What is this?
The headline and subheadline name the product or service the way a customer would, not the way a marketer invented it.
Homepage copywriting for websites
Homepage copywriting services
Homepage copy is the offer, the structure of blocks and the words in each of them, written so that within five seconds a visitor knows what you do, who it is for and why to stay. We write it from your facts and a review of your competitors, and we add the meta tags. The price is from $800 per page, and it takes 4–5 days. Roholeva is a studio for copywriting, promotion and web development, so your homepage is written as part of the whole site from the start.
01 The job
What to write on a homepage: the five-second rule
A homepage has to answer three questions in five seconds: what is this, who is it for, and what do I do next. Everything else, from the company story to the list of services, works only if the visitor did not close the tab in those seconds. The copy on a homepage is not there to tell everything about the company. It is there to move the person on, to a service, a catalog or the contact page.
Who is it for, and why you?
It is clear that this is not for everyone: the city, the type of client, the condition that separates you from the neighbor.
What do I do next?
One main button that says what happens after the click, and a few paths for people who are still choosing.
A practical test: show a friend your homepage for five seconds and ask what the company does. If the answer is vague, the offer is not working.
02 Structure
Homepage structure: eight blocks and what goes in each
The structure of a homepage depends on the business, but these blocks almost always appear. The word counts are approximate, so you can see the scale.
- 01First screen30–60 wordsThe H1 with the offer, a subheadline, a button. Next to them, a short benefit and a sign of trust: a turnaround, a guarantee, where you work.
- 02Services or categories90–135 wordsThe main directions with a brief description and links to their pages. The homepage only points the way, and the service page does the explaining.
- 03Why you75–120 wordsThree or four differences stated as facts: the year you started, the team, the guarantee, the terms. No “quality” or “experience” on their own.
- 04How you work60–105 wordsSteps from the first contact to the result. They take away uncertainty.
- 05Proofif availableReal testimonials, work, the team, partners. Only what you can show.
- 06About the company, briefly60–90 wordsA paragraph with the founding year, the scale and the people. The full version lives on the About page.
- 07Questions and answers75–120 wordsThree to five main objections. It can strengthen search visibility when it is marked up properly.
- 08Call to action and contacts25–45 wordsA lead form or contacts with a line on what happens next.
03 Example
Homepage copywriting example: before and after
Below are the first screens of two invented companies. They do not exist, and the example is for illustration. Both “before” versions will look familiar, because texts like them sit on thousands of sites.
Service homepagewater heater repair
Welcome to our website. We are a dynamic team of professionals with years of experience. We offer a wide range of water heater services. A personalized approach to every client.
Water heater repair and replacement in Columbus, with a technician at your door the same day you call. You get the price after the diagnosis, and it doesn’t change during the repair. We keep the old part so you can see what failed.
why it works: the H1 carries the service, the place and the speed. The remaining sentences deal with the biggest fear customers have: a bill that grows halfway through the job.
Store homepagewhole bean coffee
The best coffee for true connoisseurs. A wide selection at great prices. Subscribe and get discounts.
We roast every Friday and ship the day you order. The roast date is printed on the bag, so you buy fresh coffee rather than warehouse stock. If the taste isn’t right, we’ll help you pick another bag in a few messages.
why it works: “best” can’t be checked, and a date on a bag can. The buyer decides on facts.
04 Site types
Homepages for services, stores, experts and B2B: how they differ
There is no universal homepage. Below are four schemes we start from and then adjust to your situation.
| Site type | What leads the first screen | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| Services | The service, the place, the turnaround, a price signal | List of services, steps, prices, testimonials, a form |
| Online store | Search, categories, delivery and return terms | Bestsellers, offers, reasons to buy here, a blog, a signup |
| Expert | A face, a specialty, whom you help | Story, approach, ways of working, publications |
| B2B | The business result and the industry it is for | Solutions, process, proof, terms, a request for a proposal |
05 Length
How much copy a homepage needs
For most sites, 450–750 words is enough. That is roughly eight blocks of 60–90 words each. A homepage grows longer only for complex B2B offers or large stores with many categories.
Two things set the length: how many questions the page has to close, and how many pages stand behind it. If the site has detailed service pages, the homepage describes them briefly and leads on. If there are no such pages, the homepage copy has to stretch.
If the homepage must also work as an SEO page for broad queries, which we cover below, the length grows to 600–900 words and regional or topical queries appear. Still, do not overload the offer with keywords: a person reads the headline.
06 Offer
The offer and the headline: how we word them
The offer is what you propose to the customer in a sentence or two: what exactly they get, on what terms and why from you. It is the core of the homepage, and it is settled before the rest is written.
What + for whom + a condition
“Water heater repair in Columbus, same-day visit.” We draft three to five options and choose with a simple test: would a stranger understand it in three seconds?
That nothing is invented
Every promise in the offer is compared with what you can actually deliver. “In 15 minutes,” “free” and “guarantee” stay only when a process stands behind them.
07 Mistakes
Common client mistakes and how to choose a copywriter
What most often spoils a homepage
- Opening with “Welcome” and the company history. The visitor did not come for history.
- Listing every service in one paragraph. A homepage should direct, not exhaust.
- Putting a slider with five offers on top. The user sees the first and ignores the rest.
- Adding “our advantages” without a single fact: “quality, reliability, experience.”
- Writing a separate text for search and hiding it at the bottom in small type. Search engines dislike it, and people don’t read it.
