The Home Page Debate: A Familiar Struggle
If you’re in marketing, you know how this goes. You’re in a management meeting when someone declares, “We need to put [insert hot topic here] on the home page.” Or maybe the CEO pulls you aside to say, “There’s way too much orange on the site.” Worse yet, an A/B test erases something critical to the sales team without warning.
Discussions about the home page can be as contentious as debates over what defines a good lead. This blog outlines a framework to help structure and rationalize these conversations.
Step 1: Ensure Your Messaging is Stable
Before tackling home page content, your core messaging architecture must be solid. Your home page should reflect your messaging, not define it. If you’re designing messaging on the fly, or around home page aesthetics, your chances of success are slim.
Step 2: Differentiate Between Branding and Messaging
Branding and messaging are connected but distinct. When receiving home page feedback, determine whether the concern is about branding (visuals, tone, and aesthetics) or messaging (clarity, positioning, and value propositions). Messaging should always come first—branding is easier to refine when messaging is strong.
Step 3: Structure Your Home Page with a Framework
Once your messaging is stable and you can distinguish branding from messaging feedback, it’s time to establish a structured framework for your home page.
Define Your Primary Audience
For most B2B companies in high-growth mode, the home page should serve net new visitors who are asking: “What does this company do, and do I need it?”
Not all companies follow this model. Some enterprises prioritize brand perception over conversion. Others focus solely on existing customers. Identify the primary users of your home page before making structural decisions.
Organize Content into Horizontal Bands
Most home pages are structured as stacked horizontal sections. Users scroll through them, similar to an Instagram feed. Rather than obsessing over “above the fold” content, focus on scroll depth and engagement.
Assign Messaging to Specific Bands
Breaking your home page into distinct sections helps tell a clear, structured story. There are all types of content bands you could put on your page. You can’t put them all on the home page, nor should you. The universe of suggested bands include:
- Problem Statement: Define the issue your company solves.
- Job to Be Done: The customer job the product improves.
- What We Offer: Clearly state what your company provides.
- How It Works: Especially crucial for early-stage tech products.
- Key Differentiators: Highlight three things only you can do.
- User Benefits: Explain how your product improves user experience.
- Business Benefits: Showcase the value for decision-makers.
- Social Proof: Feature customer logos, case studies, or analyst reports.
- Product Updates: Highlight new releases or innovations.
- Call to Action (CTA): Guide visitors to the next step.
- Feature Highlights: Showcase specific product capabilities.
- News & Events: Keep your site fresh with relevant updates.
A good B2B user acquisition site would be:
- Problem Statement
- Customer Job to Be Done
- What We Offer
- How It Works
- Benefits
- Social Proof
- CTA
- News and Events
By dividing your home page into structured bands, you create a predictable format that allows for focused discussions and logical decision-making.
Step 4: Get Stakeholder Alignment
Once you’ve defined the bands, educate stakeholders on the framework. When someone says, “I don’t like this,” or “We’re missing something,” you can pinpoint whether the concern is a branding tweak, a messaging gap, or a misalignment with the established framework. This helps focus discussions and prevents arbitrary changes.
Step 5: Define Success Metrics
Measuring success is crucial. For most B2B websites, conversion rates are the ultimate KPI. However, you can also track intermediate metrics such as:
- Time on page
- Scroll depth
- Bounce rate
- Engagement with key sections
Establishing clear performance indicators helps keep discussions data-driven rather than opinion-driven.
Step 6: Determine the Band Order
The order of your content bands significantly impacts user experience. The instinct may be to start with what you sell, but for customer acquisition, leading with the problem statement is often more effective. The order should align with your primary home page goal.
Step 7: Launch, Measure, and Iterate
Once the new home page is live, track metrics until the data stabilizes. Report results to your team using the established framework to improve feedback clarity and ensure future iterations follow a structured approach.
Final Thoughts
Using this structured approach, you can turn chaotic home page debates into productive discussions. While you may still get complaints about too much orange, this framework will help ensure feedback is thoughtful, actionable, and aligned with strategic goals.
