struggle with creating urgency. But you often know the reasons a prospect needs to act now. Your homepage (and sales conversations) can help open prospects’ eyes to the full picture so they can see what you see.
#7) WHAT’S THE BEST NEXT ACTION?
Finally, clarify the primary call to action (CTA) you want on your homepage. What is the most important next step the prospect needs to take? This could be downloading an app, starting a free trial, or requesting a demo from sales. That CTA needs to appear in multiple places (header, hero, bottom of homepage, footer, and more).
The content you share on your homepage needs to build confidence and urgency for your prospect to take this action.
WHY THESE QUESTIONS MATTER
When you start with this foundation, a great agency or product marketing team will be able to make fast, effective progress.
A team that gets started without this clarity is likely to create a homepage that doesn’t speak to anyone in particular. Prospects will find the homepage confusing or irrelevant, and they’re less likely to take action. This is so avoidable! Answer the questions above to get a running start.
