[fusebox_track_player url=”https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004800/4581257-026_if-your-homepage-is-a-list-of-your-blog-posts-you-need-this-episode.mp3?blob_id=18050936&download=true” background=”#ffffff” title=”If-your-homepage-is-a-list-of-your-blog-posts-you-need-this-episode” social=”false” ]
Your homepage needs to be more than an index to your blog posts. These simple tips will help you create a homepage that converts your page views to loyal followers.
Resources mentioned in episode:
The Goodness Squad
The Goodness Squad on Facebook
Episode 24
Elementor Pro (affiliate link)
When you truly put people first and write for the people, it always is good for your search engine optimization.
Welcome to episode #26 of The Goodness Squad podcast. Today, we are continuing our discussion from the last time where we talked about Alma 37:6-7, where we learn that by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass.
It is very likely, there are some very simple things you are doing or not doing on your website that are creating results, negative or positive, that are bigger than you realize.
I want you to think about the most visited pages on your website. Do you know which page gets the most visitors? Maybe you have to go look at your analytics and that’s fine. I just hope you have them.
Typically, your homepage is one of the most visited pages on your website. Now, if you are a blogger or a podcaster who has a lot of different posts highlighting those written posts or those podcast episodes, you may have one or two of those episodes that come in above your homepage. Most people are probably finding your website through one of those posts or podcast episodes. They’re seeing your link to it on Pinterest or on Facebook or in an email and they’re coming to read or listen to that post or that episode, or to watch that YouTube video you’ve embedded on your website.
But once they’ve done that, where do they go next? Either they leave or they decide that they want to learn more about you. One of the main places that they will go is your homepage. So what happens if your homepage is just a list of your blog posts?
Let’s back up and think about why people are clicking on that homepage. They’ve just read a blog post from you. If they’ve come directly to your homepage, it’s probably because they were referred by someone else. A friend told them about you or they found a link on a website that went directly to your homepage and, for whatever reason, their interest and curiosity were piqued and they decided to click on that link or go to your homepage.
Why are they doing that? Why are they there? Well, I’ll tell you why:
They’re trying to figure out “is it worth my time to spend more of my time on this website? Is she trying to help me? Is she solving problems that I have?”
I want you to remember one of my favorite phrases, “A confused mind always says no.”
And guess what? A list of your most recent blog posts, and nothing else, is going to create confusion. They will not get the clarity they are looking for. They will not look at your list of blog posts and automatically know who you help and what problem you solve when someone clicks on your homepage.
The only thing they should see right there above the fold is: Who you help and how you help them, what problem you solve, what will they have more of or less of in their life if they choose to work with you and continue to follow you, read more blog posts, listen to more podcast episodes, watch more YouTube videos and maybe eventually buy byproduct.
There is one other reason why it is not smart for your homepage to simply be a list of your blog posts – it is poor practice for search engine optimization.
Search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc), they know what is going on on a page by the copy, the words that are on the page. When you simply have a list of blog posts, it is not clear what your website is about, and they are going to look to your homepage to figure out what your website is about.
We write our websites, blog posts, podcast episodes, homepages, or about pages – we write all of that for people. When you truly put people first and write for the people, it always is good for your search engine optimization. It increases your chances of showing up in search results on things like Google or Yahoo or Pinterest.
If your homepage, right now, is simply a list of your most recent blog posts, you’ve got to change it.
Of the five tips that I’m giving you, this is probably the biggest one. Your homepage should not be a list of your blog posts. Does that mean it can’t have a blog post or two listed on there? Nope. You can go ahead and do that, but your homepage should explain who you help and how you help them.
Next, your homepage needs to have one very clear call to action. What is the next step for them?
Is the next step for them to read another blog post? Great. Then pick your three favorite or your three most recent and list those there. Is the next step for them to get on your email list? Great. Then invite them to do that at the top of your page, the middle of the page and the bottom of your page. Is the next step for them to join your exclusive Facebook community? Invite them to do that at the top of your page, the middle of your page, at the end of your page.
Guide them through your website. Eliminate the confusion and your conversions will go up significantly. I promise you.
Your challenge for today is to optimize your homepage.
You might be panicking a little bit and thinking, “Ooh, I don’t know how to do that on my homepage.” This is because themes are so restrictive. If you don’t understand why your theme is restrictive and how it is like going with a track home builder, then I want you to go back to episode #24 and so you understand why I want you to be able to edit your theme.
The way that you can do that is through Elementor Pro (affiliate link). If you are one of those people who is panicking a little and thinking, “I want to make this change on my website, but I don’t know how,” you need to get Elementor on your website. Right now. Today. I promise it is one of the best investments you can make in your business.
If you purchase through my affiliate link, which will be in the show notes, simply shoot me an email misty@designedforgoodness.com and I will send you some tutorials for free.
Thank you again for being here with me. I hope you have found significant value. If you have, please leave me a review. Let me know how this podcast helps you in your business, what have you learned that surprised you and how has it benefited you? And then make sure that you subscribe. In the next episode, I am going to be giving you one more small and simple thing you can do on your website that will create a big result. I’ll see you there.
Know someone who could benefit from this episode? Share it with them!
*As a bonus, I will also send you a my Tech Toolkit and email you regular tech tutorial videos. I will keep your info private, and you can opt-out at any time.
I can only answer detailed questions about online tools I use regularly (those listed above). *Those with an asterick are tools I often use for clients but don’t use myself. These means that as there are updates/changes I don’t always know about them right away. This means that in certain situations helping with these tools may take a bit longer than the others on the list.
There are hundreds of thousands of other online tools and there is no way I can answer detailed questions about all of them. But I can help you decide if a tool is trustworthy or the right one for your needs. I can also help you find the best support for a tool you are using and provide you with properly worded questions for that tech support.
Trying to do everything in your business on your own will lead to burnout and resentment. If you truly want to run a successful online business, there are some things and people you need to get help from.
This might be the most important thing your website does and so many of us either don’t have it or have it totally wrong. The 4 tips in this episode will help your website accomplish the job it’s meant to do – get people on your email list! But not for the reasons you might think.
When it comes to your business, there are certain people whose advice you really need to consider. And there are certain people you need to stop asking for advice. There is a very common mistake I see women make all the time, I’m even guilty of it myself. But, if you really want to build a business that serves the right people and makes you money this is a very important tip.
If you loved this episode, please share it!
© 2018 - 2023 Misty Marsh of Designed For Goodness. Powered by Wordpress and Elementor Pro (affiliate)
I can only answer detailed questions about online tools I use regularly (those listed above). *Those with an asterick are tools I often use for clients but don’t use myself. These means that as there are updates/changes I don’t always know about them right away. This means that in certain situations helping with these tools may take a bit longer than the others on the list.
There are hundreds of thousands of other online tools and there is no way I can answer detailed questions about all of them. But I can help you decide if a tool is trustworthy or the right one for your needs. I can also help you find the best support for a tool you are using and provide you with properly worded questions for that tech support.
