You contain multitudes. 

Your brand does, that is. 

These days, many hospitality brands are multi-talented multi-hyphenates. You know, your standard wedding venue-goat farm-brewery-coffee shop-graffiti park. 

I love that for you!

But how are you supposed to share all of that on your website…

clearly…

in three seconds…

without completely overwhelming people?

It’s a conundrum, and one we’re going to fix today.

The Problem with Trying to Be Everything at Once

I came across this issue with a hospitality brand I was creeping on recently. They’re a gorgeous lavender field and venue in the UK. I’m going to call them Lavender Heaven, because that’s what they are. 

But unfortunately, Lavender Heaven has a messaging overload problem. 

The first thing we see on their homepage is a slider with three different messages. (It moves too fast, so you can’t read each message fully before it moves on to the next. But that’s a different issue.)

We start with one message about retail products, like soaps and room sprays. 

Then we move on to weddings and private events. Oh, so they’re an event venue too!

And finally, we go back to retail with a message about essential oils. 

Ok, so I know they do at least two things.

But then we look to the main navigation. And we see that there’s a lot more going on. 

That’s 12 menu items, plus a three-slider hero section. And we haven’t scrolled down a millimeter. It’s too much, and without really knowing why, I’m probably going to click away.

That’s 11 menu items, plus a three-slider hero section. And we haven’t scrolled down a millimeter. It’s too much, and without really knowing why, I’m probably going to click away.

Why do websites get this overwhelming?

Because like many, many brands, they’re afraid of leaving money on the table by not prominently featuring each revenue stream. But what they don’t realize is what this kind of front-loading is costing them.

When someone lands on your site thinking “I need a wedding venue” and they’re confronted with goat yoga and artisan soaps, their brain has to work harder to find what they came for. And “work” means confused customers, higher bounce rates, and lost bookings. 

So let’s talk about how to fix it. 

Fix #1: Create an Offer Hierarchy

I’m not going to tell any brand that they should cut revenue streams. In this economy???

But we do want to pick the number one most important thing you offer, and lead with that. 

Here are your criteria: 

1. What’s your biggest revenue driver?
2. What are you best known for?

Ideally, they’re the same thing, and that’s what the hero section of your website should focus on. 

Here’s a good example from a truly gorgeous treehouse-style hotel in Wimberley, Texas.

They’re not just a resort. They’re also a wedding venue, and they can arrange add-ons for resort guests like sound baths, private yoga, and in-room massage. (Hello, sign me up.)

But the hero section keeps it simple. A location and what they are at their core—a Hill Country landscape resort. They invite you in to learn more, but they’re not beating you over the head with TOO MANY MESSAGES all at once.

Lead with your CORE offer or service…then expand on it as you invite people further into your website.

Fix #2: Simplify Your Navigation

Let’s take another look at that top menu bar from Lavender Heaven.

I. Am. Overwhelmed.

And it’s not just me…49% of customers report abandoning a website with confusing navigation. And simply creating clear menu labels can decrease bounce rates by 27%!

A good rule of thumb is to keep top navigation limited to the most important four-to-six high-level customer journeys. This keeps your navigation clean and makes it much easier for your site visitors to understand what you do and where they should click next. 

To simplify, look for themes that you can group together. In this case, I’d start by creating a top-level link called VISIT, which would include Open Days, Events, and Educational Visits all in one place. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean those three pages need to be combined into one. But they can all be nested under one drop-down link in the top menu bar. That way, anyone who wants to plan a visit for any reason knows exactly where to start—the single VISIT link.

I’d also add the Gift Cards as a product on the Shop page, and remove it from the navigation. Easy peasy. 

Just those two changes would reduce our top menu from 11 links to 8, which is already a major improvement. 

Just those two changes would reduce our top menu from 12 links to 9, which is already a major improvement. 

Fix #3: Write for Clarity

It’s painfully easy to get caught up in luxury language and forget to actually tell people what you do.

Here’s an example from a Hill Country venue:

The language refers to a “luxurious experience for couples,” but I have no idea what kind of experience they’re referring to. Romantic vacations? Spa days? Dinner for two?

The hero photo doesn’t instantly add clarity–while there are chairs and it does appear to be a wedding setup, the white chairs blend in with the white sand and it takes a second to understand what you’re seeing.

The next paragraph refers to “important milestones” and being “present with your friends and family,” but it still doesn’t say WEDDINGS! 

It turns out that this is a combination wedding venue and resort, but I had to scroll halfway down the homepage to figure that out. And even after poking around their website, I’m still unclear if the “resort” part is open to anyone, or if the accommodations are only for wedding parties. 

Simply adding “Wedding Venue and Resort” to their hero section would go a LONG way to clarifying their offerings. 

Don’t assume that people understand what you do—spell it out for them in simple, straightforward language.

Unsure where to start? Try filling in these blanks:

[Company] is a [core service] for [your primary audience].

Fix #4: Create Clear Pathways for Different Audiences

Think of your homepage as a train station. Everyone who shows up wants to get somewhere else, but they’re not all headed for the same destination.

It’s the same when you serve multiple audiences. And it’s your website’s job to guide each visitor to the right “platform.”

So while we want to state who we are in our hero section, we also want to usher site visitors to the next right place. 

This is where clear links or cards below your hero section come in. Here’s a great example, where each card clearly filters visitors to the appropriate page for booking a stay, planning a wedding, setting up a corporate event, or getting excited about onsite dining options.

These let visitors self-select their journey. Each pathway leads to a dedicated landing page with focused messaging on specialty services, so your prospect can prioritize what’s most important to them.

Fix #5: Embrace Seasonality

Your website isn’t etched in stone. But you also don’t have to reinvent it every month or every quarter. 

The happy medium?

Seasonal or event-specific hero sections that you swap out as needed. 

For example, Lavender Heaven hosts “Open Days,” which give guests an opportunity to come wander the lavender fields, take photos, snack on delicious cakes, and shop for lovely products. In the lead-up to this event, they could create a hero section promoting the upcoming Open Days and leading to an event page with more information. 

But when it’s not Open Days season, this event doesn’t need top billing, and this hero section can be taken down until next time.

You can create hero sections that promote specific events, or that build urgency around seasonal bookings like holiday parties at an event venue or spring wedding season at a vineyard. 

Review upcoming events and seasons quarterly, so you’ll always be on top of the necessary changes. 

Clear Messaging Lets Each Offer Shine

Being clear about your hospitality brand’s primary focus doesn’t mean hiding your other offerings. It means giving visitors a clear entry point so they know they’re in the right place, before guiding them to what interests them most. 

So what’s next?

Audit your own website using this framework to see if you’re being clear…or if you’re overwhelming your site visitors. 

Or let me take a look for you! I offer low-cost homepage audits that will tell you exactly where your visitors are getting confused and how to fix it to keep people moving through your site instead of bouncing. 

Like your own personal website whisperer.