Last month I wrote about the importance of a well-designed, interesting, and informative giveaway…after all, it’s often the first impression of your service. But before readers give you their name and email address, they need to be wowed by what they see and what they read on your Home page.

With new forms of technology, the way we view Web sites is changing. Some rules have changed but others still apply.

• No music and no self-launching video. Imagine…you’re sitting in your office cubicle or in a workshop and check out a Web site you just heard about. You open it on your smartphone and a video message blares. You’re red in the face and log off fast. Insisting that someone listen in immediately is simply bad manners.
• Eliminate distracting banners and graphics…you know the ones, they grab your attention so you can’t concentrate on the important information – the content. Limit the distractions so you can get your point across, fast.
• Content is king! Your copy should be your focus. Keep a conversational tone – imagine you’re talking to a friend. Use contractions, short sentences, and short words.
• Write a powerful headline, which grabs attention, communicates the strongest benefit, appeals to the reader’s self interest, and gets the next sentence read.
• Include a call to action…once the Home page is read, what do you want the reader to do next?

And remember, your content can never be too long…only too boring.