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Build Week, Day 2: How to Write a Homepage That Sells in Five Seconds

Nathan Strickland

Published

2 weeks ago

on

Picks & Shovels No. 01: GE Vernova Sells the Electricity Before It Exists
Boston Made, Inc.Office of the Founder & CEO
From the desk of Nathan StricklandBoston, Massachusetts ·

Dear Sir or Madam,

BUILD WEEK · Day 2 of 5

Visitors decide quickly whether to stay. Your homepage has to answer three questions right away: what do you do, where, and what should I do next?

The five-block formula

  1. Headline: what you do and for whom, in plain words. “Same-week roof repair for Myrtle Beach homeowners.”
  2. One button: the single action you want, such as Call now, Book a time or Get a quote. Put it at the top and again at the bottom.
  3. Proof: years in business, a license number if your trade has one, a few real customer quotes (with permission), and photos of real work.
  4. Services: three to six short cards, each linking to its own page.
  5. Contact and area served: phone, hours, service area and a map.

Writing tips

  • Write the way you talk to customers on the phone.
  • Use “you” more than “we.”
  • Cut every sentence that would fit any business in any town.
  • Use real photos. Stock photos of smiling strangers don’t build trust.

Today’s task

Write your headline five ways and pick the plainest one. Fill in the five blocks in your builder. Tomorrow: getting found on Google.

BUILD WEEK is a five-day guide from Fenway Web, a Boston Made company, to building a small-business website yourself. Previous: Day 1. Next: Day 3, local SEO 101.

🛠 Build it on the Fenway Web website builder · More tutorials at info.fenwayweb.com · All storylines on the Boston Made Reader.

The post Build Week, Day 2: How to Write a Homepage That Sells in Five Seconds appeared first on Fenway Web.

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Nathan Strickland

Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc., a Boston-based media and business portfolio company. I lead Boston Made's independent, hyperlocal coverage of Boston's economy, businesses, and neighborhoods, alongside a growing portfolio of Boston-rooted brands — including Boston Made Pets, where my passion for dog wearables and canine wellness lives on. I’m an avid reader and journaler who believes in reporting that's closer to home.

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Fenway Web Opens a Free Learning Center to Teach Small Businesses to Build Their Own Websites

Nathan Strickland

Published

6 days ago

on

October 9, 2026

By

New Hampshire and Maine Put New England at the Center of the Senate Map

BOSTON — October 9, 2026 — Fenway Web today announced that info.fenwayweb.com is now its free learning center, teaching small-business owners how to build, launch and grow their own website step by step — with every lesson pointing back to FenwayWeb.com, where they can start building.

Fenway Web is repositioning around a simple idea: most small businesses can launch a professional website themselves if someone shows them how. The learning center does exactly that, in plain language, with no jargon and no upsell in the middle of a lesson.

Start with Build Week

The first course, Build Week, takes a business from no website to launch in five short lessons:

  1. Build Week, Day 1: How to Pick a Domain Name You Won’t Regret
  2. Build Week, Day 2: How to Write a Homepage That Sells in Five Seconds
  3. Build Week, Day 3: Local SEO 101 — Getting Found Near You
  4. Build Week, Day 4: How to Add a Contact and Booking Form People Actually Finish
  5. Build Week, Day 5: The 15-Point Launch Checklist

Each lesson can be finished in an evening, and each ends with a concrete task — pick the domain, write the homepage, set up local search, add the contact form, run the launch checklist.

What’s in the learning center

  • Guides on web design, SEO, content writing and marketing strategy.
  • AI for small business — practical ways to use AI tools to write, design and answer customers faster.
  • News on platform updates and new tutorials.

Do the math before you build

A website is an investment, and it should pay you back. Compare the true first-year cost of building it yourself with hiring it out, and see how quickly the leads your site brings in cover the cost.

Website Payback Calculator

Will a new website pay for itself — and how fast? Compare building it yourself with hiring it out, then see how many leads it takes to break even.

Planning estimate. Enter your own builder plan price and lead value.

