Your website homepage is a 24/7 sales rep.
So let’s make sure it has everything it needs to sell effectively.
I’m going to show you how early-stage startups can create homepage messaging to connect with the right customers and improve your website conversion rate.
Hate reading?
I talk about everything in this article in the video below.
Why aren’t more people buying through your website?
We see you early-stage founders — you’ve successfully solved a real problem with your product.
Congrats!
You might have a website or landing page already… But it's just not working.
Sales have been slow or you're not getting demos booked.
Maybe you have some happy customers already using your MVP, but it’s been tough to get new customers interested.
So what’s going on?
You’re likely having trouble communicating your value prop in a clear, compelling way.
Let’s talk about how you can fix that—starting with your website homepage and the message you’re sending.
Most B2B websites are bad
(Let’s be real)
That’s good news for you
The bar is pretty low to make an effective homepage message for B2B SaaS. That means it’s easier to stand out than you think.
You just need to be able to make some decisions for your product and business in order to be more clear about what your product does and who it is for.
Bad examples of website messaging
Below, I have some homepage “hero section” examples to help you understand what a bad website message looks like.
Why are these examples below bad?
They create more questions than answers.
When you read them, you are likely asking yourself:
- What is this thing?
- Who is this for?
- Is this even software?
Bad example 1
Bad example 2
Bad example 3
Your homepage = positioning
Website homepages are not only important for conversions.
They are the primary place where you position your product.
Who is your product for?
What does your product do?
What are you an alternative to?
Choosing a position for your product
In the minds of the customers, they each have considerations on how they solve specific problems. You want to position yourself in one of those categories as a solution for their problem.
Maybe you’re a more affordable version of a more expensive alternative.
Or on the flip side, maybe you're a higher quality, more secure alternative.
Choosing a position clarifies who you are for and why you are the best choice for that specific customer.
Website homepage layout recommendation
When building a homepage for your website, below is a great starter “skeleton” you can use to create a clear and strong message flow for visitors.
Website hero section
What the heck is a “hero section?” What goes there?
This is usually the two main headlines at the top of your website. These usually include an H1 and an H2-styled headline.
Below I have a few elements in a “Hero framework” to clarify.
Main capability
This headline communicates what is now unlocked because of your product.
What can they do now that they could not do before?
It is not…
- “Drive more revenue”
- “Save time”
- “Get more customers”
^^^ Those are the benefits of using your product.
It’s important to not confuse capabilities with benefits.
Product category
This is crucial for early-stage startups in order to gain traction because it lets people know what to compare your product with.
Where does your product fit in today’s market?
Here are some examples of product categories:
- Messaging app
- Budget planner
- Talent directory
Persona
Who is this for?
In B2B, this is a job title or department:
- Marketing Manager
- Director of Product
- Sales Teams
Company type
This could be highly detailed, but if you’re not quite sure, you can go broader.
Examples:
- Remote-first companies
- Landscaping businesses
- Apparel print shops
Trusted by section
This could be a logo list of recognized brands that use your product. This is a fast way to create credibility. Pretty simple.
If you don’t have this yet, that’s okay for super early-stage startups.
You’ll get there!
Value propositions
I’ll cover this one quickly. If you want to dive deeper, you can see my article on creating compelling value propositions here.
We see the value proposition as the bridge between the product and the market.
Being able to speak to the alternatives and the problem allows you to resonate quickly and increase the likelihood of conversions.
They won’t care about capabilities, features, or benefits if there is no connection to them (the persona).
Testimonials
This is pretty straightforward. If you don’t have a process for collecting testimonials on a monthly basis, I suggest getting one started.
You can start doing this manually when talking to customers for feedback and research.
If you sell to everyone, fewer people will buy
Clarity is king. And for early-stage startups, the more specific you are by focusing on one market segment, the more likely you will gain traction.
These frameworks above should help you achieve that with your team.
Join the discussion
If you want to chat more about this, you can join other product marketers that have left comments on my LinkedIn post about this topic here.
Get help with your homepage
Have a great product but struggle to clearly explain it on your homepage?
Robert Kaminski and I help early-stage startups with this exact problem.
Let us help you get a clear and compelling homepage message without burning your runway.
