Can Customers Tell What You Do in Five Seconds?
You land on a website. There’s a nice photo, a logo, maybe a clever headline and a button saying Learn More.
But there’s one problem. You still don’t really know what the business does.
For a small business, that can be surprisingly costly.
When someone visits your website for the first time, they’re usually trying to answer a few very simple questions:
What do you do?
Is this relevant to me?
Can you help with what I need?
If they can’t work that out quickly, there’s a good chance they’ll leave.
Your Customers Don’t Know Your Business Like You Do
One of the hardest things about writing your own website is that you already know everything about your business.
You know what you sell, how your service works, who your customers are and what makes you different.
That makes it very easy to assume your website visitors understand more than they actually do.
They don’t.
They may have found you through Google, social media, a recommendation or an advertisement. They could be seeing your business for the very first time.
Your homepage needs to help them get their bearings quickly.
Clear Beats Clever
Businesses often feel pressure to come up with a clever headline.
Something inspirational.
Something different.
Something that sounds very “brand”.
There’s nothing wrong with personality, but not if clarity gets lost along the way.
A headline like:
Helping you achieve more could apply to hundreds of different businesses.
An accountant could say it.
A marketing company could say it.
A personal trainer could say it.
A software company could say it.
Compare that with:
Flexible marketing support for small and medium New Zealand businesses.
It might not win an award for poetry, but you immediately know what the business does and who it is for.
That matters.
Your Homepage Has One Main Job
Your homepage doesn’t need to tell your entire company story.
It doesn’t need to list every service, every qualification and every reason your business is wonderful before someone scrolls.
Its first job is simply to make the visitor think:
Yes, I’m in the right place.
Once you’ve achieved that, you can give them more information.
Explain your services.
Show examples of your work.
Add testimonials.
Introduce your team.
Tell your story.
But first, make it clear why they should keep reading.
Try the Five-Second Test
Open your website and look at the first section of your homepage.
Better still, ask someone who doesn’t know your business particularly well to look at it.
Give them five seconds.
Then ask:
What does this business do?
Who do you think they help?
What would you do next if you were interested?
If they struggle to answer those questions, your homepage messaging may need some work.
You don’t necessarily need a new website.
Sometimes changing a headline, adding one sentence or making the next step clearer can make a big difference.
Don't Forget the Next Step
Once someone understands what you do, make it obvious what they should do next.
Should they:
Call you?
Request a quote?
Book an appointment?
Shop online?
Send an enquiry?
Avoid making people hunt around.
Buttons such as Get a Quote, Book a Consultation or Contact Us are much clearer than vague wording such as Discover More when the real goal is an enquiry.
Take Another Look at Your Homepage
Your website might look great.
It might have beautiful photography, strong branding and lots of useful information.
But if a new visitor can’t quickly understand what you do, who you help and what they should do next, it isn’t working as hard as it could.
So take five seconds and look at your homepage with fresh eyes.
Can you immediately tell what your business does?
If not, that might be the best place to start.
At Brightside Marketing, we help small and medium businesses make their marketing clearer, more practical and more effective, from website content and SEO through to social media and ongoing marketing support.
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is all it takes to spot what your customers might be missing.
