Change This One Element On Your Website Today To Increase Your Sales...
Change This One Element On Your Website Today To Increase Your Sales...
Let's get straight to it: the most important element on your site is the headline of your primary landing page -- which is usually your homepage.
It's the most important element, simply because if it doesn't convince people to stay and read further, you won't be getting any enquiries or making any sales.
It's the same with emails. The subject line is effectively your headline. If it's good, lots of people will open and read the email. If it isn't... in the trash it goes.
Now, here's a frightening statistic for you: according to the email provider 'Constant Contact' the average email open rate for all businesses in 2024 was 19.84%, (although there was obviously some variation according to industry sector).
This correlates pretty closely with research done in direct marketing and print advertising, which shows that of the people who read a headline, only about 20% will continue to read the copy.
In other words, if your headline doesn't succeed in grabbing the attention of you reader, you're losing 80% of your potential customers right at the top of the page.
So, how do you make your headline work really hard?
Well, let me start by giving you some basic principles, in the form of some DOs and DON'Ts.
Here they are:
DO think carefully about what is going through your customer's mind when he, or she, arrives on your page. This is the most important thing -- understanding THOUGHT SEQUENCES, and what the reader is trying to achieve.
For example, do they have:
• Dreams you can encourage? "Now you too can ____"
• Failures that they need to justify? "Here's why most (web redesigns) fail"
• Fears they want allayed? "How secure is your pension fund?"
• Suspicions you can confirm? "Most arthritis drugs have hidden side effects, but this natural food is different..."
• Or maybe there's just someone or something that feels like the "enemy" -- a problem perhaps? -- that they need an ally in fighting. ("Tell the tax man to take a running jump when it comes to inheritance tax"
DO use natural, everyday, specific language -- preferably language which will form pictures in your prospect's mind. For example, which do you think is a better headline: "Long-lasting and beautiful luggage" or "They'll fight over it when you're dead"?
DO put yourself in your reader's shoes: read your headline and ask yourself, "So what?"
DON'T talk about yourself in your headline -- this is a favorite of businesses with a long history, or those that are family owned, for example, "Omniture, Inc. is a leading provider of online business optimization software" So what!)
DON'T use vague, subjective statements ("Your partner in success!" or "The best coffee in Bradford").
DON'T try to be "creative" or "original" -- avoid anything cute, witty, etc. Research proves that people almost certainly won't get it, don't have the attention span to work it out, and will therefore ignore it.
DON'T waffle -- but equally, DON'T worry about length, as long as you're making every word count.
DON'T try to explain what your site is about. The ONLY job of your headline is to enter the conversation that's already going on in your prospect's head -- so that they stop and read.
I've found that having reference examples of tested headlines really helps when it comes to writing a new headline, so here are some examples to get your juices flowing:
Is the Life of a Child Worth £1 to You?
Suppose This Happened on Your Wedding Day!
This Tiny Mistake Costs Gardeners £3,000 a Year
When Doctors Feel "Rotten" This is What They Do
You'll Never Get Hired if You Say This in a Job Interview
Is Zoom Fatigue a Real Thing?
Can a Website Help You Beat Jet Lag?
How Much is "Worker Tension" Costing Your Company?
How a New Discovery Made a Plain Girl Beautiful
How a New Kind of Clay Improved My Complexion in 30 Minutes
Top U.S. Cities for Bedbug Infestations
Don't Let Athlete's Foot "Lay You Up"
Draw Readers in With Our Creative Book Cover Designs
For the Woman Who is Older Than She Looks
Guaranteed to Go Through Ice, Mud, or Snow - Or We Pay the Tow!
Hands That Look Lovelier in 24 Hours, Or Your Money Back
Pierced by 302 Nails...Retains Full Air Pressure
No Publisher, No Problem! Discover Self-Publishing Success
Proven System: Master a New in Language in 10 Days
Improve Your Memory in Just 5 Minutes Per Day
(Not all of these examples will be relevant for your website, but hopefully you can see how the structure of each sentence helps grab the attention of the reader).
