Short answer: as long as it takes to answer three questions — and not a word longer. Long answer: keep reading.
Look at any homepage that converts well and you'll find the same pattern. The hero answers "what is this, who is it for". The first scroll answers "can you actually do it". The second scroll answers "why you and not someone cheaper". Everything else is decoration.
That's three questions. Three sections, ideally three scrolls. Anything beyond that is usually copy you wrote because you couldn't decide what mattered.
The three-line test
Before you write a single section, write the answers to these three lines:
- What you do, in eight words or fewer.
- Who it's for, by company-type or job-title.
- The single thing that makes you a better bet than the obvious alternative.
If you can't write each of those in one line, your homepage will be long because you don't know what it should say yet. Sort that out first; the page writes itself afterwards.
How many words is "right"
We've audited around 200 SME homepages this year. The well-performing ones cluster around 600–900 words of body copy — H1 included, footer excluded. Below 400 and visitors don't feel they have enough to decide. Above 1,200 and bounce rates climb.
The point of homepage copy isn't to describe the company. It's to convince the visitor to read the second page.
Three sections every homepage needs (in this order)
1. Hero — outcome before process
The biggest mistake we see: hero copy that explains what your business is ("a creative studio specialising in..."). Visitors don't care. They care what changes for them if they hire you. Lead with the outcome — "homepages that don't bounce", "brand voice you'll actually use" — and let the process come later.
2. Social proof — fast, specific, named
One named testimonial beats five anonymous ones. One screenshot with a real number beats a dozen "trusted by professionals" lines. Use what you have, but use it specifically.
3. The single objection — handled
Visitors leave because of one nagging doubt, not many. Identify it ("too expensive", "won't fit our brand", "we tried agencies before and they were rubbish") and answer it on the page. That's usually the difference between a 1% and a 3% conversion rate.
What about SEO?
You don't need 2,000 words for SEO in 2026. Google's helpful-content updates have been kind to short, useful pages. What matters is that the page genuinely answers a search. If you can do that in 600 words, do it in 600. Use the saved time to write a real blog instead.
The short version: three questions, three sections, ~700 words. If you find yourself writing more, ask why. Usually it's because you haven't decided which question matters most.
