Is your online business model a secret?

Are you the only one who REALLY understands what your business is and how it works?

Do you put up a home page that entices people to participate or buy, but doesn’t really give them an instant snapshot of what you truly do?

I’m working on a project right now for a site that contains a wealth of great information for families. But to be honest, I think the owner is the only person in the world who truly understands what his site it about.

This is not good.

By way of contrast, take a look at JobCoin.com.

I love the simplicity of the both the business model and the message.

The owner/develop/writer has told us everything we need to know about JobCoin with thirty words and one screenshot.

That’s perfect.

Is it easy to say all you need to say on your home page in 30 words? Yes and no. 

It’s easy if your business model and value proposition are blindingly clear and simple.

It’s almost impossible if your model is a mish-mash of vaguely-connected elements which you kind of hope people will figure out if they stay on your site for long enough.

Before you rush in and say that’s it easy for a small company to present a simple, clear message, but much harder for a larger company...not so fast.

First, it is apparently not easy for small businesses to achieve this. Small companies are some of the worst offenders when it comes to presenting a disjointed, jumbled message on their home pages.

Second, while large companies may find it harder, it’s not impossible. Apple articulates its value proposition without words at all. They just show a picture of their latest product. The value is right there in the design.

The bottom line is this:

If you can’t articulate the basic value proposition to someone in the street in ten seconds or less, you’re not going to be able to build a truly effective home page for your business.