Your homepage is invisible to your customers

Your homepage says: "Premium quality at affordable prices."

Your customer hears: "We have no idea what makes us different."

Your homepage says: "Trusted by thousands of customers worldwide."

Your customer hears: "Everyone else is doing this, so why would I choose you?"

Your homepage says: "Innovative solutions for modern businesses."

Your customer hears: crickets

This is the message-market gap, and it's killing conversion rates on almost every ecommerce site I audit.

You think you're communicating value. Your customers think you sound like everyone else.

The question your homepage needs to answer (in 3 seconds)

Roy Williams, who's forgotten more about persuasive messaging than most marketers will ever know, taught me this:

Every customer lands on your site asking one question: "Why should I care?"

Not "Who are you?" Not "What do you sell?"

"Why should I care?"

If your homepage doesn't answer this in three seconds, the amount of time System 1 (your customer's fast, automatic, emotional brain) gives you before deciding to bounce, you've already lost them.

Here's the brutal truth: Most homepages are written to check boxes, not to persuade. They're written by committee. They're written to avoid offending anyone. They're written to make the CEO feel good.

They're not written to make customers give a damn.

Williams put it perfectly: "Most ads aren't written to persuade, they're written not to offend."

The same thing happens to your homepage.

What your homepage is actually saying

Let me translate some common ecommerce homepage messages into what customers actually hear:

You say: "Sustainably made, ethically sourced, consciously crafted." They hear: "We're either very expensive or we're just listing buzzwords everyone uses."

You say: "Premium materials meet timeless design." They hear: "We have nothing specific to say about why we're different."

You say: "The perfect [product] for every occasion." They hear: "We're so generic we work for everything, which means we're probably great at nothing."

You say: "Designed in California, loved worldwide." They hear: "We think our location matters more than what the product actually does for you."

You say: "Comfort meets style in our signature collection." They hear: "We're describing what literally every apparel brand claims."

You say: "Join our community of 50,000+ happy customers." They hear: "Everyone else is buying this, so we must be doing something right, but we won't tell you what."

None of these messages are wrong exactly. They're just... invisible. Forgettable. Interchangeable with literally any competitor in your space.

They don't answer "Why should I care?" They answer "How can we fill space without saying anything interesting?"

The scent trail you're breaking

Bryan Eisenberg talks about "scent trails", the invisible thread of consistency that customers follow from the moment they click your ad to the moment they complete a purchase.

Think about it like this: A customer searches for "waterproof hiking boots for wide feet." They click your Google ad that says "Wide Width Hiking Boots - Waterproof."

They land on your homepage, which says: "Your destination for outdoor adventure."

The scent just went cold.

They searched for something specific. Your ad promised that specific thing. Your homepage is talking about "outdoor adventure" like they're planning an Everest expedition when all they wanted was boots that don't give them blisters.

This happens constantly:

• Instagram ad shows a specific floral midi dress → Homepage shows "New Spring Collection" with no dresses visible

• Google search for "organic cotton baby onesies" → Homepage highlights "Sustainable kidswear for modern parents" with no onesies in sight

• Facebook ad about "jeans that actually fit curvy bodies" → Homepage says "Denim for every body" with standard fit models

• TikTok ad showing a specific blender crushing ice → Homepage talks about "Elevating your kitchen experience"

Every time you break the scent trail, you're asking System 1 (the fast, automatic brain) to work harder. And System 1 doesn't work harder. It just leaves.

The four-mode homepage test

Remember last week's four shopping modes? Your homepage needs to speak to all of them simultaneously. Not with different pages, but with layered messaging that serves each mode without alienating the others.

For Methodical shoppers: They need to quickly understand what you do and whether you're credible. Don't make them hunt for information.

For Spontaneous shoppers: They need to feel something immediately and see why they should act now.

For Humanistic shoppers: They need to see real people and real stories.

For Competitive shoppers: They need the differentiators and the bottom line fast.

Most homepages nail ONE of these modes and completely ignore the other three.

The Williams framework for better messaging

1. Open with the first mental image (FMI) 

The first sentence needs to create a vivid picture in your customer's mind. Not about you. About them.

Bad: "Welcome to BrandName, your trusted source for kitchen tools."

Good: "The knife that made your best friend's dinner party look effortless? We sell that."

2. Use unexpected verbs 

Your brain filters out predictable language. Unexpected verbs wake people up.

Bad: "We provide innovative solutions."

Good: "We eliminate the bullshit that's slowing you down."

3. Answer "Why should I care?" first, everything else second 

Lead with the benefit to them, not the fact about you.

Bad: "Founded in 2015, we've grown to serve over 10,000 customers."

Good: "Your team will stop wasting 6 hours a week on [specific pain point]."

4. Be specific, not impressive 

Numbers, names, details are more believable than adjectives.

Bad: "Premium quality materials."

Good: "Japanese steel that holds an edge for 6 months."

5. Create persuasive momentum 

Each element should pull them deeper, not make them question whether they're in the right place.

Your headline answers "Why should I care?" Your subhead expands on the main benefit. Your body copy proves the claim. Your CTA makes the next step obvious and easy.

What to do Monday morning

Pull up your homepage. Set a timer for 3 seconds. Look at it.

What did you see? More importantly, what did you feel?

If the answer is "not much," you've got work to do.

Here's your audit checklist:

The 3-Second Test:

• Can a complete stranger understand what you do?

• Can they understand why they should care?

• Do they know what to do next?

The Scent Trail Audit:

• Pick your top 3 traffic sources

• Follow the path from ad/search → homepage

• Does the message stay consistent?

• Or do you break the scent?

The Mode Test:

• Methodical: Is there substance behind the marketing speak?

• Spontaneous: Is there visual impact and clear benefit?

• Humanistic: Are there real people and stories?

• Competitive: Can someone quickly understand your differentiation?

The Williams Test:

• Does your headline create a mental image?

• Are you using specific verbs or generic ones?

• Do you answer "Why should I care?" in the first sentence?

• Are you being specific or trying to sound impressive?

If you fail any of these, your homepage is probably saying something very different from what you think it's saying.

And your customers are hearing "this is not for me" and bouncing.

Next week: The invisible force that makes people click (or leave): cognitive load and decision fatigue in ecommerce.

Until then, stop writing homepages that make you feel good. Write homepages that make customers care.

Looking forward,

Brian

P.S. If you want me to look at your homepage and tell you what it's actually saying, just send me the URL. I'll give you the 3-second truth. Or, we can talk.