What to Include on Your Home Page (And Why It’s Freaking Important)
Your home page is like your first date. Remember when you met your partner?
You probably fussed over what to wear, checked your teeth in the bathroom mirror, and hoped like hell you didn’t say something weird.
Whether it was through Tinder, or you met in person, what was that one thing that made you think, “Oh. I want to see this person again”?
It wasn’t their ‘resume’. Something small hooked you, and it happened fast.
Same thing applies to your home page.
People land there, squint at it for a few seconds, and decide if you’re worth their time.
No hard feelings, no goodbye text. They just close the tab and you never know it happened.
So what’s the hook? I’ll get to it, but first I have to warn you about the mistake I see on nearly every home page out there. It’s not your fonts, and it’s not your logo. (Keep reading, because you might be making it right now.)
Your Home Page Is the Busiest Page You Own
Think about it. Almost everything points to your home page: your Instagram bio, your email signature, Google, that one business card in your junk drawer.
And getting people there costs more every year. Contentsquare’s 2026 Digital Experience Benchmarks found that 59% of sites lost traffic in 2025, while the price of each visit went up 9%. So if a visitor makes it to your site, you PAID for that moment, in time or money or both.
Did you know that 52.8% of traffic comes from people who’ve been there before. A lot of them are coming back to your home page to double-check you before they commit. (You’ve done the same thing before hiring someone. Admit it.)
The Test Every Home Page Has to Pass
Researchers at Carleton University found that people judge a web page’s visual appeal in about 50 milliseconds. That’s looks only, not copy, so please don’t quote it as “people read your words in a twentieth of a second.” Still, it tells you how quickly brains make up their minds.
After the look comes the read. In a few seconds, your visitor is silently asking:
- What is this?
- Is it for me?
- What am I supposed to do now?
Donald Miller, who wrote Building a StoryBrand, has a mantra for this: “If you confuse, you’ll lose.” Yep. It’s that simple, and it’s that brutal.
Want to test yours? Show your home page to a friend for five seconds, then ask what you sell. If they say “uhh, marketing… maybe?” we’ve got work to do.
What to Put on Your Home Page
Every business is different, but a home page that works usually has the same eight building blocks. Stack them in this order and the page reads like a conversation instead of a shout.
1 – A hero that grabs people by the collar (gently)
The hero is whatever shows up before anyone scrolls. It needs a headline, one supporting line, and a button. That’s it.
David Ogilvy, the ad legend, said that on average “five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” So your headline is doing most of the work, and it deserves way more than the ten minutes you spent on it.
Here’s a formula you can steal:
- Headline: [What they get] for [who they are] without [the thing they hate]
- Example: “Website copy that gets you booked calls, minus the guesswork.”
- Button: Say what happens when they click. “Get my copy” beats “Submit” every single day.
2 – A value proposition (aka: what do you actually do?)
This is one or two sentences covering what you offer, who it’s for, and why it’s better than the other guys. Nothing fancy.
Read it out loud to someone who doesn’t know your business. If they can’t repeat it back, chop it down.
3 – Their problem, in their words
Nobody cares about your services until you prove you get their headache. So name it.
Something like “Your website looks pretty, but nobody’s inquiring” works. It hits a nerve, and a nerve is exactly where you want to hit.
4 – Your services, but make them about benefits
Sure, list what you sell. Just lead with what changes for the buyer, not with a feature dump.
- Feature: “5-page copy package”
- Benefit: “Copy that helps the right people say yes faster”
Keep it to three or four offers, and link each one to its own page. Your visitors (and Google) will thank you.
5 – Proof that you’re not making it up
Anyone can say they’re great. Other people saying you’re great is a different story.
BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 49% of people trust online reviews about as much as advice from people they know. And 74% only care about reviews from the last three months, so that glowing testimonial from 2019 isn’t doing you any favors.
Pro tip: Specific beats gushing. “Doubled our inquiries in 60 days” is way more convincing than “She’s amazing!!” Add a name and a photo if you can.
6 – A simple process
People get nervous about the unknown, especially when money is involved. A little “here’s how this works” section calms them down.
Three steps is plenty: book a call, we figure out your message, you get finished copy. Done.
7 – A mini about (with a twist)
Your visitor wants to know if you’re a real human they’d enjoy working with. So show a face and say a few lines about you.
Here’s the twist: don’t just list your background, connect it to THEM. “With [X years of experience], I help [your people] get [the result].” Boom.
8 – A final call to action (and maybe a few FAQs)
Use your main CTA at the top, the middle, and the bottom, with the same wording each time. Bouncing between “Book a call,” “Let’s chat,” and “Get started” just makes people wonder if those are three different things.
