Rebecca Gill WordCamp Las Vegas 2014

crafting

the perfect home page

You start with the perfect idea…

You buy an awesome and amazing multipurpose WordPress theme to bring your new idea to life. ü  Unlimited colors and fonts ü  Built-in page builders ü  Shortcodes aplenty ü  Seven different sliders ü  Megamenus ü  Portfolios ü  Shopping carts ü  Forums ü  Landing pages ü  Pop up boxes

This is going to be

amazing, right?

Sadly, it’s not going to be as

amazing as you think.

A WordPress theme is not the starting point. A theme is simply a means by which you can reach your final destination.

Your home page creates the first impression. It immediately begins to tell your story and allows you to connect with visitors.

Make sure your home page is welcoming, professional looking, builds trust, answers questions, and provides clear direction.

Start with a clean slate, a formal process, and a solid plan.

Define what success looks like and then establish

your goals and objectives. What do you need?

Brand exposure, subscribers, leads and prospects, or actual sales?

.

Ask yourself these important questions: ü  Who is your target market? ü  What problems or issues do they

need to solve? ü  How can you help them solve

these issues? ü  What service, product, or content

can provide a solution? ü  Why should they reach out to you

versus someone else? ü  Can you provide social proof? ü  What content can you offer as

additional information? ü  How can visitors convert into a

subscriber, lead or sale?

Create user personas by segmenting your target market into individual groups. ü  Persona name ü  Demographics ü  Pain points and/or needs ü  The offering that meets their unique needs ü  Path to persona-based content ü  Call to action for converting into lead, sale, etc.

Create a roadmap for each visitor persona.

This helps define what you need to provide within your website to properly service

the various visitors and their unique needs.

Make navigation easy. Have a navigation menu that clearly points visitors to core pages such as About, Products, Services, and Contact. Use common language and avoid cute (aka confusing) verbiage.

Define and document focused call to actions. At the end of a successful visit, what do you want visitors to do? Make these call to actions relevant and skip the fluff. Validate call to actions by comparing them to your original goals and objectives.

Write an brief overview of who you are and what you do.

This will give visitors a quick way to validate that they are in the right place. It will make them pause and allow them

to dig deeper into your website.

Wireframe your ideal home page. The home page is a map for the visitor journey not yet taken.

Match your wireframe to a

WordPress theme. Purchase a stock theme that matches your wireframe and

your project objectives. If funds allow,

hire a professional designer to create a custom theme

that is unique to you, your website, and your brand.

Remember to select a theme that matches you, your content, and your objectives. A good WordPress theme will be designed specifically for a type of website or blog. What type are you?

ü  Company with basic brochure information and images

ü  Blog with only posts ü  Complex online store with

multiple products ü  Simple single product store ü  Service-focused website ü  News site ü  Review site ü  Community site

Maintain a solid look and feel that matches your brand.

A home page sets the tone for the rest of the website. Keep logo, color, and fonts cohesive with your brand.

Avoid bling and a mismatch of colors and fonts.

Populate your content and bring all the pieces together. Maintain the KISS theory of simplicity.

Don’t. Just Don’t. I beg of you. ü  Don’t use overly large logos ü  Avoid bling, neon, and sparkles ü  Skip the slider with ten rotating

images ü  Avoid rotating sliders with moving text ü  Say no to autoplaying YouTube

videos ü  Remove the “welcome to my

website” message

Take a step back to check your progress. Does the home page adequately address your target market and personas?

Does it answer the key questions you previously answered? Does it provide clear direction and navigation?

Does it help achieve the goals and objectives originally defined?

The key takeaways…

A WordPress theme is not the starting point. A theme is simply a means by which you can reach your final destination.

Select a theme that matches you, your content, and your objectives.

The home page is a map for the visitor journey not yet taken. Make sure it speaks your target market and provides clear direction.

@rebeccagill #wclv #wclv14

Rebecca Gill I am a wife and mother of two.

I’m the founder of Web Savvy Marketing and a lover of all things WordPress.

Learn more about me and my team at Web-Savvy-Marketing.com.

Follow me on Twitter via @rebeccagill. #wclv #wclv14