(If you're reading the "ultra-short tips" series for the first time, these are the tips I send out every second week to give you a break from the in-depth stuff)
Phew... I'm finally back from my 3-week vacation.
If you missed me complaining about it, here's the summary: Went to visit my in-law family, which is good. Laptop broke on day one. No access to fresh or freshly cooked veggies or bread (other than sweet white toast). Not good at all.
I came back on Tuesday and slept for 11 hours straight.
Have been eating German bread and veggies for all the meals 48 hours straight.
Was awake at 5 am today, yet feeling fresh and full of energy.
So here come your brand new website tips powered by belegte Brötchen and jet lag.
Today, we'll talk about:
- using a testimonial right after the header on your homepage: yea or nay
- splitting your website navigation it two
- writing good content faster, and feel happy in the process.
Let's go.
Tip #1: Should you put a testimonial right after the header on your homepage?
Somebody asked me this question on Twitter last week.
I guess that somebody was spying on my homepage, because I indeed have a testimonial on that spot 😃
But anyhow, should you? Or am I making a mistake? Will any testimonial work?
It depends. I don't think so. And... no.
Glad we talked about it. Next tip!
Just kidding.
Whether you should put a testimonial right after the header depends on two things:
- what the testimonial says
- whom it is from.
But let's take a step back (my favorite move, if you noticed) and think about what you should communicate on your homepage right after the header.
What your homepage should communicate right after the header
If you did a good job with your header and gave people a clear idea of what you do, the next thing you need to do is to get into specifics of your value proposition.
Are you a copywriter? What kind of copy do you write?
A designer? What's your style and specialty?
An agency? What services do you offer?
Now, this is what you need to communicate clearly. How you do it, it's up to you.
You can keep talking to your prospects yourself.
You can make somebody else do the talking (hello, testimonials!).
Theoretically, you could even draw a picture or make a video if it continues to explain to your prospects how exactly you solve their problems.
Which means that:
✔️ You can use a testimonial right after your header on the homepage if your business has a narrow focus and that testimonial:
- ideally, communicates the same thing you would say yourself at this spot if you didn't have the testimonial
- describes your offer more specifically
- mentions your name (if you're a one-person business)
- comes from an authoritative figure in your niche.
❌ Having a testimonial right after the header may be not a good idea:
- for businesses that offer diverse services or sell diverse product (because then you won't be able to find one testimonial that says what you'd like to say at this point taking into consideration all the different segments of your target audience)
- and/or if the testimonial you're using doesn't offer more details on your value proposition or comes from a person / company unknown to your audience.
Here's the testimonial that comes right after the header on my homepage analyzed:
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