I'm in the process of performing a complete Web site redesign. Almost done. But have left the home page for last. Basically, I don't know what to do with it. How to design it. What it should accomplish.

So here's the question: If someone has a large Web site with free articles, a blog, reports, newsletters, a few products (each on its own Web page and with its own sales letter) and a lot of information, what should the home page accomplish?

Should it be an introductory letter? Testimonials? Lead someone to a newsletter subscription or to each product?

Most of the home pages I see sell right off the bat, but because I have numerous products and a good sized site what should I do?

Thanks much,
Steven

Steven,

The thing to do is to figure out the "most wanted response" of your first page and your site in general. This will depend on your "marketing sequence" and so on.

If you sell high priced consulting, for instance, then the chances are that people are not going to buy off the page, so your best bet is to aim for subscription to an ezine, and then you can use the home page to sell that subscription. Hint: offer a free report or toolkit that matches the needs of your market with the products and servics you sell.

You can also use the front page to give calls to action to other parts of the website. E.g. "if your problem is X, then read the article on Y". Alan's site is a good example of this where he basically uses the front page as a portal to his main three products www.orangebeetle.com.

Or, if you have a front-end product, you can use the front-page to sell that, and also put in calls to action to check out other, related articles/sales pages.

You may need to spend some time designing your marketing sequence to figure out how people usually come into your business, what they buy first and whether they progress through a "product funnel".

Hope this helps,
Jane

UPDATE TO THOSE INTERESTED:

Home page update on results.

Long sales letter type copy/style vs new portal style at

www.OrangeBeetle.com

New website is out pulling old by ... wait for it ...

800%! ... now that'll throw the cat among the pidgeons!

Now that's a result!

Hey Mr...

ORANGE

Wait it's coming...

Very Cool

Alan, what software does that funky hover splop?

T

Timothy dear boy

Can you translate your american itialiano into pidgeon english for moi!

Explain...

I thought a hover slop was when a bird #@5$ from 1,500 feet above. Was I wrong?

Citrus Al

Ah ...gotcha now...

http://www.instantattention.com

HAHAHAHA

You answered your own question... that hover pop looked a lot like a generous pigeon decoration on a car window from ahigh...

Actually i thought it was great. Very creative.

Congrats on the massive increase - with you having 3 main offers like that, it makes sense that you made a portal - ride it while you can!

I think your coded swear words triggered Mike's new Google Adsense to dish out "Password" ads... not very targeted advertising.

P.S. Thanks

Great peice of software but everything has to be subscription these days?

This is not directed at you of course Alan but I was just disappointed that
it was a subscription service instead of an application I could buy.

Still shows that popups work even though many people claim to hate
them. I guess I'll look around the web for a similar technology that I could buy.

-Ray

I took a look at the software as well, and I was disappointed that it was a subscription. One of the main weaknesses of that model is that the popup seems to have to load off their server, meaning delays, and if they end up with loads of subscribers, even bigger delays.

Jane

YOUR BOTH WRONG!

Read again ...

)