Website strategy
Your homepage isn’t supposed to convince everyone
Most homepage rewrites fail for one reason: they try to be everything at once.
They try to explain the brand, tell the story, list every service, show every feature, prove credibility, and still somehow get someone to take action. The result is a page that looks good but feels hard to follow.
The fix isn’t “more content.” It’s a better job system.
The principle
Clarity wins when you give visitors one obvious next step
A high-converting homepage does three jobs in order: orient, qualify, and route.
1) Orient — what you do (in plain language)
This is the part most sites overcomplicate. Visitors don’t need poetry. They need a clean answer.
Good orientation sounds like
“We build websites that generate leads for [type of business].”
Weak orientation sounds like
“Full-service digital solutions for growth-minded brands.”
The goal isn’t to sound impressive. The goal is to be understood instantly.
2) Qualify — who it’s for (and who it isn’t)
When you try to appeal to everyone, you lower trust for the exact people you want.
Adding simple qualifiers reduces friction because the right visitors feel seen and the wrong visitors self-select out.
Examples of qualifiers that work
- “For local service businesses that need consistent leads.”
- “For teams ready to upgrade from a DIY site to something that sells.”
- “Best for companies with an existing offer that needs better positioning.”
3) Route — what to do next (one primary CTA)
Your homepage should not be the end of the journey. It should point to the next step.
This is where most conversion leaks happen: sites either hide the CTA, offer five equal CTAs, or default to “Contact” for everyone.
Instead, pick one primary action
A strong homepage CTA is specific, low-friction, and clearly valuable.
Quick test
If your primary CTA is “Contact” or “Learn more,” you’re asking the visitor to do work. A better CTA gives them a reason to click.
The framework
The 3-homepage CTA system (that stops decision paralysis)
You don’t need more buttons. You need a hierarchy.
Primary CTA: the conversion page offer
This should be the same offer you’d put on a dedicated Conversion page. It’s the best “yes” you can get from a cold visitor.
Examples
- Get a website teardown
- Request a homepage copy review
- Book a strategy call for a specific service
Secondary CTA: Services (for comparison shoppers)
Some visitors aren’t ready for a call. They want to see what you do, how you do it, and whether it fits.
Your Services page is where they go to decide.
Tertiary CTA: About (for trust builders)
When your work is high-stakes or high-spend, visitors look for signals that you’re credible, steady, and safe.
That’s what About is for: it reduces perceived risk.
Make it real
What to put above the fold (without turning it into a wall of text)
You don’t need a novel. You need a tight set of elements that do the job.
A conversion-ready above-the-fold section includes
- A plain-language headline that says what you do
- A short subhead that clarifies the outcome
- One primary CTA that leads to a specific offer
- One credibility element (logo strip, testimonial snippet, metric, or recognizable proof)
If you have to choose between “more words” and “more certainty,” choose certainty.
Avoid these
Common homepage mistakes that quietly kill conversions
- Leading with mission language instead of the outcome you deliver
- Giving visitors multiple equal CTAs with no obvious path
- Making the visitor assemble the story themselves (too much scanning)
- Burying proof below the fold instead of earning trust early
- Sending everyone to Contact instead of a specific offer
Want help tightening your homepage?
Start by defining one Conversion page offer and making it your primary homepage CTA. Once your traffic has a clear “job,” your site gets dramatically easier to navigate and measurably easier to convert.
