Your website’s homepage is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers, so it's crucial to clearly showcase your value proposition.
What is your value proposition? Simply a statement that explains what makes your business unique, and an indication to why customers should choose your services over the competition. For example, what does your service/ products do for your customers? Does it make their life easier? Is it the best in the market? What results does it deliver? The answers to these could be the essence of your value proposition statement.
Recent research I found from this blog post shows that 64% of consumers make a purchase after seeing a clear value proposition on a website’s homepage source. This further shows the importance of nailing this statement- a compelling value proposition not only captures the attention of visitors but also helps convert them into customers by clearly articulating the benefits they’ll receive from your services.
Ultimately, the message on your website homepage serves as a foundation for your brand’s messaging and sets the tone for the rest of your website content. So let's explore how to create a powerful value proposition for your homepage that resonates with your target audience, with some of our top tips.
Clearly define your USP (unique selling points)
Your value proposition should highlight what sets your business apart from the competition. This could be a unique service, a specific expertise, or an exceptional level of customer service. For example, the homepage of Evernote homepage clearly states its USP (at least at the time of me writing this...) with “remember everything and tackle any project with your notes, tasks, and schedule all in one place". The rest of the homepage then goes on to list all of the features of Evernote, highlighting more of their USPs and how they will help you.
Focus on benefits over features
While features are important, your value proposition should primarily focus on the benefits your customers will gain from using your services. Benefits address the customer’s needs and explain how your services can solve their problems.
The Slack homepage homepage does this effectively by focusing on the benefits of seamless team communication. The 3 key messages displayed on their homepage are "move faster with all your tools in one place", "choose how you want to work", and "bring your team together". This really clearly shows me, as a prospective customer, the benefits I could achieve from slack. Yes, these are also features of theirs (for example, it covers how I can chat, send audios and video clips, and join huddles in 'choose how you want to work'), but rather than just listing these features, the copy places the emphasis on the benefit those features will have to me as a user.
Use compelling visuals to support your message
Visuals play a crucial role in reinforcing your value proposition. Whether it’s a high-quality image, an infographic, or a short video, visuals can help convey your message quickly and effectively. The Squarespace homepage, for example, uses imagery of beautifully designed websites on their platform to help show you how your own business website could look if you design it on Squarespace. This helps align to their messaging of their websites being "ready to sell".
Make your value proposition prominent
Your value proposition should be one of the first things visitors see when they land on your homepage. Place it above the fold, ideally as a headline or sub-headline, to ensure it captures attention immediately. And it doesn't have to be detailed. Uber Eats homepage is a great example where their strap-line is simply "order delivery near you", but this is the key text above the fold, along with a site search option for you to immediately action that strap-line (and of course very compelling imagery we mentioned in our last point...)
Include a strong call to action (CTA)
So you've nailed your value proposition, have a great strap-line, but then what do your visitors do? You need to make sure your value proposition is paired with a clear and compelling CTA that encourages visitors to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for a service, requesting a quote, or contacting you for more information. Make sure this relates back to your value proposition and the main action you want them to take, for example "download the guide" or “get started for free.”
Ready to add your value proposition to your website?
Crafting a compelling value proposition for your homepage is crucial for attracting and converting visitors. So get to work by defining your unique selling points, focusing on the benefits of your product or service, and pairing that with a strong CTA. In need of an expert? We've got you! Get in touch today and let us help you stand out in the crowded digital landscape.