How to choose who writes it
Ask to see the structure before the text and an explanation of why the blocks run in that order. Ask who checks the facts against your materials. See whether the writer asks about your customers and not only about you: without that, no offer will be born. And compare prices honestly. Cheap template copy is easy to spot, because nothing in it can be verified. When a proposal includes a conversation about the product, a competitor review, a second reader and a transparent price per page, the difference in cost is explained by the amount of work, not by the name of the studio.
08 Search
Homepage meta tags, internal links and SEO copy
Whether a homepage needs SEO copy depends on how you plan to attract traffic. If customers find you by brand name or from ads, clear copy is enough. If you want to show up for queries like “water heater repair Columbus,” the homepage should be written with those queries in mind.
Here is what the price covers for search:
- an H1 and a first paragraph with the main query;
- a title and meta description for the homepage, written by hand (more in the meta titles and descriptions service);
- H2 subheadings that cover related queries;
- internal links to the key service pages with clear anchor text.
If you need a separate SEO text at full depth, there is SEO copywriting. For AI search we add a short “answer block” about the company: who you are, what you do, where you work. It is easy to quote.
09 Price
What homepage copywriting includes and what it costs
Homepage copy costs from $800 per page. The price covers the structure, the offer, headlines, the copy for each block and the meta tags. It is fixed per page, not per word, so you know in advance what you will pay. For comparison, a 600-word page at our SEO copy rate of $0.18 a word would come to $108, but that rate covers the text alone, without the offer work, the structure or the meeting about your business.
| Service | What's included | Turnaround | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage copy | Structure, headlines, block copy, meta tags | 4–5 days | from $800 / page |
| About page copy | Founder interview, structure, copy | 4 days | from $600 / page |
| Website and landing page copy | Brief, competitor review, wireframe, copy for every block | 5–7 days | from $1,200 / landing page |
| SEO copywriting | Keyword research, outline, copy, title and meta description | from 3 days | from $0.18 / word |
What you pay for and why we cost more than the cheapest option
You can find homepage copy for very little money. Such texts are written from a template, with no conversation about the product. Our price is higher because it includes:
- a conversation with you and a competitor review, without which the offer ends up generic;
- an author and an editor: the second reader catches clichés and contradictions;
- facts checked against your materials and the job of the page;
- a quick quote within one business day.
10 AI
AI and the homepage: where it helps and where it does not
A chatbot is good at drafting headline options and sorting your materials into blocks. But it doesn’t know that you avoid the word “sale,” that your customers fear hidden fees, or that you work only in one metro area.
So the offer, the proof and the order of arguments are written by the author, and we check that the page has no “wide range” or “personalized approach” left in it. If you already have a draft from ChatGPT, send it over: we will compare it with the facts and rewrite whatever does not hold up.
11 Process
How we work: brief, wireframe, copy, proofreading after the build
We write a homepage in 4–5 business days. We name the price and turnaround within one business day of your request.
- 01
Brief
A conversation about the business, customers and competitors. We read your materials.
→ facts and the offer
- 02
Wireframe
Blocks, order and rough headlines for your approval.
→ the structure
- 03
Copy
We write the blocks, the meta tags and the button labels. The editor proofreads.
→ the text in Google Docs
- 04
After the build
When needed, we proofread the finished page: line breaks, buttons, the mobile version.
→ a page without errors
If the site does not exist yet, you can order it from us: see corporate website development. Then copy and design are agreed at the same time, and promotion can go to SEO services.
12 Questions
Homepage copywriting FAQ
What should I write on my homepage?
The offer on the first screen, a list of services or categories, why you, how you work, proof, a short note about the company, answers to objections and a call to action. The main rule: within five seconds a visitor must understand what you offer and for whom.
How much copy should a homepage have?
For most sites, 450–750 words, which is about eight blocks of 60–90 words. Complex B2B offers and large stores need more.
How much does homepage copy cost?
From $800 per page: the structure, headlines, copy for every block and meta tags. We give the final figure within one business day after a conversation.
How is a homepage different from a landing page?
A landing page leads to one action and is written as a single chain of arguments. A homepage is the front window of a site: it leads to different pages, shows every direction and speaks to different visitors.
What is an offer and how do I word one?
An offer is your proposal to the customer: what they get, on what terms and why from you. The formula is simple: what, for whom and under what condition. It has to be specific and verifiable, with no “best” or “professional.”
Does a homepage need SEO copy?
It depends on where your customers come from. If you want to appear for broad queries, write the homepage with those queries in mind. If people arrive by brand name or from ads, clear copy is enough.
Where can I find a homepage copy example?
Two before-and-after examples are above. For your own niche we can show the structure before we write.
How many days does homepage copy take?
Usually 4–5 business days: brief, wireframe, copy, editing. The exact timing depends on how fast you send the materials.
Do you write headlines and meta tags for the homepage?
Yes. The H1, subheadings, title and meta description are in the price. They are written together with the copy so they stay consistent with each other.
13 Related
What clients order together with homepage copy
- About page copyAn About page without the “dynamic team of professionals”: facts, people, numbers and the story.
- Website and landing page copyPage structure and the copy for every block, from the hero headline to the line under the button.
- Meta titles and descriptionsTitles and descriptions for Google results that people want to click. Written by hand for each page.
- SEO copywritingCategory pages, service pages and blog posts written around real search queries. They read like normal copy, with no keyword stuffing.
- Corporate websiteA company site with several sections: services, about, case studies, blog, contact.
- SEO servicesWe get your pages into Google for the searches your buyers make: technical health, content, links.