Writing hero copy that converts

How to write the headline, subheadline, and call-to-action that sit at the top of your page — the words visitors see first, and judge you by fastest.

The hero section is the top of your page — the part visible before anyone scrolls. It's the most-read part of your website and the one that most directly determines whether a visitor stays or leaves. Most hero sections fail because they talk about the business instead of the visitor.

Quick summary

Good hero copy follows a simple formula: name your audience, name their problem, offer your solution, back it up with proof, and give one clear action. The headline should be about the visitor, not about you. Write it in plain English. Aim for clarity over cleverness.

The five-part hero formula

Every high-converting hero section answers five things, in roughly this order:

Audience — Who is this for? The visitor should immediately recognize themselves. "For growing e-commerce brands" or "For independent financial advisers" filters in the right people and filters out wrong-fit visitors (which is good).

Problem — What challenge, frustration, or goal does this solve? Name the pain directly. "Tired of a website that doesn't bring in leads?" beats "We build great websites."

Solution — What do you do, in plain English? One sentence. "We design and build websites that turn visitors into customers."

Proof — One credibility signal. A result ("helped 80+ service businesses"), a recognizable client, a stat, a short testimonial pull-quote. Just one — don't overload the hero.

Action — One primary call to action. "Book a free consultation." "Get a quote." "See our work." One button. No competing options.

Before and after: headline rewrites

The fastest way to understand good hero copy is to see weak vs strong side by side.

Weak headlines

"Welcome to Apex Digital"

"Innovative solutions for modern businesses"

"We are a full-service marketing agency"

"Quality you can trust"

"Transforming your digital presence"

Strong headlines

"Get more enquiries from your website — without paying for ads"

"Brand strategy for B2B companies that want to grow faster"

"We handle your marketing so you can focus on your business"

"Professional websites for trades & contractors"

"More bookings. Less chasing. Built for health & wellness businesses."

Notice the pattern: strong headlines are specific, focus on the visitor's outcome, and feel like they were written for one kind of person.

The subheadline's job

Your main headline can be punchy and short. The subheadline (the smaller text directly below) expands the idea in 1–2 sentences. It should:

Clarify what you specifically do
Add a detail the headline left out
Reinforce who this is for

Example:

Headline: "Turn your website into your best salesperson"

Subheadline: "We design conversion-focused websites for professional service firms in the UK — from strategy through to launch and beyond."

The "you" test

Read your hero copy out loud. Count how many times you use "we," "our," or your company name — versus "you" and "your."

If your hero copy is full of "we," rewrite it from the visitor's point of view. Visitors do not care about you. They care about what you can do for them.

"We" framing (weak)	"You" framing (strong)
"We have 15 years of experience"	"Work with a team that has helped 200+ businesses"
"Our process is collaborative and transparent"	"You'll always know what's happening and what's coming next"
"We specialize in brand strategy"	"Get a brand that makes you the obvious choice in your market"

Clarity beats cleverness

Puns and clever wordplay feel fun to write. But they often confuse visitors — especially ones who found you through a search and don't yet know what you do.

Test: if you covered the company name and logo, would a stranger know what the business does from the headline alone?

If the answer is no, prioritize clarity.

Avoid these phrases

These filler phrases appear on thousands of websites and mean nothing: "world-class," "cutting-edge," "innovative," "passionate about," "solutions-driven," "holistic approach," "best-in-class." Remove them. Replace them with specifics.

Adding proof without overloading

The hero section is not the place for a full testimonials section. One proof element is enough. Options:

A number: "Trusted by 120+ businesses across the UK"
A logo bar: three to five recognizable client logos
A short stat: "Average client sees 40% more enquiries in 90 days"
A five-star rating: "4.9 stars from 60 Google reviews"

Keep it concise. The full social proof section comes lower down the page — see landing page anatomy for where everything else goes.

The call to action in the hero

Your hero needs one primary CTA button. Common mistakes:

Two equal buttons with different goals ("Book a call" + "See our work") — pick one as primary
A weak label ("Learn more," "Find out more") — use a specific action
No CTA at all — never leave a visitor wondering what to do next

For service businesses, "Book a free consultation" or "Get a quote" usually outperforms "Contact us" because it tells the visitor what they're getting.

See writing effective calls to action for more on writing the button text.