The five-minute website health check

  • Can a visitor tell what you do and where you are within five seconds?
  • Is your phone number tappable on a phone?
  • Does every page have one clear next step?
  • Is your business listed with the same name, address and phone everywhere online?
  • Does your contact form actually reach your inbox? Test it today.

About Fenway Web

Fenway Web helps small businesses build their own websites with a self-serve builder at FenwayWeb.com and free tutorials at info.fenwayweb.com.

The post Fenway Web Opens a Free Learning Center to Teach Small Businesses to Build Their Own Websites appeared first on Fenway Web.

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Build Week, Day 5: The 15-Point Launch Checklist

Nathan Strickland

Published

2 weeks ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

08 density of builders
Boston Made, Inc.Office of the Founder & CEO
From the desk of Nathan StricklandBoston, Massachusetts ·

Dear Sir or Madam,

BUILD WEEK · Day 5 of 5

Launch day isn’t the finish line. It’s the first day real people use your site. Make sure it works for them.

Before you go live

  1. Every link and button works. Click every one.
  2. Your phone number is tap-to-call on mobile.
  3. The form sends to the right inbox, and a test submission arrives (Day 4).
  4. Your business name, address and phone match your Google profile (Day 3).
  5. Each page has a clear title and description.
  6. Images are compressed, so the site loads quickly on a phone.
  7. The site looks right on a phone, a tablet and a laptop.
  8. HTTPS is on and the padlock shows.
  9. Privacy policy and terms pages exist and are linked in the footer.
  10. The favicon and social-share image are set.
  11. 404 page is friendly and links home.
  12. Analytics is installed so you can see what’s working.
  13. Your domain is set to auto-renew (Day 1).
  14. A backup or restore point exists.
  15. A friend has read it all for typos. You’ll miss them yourself.

After launch

Post one short update a month: a finished job, a seasonal tip, a team photo. Fresh content gives people a reason to come back. If you’re a Fenway Web client, your news can also be syndicated into the Boston Made Reader‘s Client News section.

That’s Build Week. Your site is live. Start your own at fenwayweb.com/website-builder, with plans from $19/month.

BUILD WEEK is a five-day guide from Fenway Web, a Boston Made company, to building a small-business website yourself. Previous: Day 4. Start over at Day 1.

🛠 Build it on the Fenway Web website builder · More tutorials at info.fenwayweb.com · All storylines on the Boston Made Reader.

The post Build Week, Day 5: The 15-Point Launch Checklist appeared first on Fenway Web.

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Build Week, Day 4: How to Add a Contact and Booking Form People Actually Finish

Nathan Strickland

Published

2 weeks ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

Taylor Swift performing in 2007
Boston Made, Inc.Office of the Founder & CEO
From the desk of Nathan StricklandBoston, Massachusetts ·

Dear Sir or Madam,

BUILD WEEK · Day 4 of 5

Every field you add is one more reason to quit. Ask only for what you need to call them back.

The minimal form

  • Name
  • Phone or email, whichever you actually use to follow up
  • What do you need? A short text box or a dropdown of services
  • Preferred time, optional, for bookings

Consent, done right

If you plan to send texts or marketing emails, say so clearly next to the field, use an opt-in checkbox that isn’t pre-checked, and link your privacy policy. Plain, honest consent language keeps you in line with messaging rules and builds trust. Rules vary, so ask a professional if you’re unsure.

Keep the spam out

Turn on spam protection, such as a hidden honeypot field or a spam filter, so real leads don’t get buried.

Follow up fast

Send each submission to a phone you actually check. A same-day reply wins more jobs than a better website. Set an auto-reply that says when they’ll hear from you, and keep that promise.

Today’s task

Add a four-field form to your contact page and a “Book a time” button to your homepage, then send yourself a test. Tomorrow: launch.

BUILD WEEK is a five-day guide from Fenway Web, a Boston Made company, to building a small-business website yourself. Previous: Day 3. Next: Day 5, the launch checklist.

🛠 Build it on the Fenway Web website builder · More tutorials at info.fenwayweb.com · All storylines on the Boston Made Reader.

The post Build Week, Day 4: How to Add a Contact and Booking Form People Actually Finish appeared first on Fenway Web.

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