Your words · First screen
People can't tell what you do at a glance
People decide in seconds if they're in the right place. If your headline doesn't say what you do, many will leave.
- Applies to
- homepages, landing pages
- Typical severity
- critical
- Effect on conversions
- high
- Effort to fix
- Quick to fix
What to look for
The main headline is a slogan, a mission statement or abstract wording, and neither it nor the line beneath says in plain words what the product or service is.
What good looks like
A stranger reading only the first screen could say what's on offer in one sentence.
How to fix it
Make your headline, or the line under it, say plainly what you do, e.g. 'Emergency plumber in Leeds'.
Based on
- Homepage usability research
- Established usability heuristics #2 (match with the real world)
Related checks
Your wordsVisitors can't tell if you're for themPeople look for signs they're in the right place. If you don't say who you help, the right customers may not stay.Your wordsThe line under your headline doesn't tell people moreThis line is your second chance to keep people reading. If it repeats the headline, that chance is wasted.Your wordsYour headline is too long to take in quicklyPeople only glance at headlines. A long one gets skimmed and your main point gets lost.
Does your site pass this check?
AgoraScan checks this and the rest of the checklist on your pages, with screenshots of anything it finds. The first scan is free.