Great Website Headers Answer These 3 Questions
"Can you take a look 👀 at my website and let me know what you think?"
People ask me this question all the time, and it's fun!
But if I only have a few minutes, I focus on the website header, which is the first impression for any visitor to your site.
For a website header to be effective, it must answer these three questions:
1️⃣ What do you offer?
2️⃣ How can it make my life better (or more meaningful)?
3️⃣ How can I get it?
You have less than 3 seconds to hook a visitor, so make that header count!
In one of the marketing communities I belong to, we call this "the grunt test."
In other words, if you were to show your website header to a caveperson, would they be able to grunt out the answers to those three questions?
For example, if you sell gourmet cookies and you have a fantastic website header, a caveperson would look at it and say, "You sell cookies. Me love cookies. Me buy cookies."
I'm oversimplifying (not to mention channeling a mashup of Cookie Monster and a caveperson), but I encourage you to be simple, direct, and clear in your header.
If you're feeling particularly brave, ask an honest friend (we all have one!) to look at your site and tell you if they can answer those three questions.
If they can't, then roll up your sleeves. You've got some work to do!
💥 7 tips for an effective website header:
Your headline should be 4-6 words max.
Your subheadline should be no more than 10-12 words.
Either your headline or subheadline should clearly state what you offer. This helps potential customers and also helps search engines find your site. Avoid 🚫 clever or cute phrases.
Make sure you have two strong calls to action (CTA's) in your header. One CTA button should be located below your subheadline. The other should be located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
Include a high-value free resource (also known as a lead magnet) in a button to capture email addresses and build your list.
Use a visual image that shows how wonderful it is to work with you. Your clients want to see a happy future image of themselves or a glowing, energy-filled image of you.
If you decide to use video in your header, check to make sure that it loads quickly on desktop and mobile and doesn't distract from the text.
A strong website header will help you attract your ideal customer like a magnet while filtering out the people who are the wrong fit.
A weak website header will result in confusion 😵💫 and lost revenues.
If you'd like me to review your homepage, you can book a free 30-minute call with me. It's really fun and I always share a few ideas that you can implement right away.
