[intro] When you have completed this Guide, you will be able to produce the text that needs to go onto the homepage of your Obodo shop to best depict your brand, your ethos and your Products. [/intro]
Why should I add text onto my Homepage?
There are lots of reasons that you need to add text onto your homepage. The most important of these would be to deliver a good customer experience. Customers need to know what your Obodo shop is about - what it sells, why they need these Products and why this shop/company is different from the rest. In the case of sight-impaired customers, text on the homepage is essential as, without this, the programs used to ‘translate’ online shops and website into audio content can only read the alt text of Design Images, menu contents, Webpage titles and basic details. Having some basic text on your homepage allows sight-impaired customers to quickly ascertain what your Obodo shop is all about. As with all text on your Obodo shop, you need to add homepage text for not just human visitors but for search engines too, as these also ‘read’ the text and it helps them decide where to display your shop in search engine results.
How much text do I need?
You don’t need to have a lot of text on the homepage, but you need to have enough to illustrate why customers should purchase from your Obodo shop, including keywords that refer to your most popular Products and the overall ethos of your business. Around 100-200 words is enough. When you are writing text for your homepage, remember that you are writing for different people:
- New customers;
- Returning customers;
- Search engines.
Search engines are listed last of all as it’s important that within your homepage text that you write for human consumption. You should use keywords of course, but be careful not to ‘over-egg the pudding’ and use too many - it’s essential that this text is comfortable and natural to read - too many keywords can make the text sound too ‘forced’ and unnatural which can put customers off.
[tips] Do
- Be clear and concise;
- If a customer needs to take action on your Obodo shop - such as by creating an account or using a discount code, remind them to do so;
- Give your text a headline if possible - ‘About Us’ or ‘Welcome to my Shop’ is very basic and not very original, whereas something that encapsulates the ethos of your Obodo shop can deliver a lot more impact;
- Use unique text. Don’t be tempted to copy it from elsewhere -your homepage text must be unique to you and your brand;
- Communicate the value of your Products if you can - why should customers choose to shop with you rather than go elsewhere?
- Use your personality - try to ensure that your homepage text does not sound too ‘stuffy’ or ‘flat’.
Don’t
- Use CAPITAL LETTERS, bold, italic or different coloured fonts. This can make your Obodo shop look unprofessional;
- Use terms like ‘buy now’, ‘sale’ and ‘cheapest’ as these can ‘lower the tone’ of your shop. Instead use ‘discounts’, ‘promotions’ and ‘affordable’ - these words have more positive connotations;
- Use images in place of homepage text;
- Use excessively decorative fonts as they can be quite difficult to read and upset the design on your Obodo shop;
- If you also retail your Products on an auction site, don’t make reference to this in your homepage text - you’re supposed to be encouraging customers to shop on your online shop, not find you on a different platform entirely;
- Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar.[/tips]
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[contact]If you need our help with your Obodo shop, contact our Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm on the weekends. If you have a non-account specific question ask the Obodo Team, join us in the Obodo Community on Facebook. [/contact]