Toss in a softer “let’s date” option too, like a newsletter or a free guide, for the not-quite-ready crowd. And if you add FAQs, keep it to 3 to 5 questions. (Don’t bury the stuff people NEED to know in there. Plenty of folks skip that part.)
How to Structure Home Page Copy So It Actually Sells
If you like formulas (I do), use AIDA. It’s old, and it still works.
- Attention: your hero headline
- Interest: their problem plus your value proposition
- Desire: benefits, proof, and your process
- Action: one clear next step
Picture yourself walking a friend through a dark house and turning on lights as you go. Each section answers the question they’re about to ask. Skip one and they’ll trip over a coffee table.
Also, people are risk-averse. Proof, a clear process, and a low-pressure first step all make saying “yes” feel safer.
Home Page Tweaks for B2B, E-Commerce, and Agencies
- B2B: Lead with the business result, like more leads, less wasted time, or lower costs. Your buyer probably has to explain the purchase to their boss, so give them ammo (case studies, logos, numbers).
- E-commerce: Best-sellers, reviews, shipping, and returns should be easy to spot. Shoppers want to feel safe before they touch that cart button.
- Agencies: Pick a niche and say it out loud. “We help everyone with everything” sounds like you help nobody.
- Local or small service businesses: Show your face, your area, and your reviews. People hire people they like.
Redesigning or rebranding? Perfect timing to fix the words too. A gorgeous new design wrapped around old, confusing copy is a fresh coat of paint on a house with no front door.
Home Page Mistakes That Quietly Cost You Clients
A typical website converts between 1% and 4% of visitors, according to 2025 benchmarks. Do the math and that’s 96 to 99 people out of every hundred walking away. Ouch, right?
Friction piles on. Contentsquare reported that 40% of online visits in 2024 hit some kind of frustration, like slow pages or rage clicks. Confusing copy is frustrating too.
Here’s the hit list:
- “Welcome to our website!” as a headline. No. Stop.
- Making it all about you. Miller says a brand that plays the hero is destined to lose, and he’s right. Your customer is the hero, and you’re the guide.
- Walls of text. Nobody wants homework.
- Ten buttons. Ten choices usually equals zero clicks.
- Jargon. If your niece wouldn’t get it, rewrite it.
- Zero proof. Big claims with nothing behind them feel sketchy.
- Forgetting mobile. A lot of people will read this on their phone, so look at it there.
Home Page FAQs
What should be included on a website homepage?
A clear headline, a value proposition, the problem you solve, your services, proof, a simple process, a short intro to you, and a call to action. Together they tell visitors who you help and what to do next.
Why is homepage copy important for conversion?
Because it’s where most visitors decide to stay or leave. Clear copy builds trust fast and lowers your bounce rate, while fuzzy copy wastes the traffic you worked hard to get.
How do you write a high-converting homepage?
Start with your visitor’s biggest problem, not your bio. Write a benefit-first headline, back it up with proof, and point to one main action. Then test it and tweak it.
How long should home page copy be?
Shoot for at least 300 words so search engines have context. After that, let clarity decide. Add a section only if it helps someone take the next step.
What makes homepage copy successful?
It’s clear, specific, and focused on the reader. It answers questions quickly, proves its claims, and makes the next step obvious. You’ll see it in more inquiries and fewer bounces.
Should You Hire a Home Page Copywriter?
Maybe you’re reading this thinking, “Cool, I get it, but I still don’t know where to start.” That’s normal. Writing about your own business is weirdly hard, because you know too much to see what confuses everybody else.
It might be time for backup if:
- You’re redesigning or rebranding your site
- Traffic looks fine, but inquiries are crickets
- You’ve rewritten your headline 47 times
- You’ve been meaning to fix this for a year (no judgment, I promise)
That’s where I come in. I’m Tony Ajode of Copywriting by Tony, and home page copy is what I do. I mix strategy, a little psychology, and SEO so your page speaks to real people and makes sense to search engines and AI tools too.
If you’re looking for a professional home page copywriter, find someone who starts with your audience instead of a pile of fluffy adjectives. That’s exactly how I work, from the first headline to the last button.
Bottom Line: Your Home Page Should…
- Tell people what you do and who it’s for within seconds
- Open with a benefit-packed headline, a supporting line, and a button
- Talk about your visitor’s problem before pitching your fix
- Back up big claims with real proof
- Give people one clear next step
- Sound like a person, not a brochure
So don’t you dare keep ghosting your dream clients. They’re showing up ready to say yes, and they deserve a home page that makes it easy.
Want a Home Page That Actually Gets You Inquiries?
If rewriting your website copy makes you queasy, or you already know you’ll put it off for another year, hand it to me. I’ll write you a home page that turns curious scrollers into excited leads.
Head over to copywritingbytony.com/contact and tell Tony Ajode what you’re working on. Your future clients are already on your site, so let’s give them a reason to stay.
