The website truth no one tells you

I have some news for you.

Your website visitors don't care about your story. They don't care how long you've been in business. They don't care about your credentials or that time you won an award.

Well, they do care. But not at first.

When someone lands on your website, they have about 3 seconds to figure out if they're in the right place. And in those 3 seconds, they're not reading your bio or admiring your professional headshot.

They're scanning for one thing: Can this person solve my problem?

What Visitors Actually Want to Know

Think about the last time you visited a website because you had a problem to solve. Maybe you needed a plumber, or you were looking for a new accountant, or you wanted to hire a photographer.

Did you immediately scroll down to read their entire life story? Or did you scan the page looking for signs that they could help with your specific situation?

Probably the second one, right?

Your website visitors are doing the same thing. They're busy, probably a little stressed about whatever problem brought them to your site in the first place, and they want answers fast.

They're looking for confirmation that:

• You understand their problem

• You can solve it

• You're the right person for them

And that confirmation needs to happen in your headline - not buried halfway down the page in an origin story.

The 3-Second Test

Here's a simple way to check if your website passes the "is this for me?" test:

Show your homepage to someone who doesn't know what you do. Give them 5 seconds to look at it, then ask them to explain what you do and who you work with.

If they can't nail it quickly, your messaging needs work.

But here's an even easier version: use AI.

Copy your homepage headline and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt: "Pretend we've never met and you don't know anything about me. From this headline, what do I do and who do I work with?"

The results can be pretty enlightening. If the AI can't figure it out, neither can your visitors.

The Good News

Here's why this is actually great news: it takes the pressure off trying to tell your whole story on your homepage.

You don't need to explain your entire background, every service you offer, and your complete philosophy in the first few seconds. You just need to clearly communicate one thing: what you do for people like them.

Your credentials matter. Your experience matters. Your personality matters. But they matter after someone understands you can help them.

Think of your homepage headline like a book title. It's not supposed to tell the whole story - it's supposed to make the right people want to keep reading.

Common Mistakes (That Are Easy to Fix)

Instead of: "Welcome! I'm Sarah and I've been passionate about helping people for over 10 years..."

Try: "Custom meal plans for busy families who want to eat healthy without the stress"

Instead of: "Empowering women to live their best lives"

Try: "Life coaching for working moms who feel overwhelmed and want to find balance"

Instead of: "Your success is our passion"

Try: "Bookkeeping for creative small business owners who'd rather focus on their craft"

See the difference? The second versions immediately tell visitors what you do and who it's for. The first versions are about you. The second versions are about them.

Your Turn

This week, take a hard look at your homepage headline. Is it about you, or is it about what you can do for your visitors?

If someone lands on your site and has to hunt around to figure out what you do, you're making it too hard for them to become a client.

TL;DR: Rewrite your homepage headline to be about them, not you. Focus on the problem you solve or the outcome you create, and be specific about who you help.

Next week: I'll share the strategic framework I use to plan websites that actually convert visitors into clients - it's called the backwards planning method (because I rarely do things in the right order)

Talk soon!
Stacey