How to make your website convert like crazy! Part 2

[philcoleman]

Hi

I told you in Part 1 that I'd explain the main principles of Copywriting didn't I? OK, well the first one is Headlines.

Some of you may have read this before. I posted on MoreNiche about the importance of headlines. So if it sounds familiar, you now know why.

The most important part of your copy is your headline. It draws people in to the rest of your page. (Or Ad) If someone finds your headline interesting, they are far more likely to then read your sub-head or opening paragraph.

And your opening paragraph should keep your visitors interested enough to read your second paragraph, and so on.

Your headline should GRAB your visitor’s attention.

“Hi, welcome to my site” just doesn’t cut it.

How about . . .

“New top secret Russian herbal weight loss discovery, will give you the firm, toned and sexy body you’ve always dreamed of OVERNIGHT . . . without leaving stretchmarks!!! ”

Tell me if I’m wrong but you would read the next paragraph . . . would you not?

Now I’ll agree, it’s an extreme example. Or is it? I’ve seen real headlines that are not that far removed from the above.

The best headlines are normally based around the benefits someone will have once they’ve used the product. In the example above the benefit is getting a sex symbol body without stretch marks. Simple enough?

This approach normally works because it’s emotive. And always remember, we buy based on emotions and rationalise that decision later, just to make us feel better.

Find the problems your visitors need to solve and offer the solution. It’s generally far easier to sell to a “hungry crowd” than hobby type markets.

The hungry crowd need it now, right now, TODAY!

That’s why your headline is so important.

We live in an OCEAN of marketing messages and yours has to stand out. One of my favourite copywriters is an Australian guy called Brett McFall. I always remember something he said about making yourself noticed:

“You have to stand out like a hippo in a herd of flamingos”

When people arrive at your site, you need a way to capture their interest. A good headline will do that. After all, the majority of people go online looking for information.

Have YOU got the information they’re looking for? Can you solve their problem? Make their life better? Make them richer? Make them slimmer? Tell them.

When you pick up a newspaper, how do you decide which articles to read? Headlines of course.

1. “Local woman finds pine cone washed up on beach.”

2. “Government to lower age of retirement to 40 and introduce £50,000
bonus, plus unlimited cash on demand system for pensioners.”

Which story would you read? Unless you’re a rare pinecone collector, I’m guessing number 2.

OK, so you are starting to understand why your headline is the most important part of your website copy, aren't you? Good! Next time, I'll cover the types of headline you can use and why they're effective.

Phil

[nixwebo]

Great article/post

You really know your stuff, the title is important, if the reader doesn't get "taken" by it, then they are not really a reader at all of you information at least.

Titles can be tricky to write though, I like to run split tests to see which bring the most results.

[jonnyellins]

We're currently split testing many of the products to see which title works best, more to come in the next few weeks when we have solid results

[philcoleman]

Originally Posted by nixwebo

Great article/post

You really know your stuff, the title is important, if the reader doesn't get "taken" by it, then they are not really a reader at all of you information at least.

Titles can be tricky to write though, I like to run split tests to see which bring the most results.

Yes you are right. You should split test whenever possible. I haven't got into that yet as it's a little more advanced.

Split testing can make a MASSIVE difference to your conversion rates and of course, the higher your conversion rates . . . the more money you make.

[magistudio]

I am using the following for my 123 cash surveys site and seems to be working:

"How Does A Single Mom Earn Over $3579 Every Month While Her Kids Are Napping?"

My question is what are your thoughts on using a question for a headline instead of a statement?

[philcoleman]

Hi

My thoughts are . . . FANTASTIC!

I've seen your site and I really like it. I have even bookmarked it because i think it's a great example of how to build an affiliate site.

• It's simple.
• It's believable.
• People can relate to it. Especially other MUMs (And Dads actually! Yes i got a great t-shirt for Fathers Day on Sunday thanks.)
• Photos of your kids help tremendously as it adds a real warmth to your story.

As for the question about the headline, it's a great technique and copywriters have been doing that for years. One of the most popular headline formulas (I'm sure you've seen it) is "Who else wants . . . blah blah blah"

And how many headlines have you seen that start with "How would YOU like to . . .".

The only thing you should always try to do is split test your headlines. Imagine if your conversion was 1% (just for this example) and you tested another headline that converted at 2%. You have just DOUBLED your conversion and profits without spending a dime.

If you're not sure how to run a split test just let me know. But seriously, the site is great.

Phil

[magistudio]

Originally Posted by philcoleman

My thoughts are . . . FANTASTIC!

I've seen your site and I really like it. I have even bookmarked it because i think it's a great example of how to build an affiliate site.

Hey Thanks Phil - greatly appreciated.

I would appreciate a little help on the split testing concept for the headline. The headline is an image and if possible, I would like to keep it that way for the split testing.

Oh yeah - I use only natural SEO and no PPC as my page is #2 and #3 for '123 Cash Surveys Review'. Not sure if this affects the split test.
- Jay

[jonnyellins]

Using Google's split testing won't effect your rankings (in Google anyway).

You can split test more than one thing at a time and Google Website Optimiser will do all the possible combination's of the headings, images, etc.

[jonnyellins]

Get your signature on the top of your website and you'll see conversion rise around 15% we've discovered too (on Genuine Income Streams)

[philcoleman]

Originally Posted by magistudio

Hey Thanks Phil - greatly appreciated.

I would appreciate a little help on the split testing concept for the headline. The headline is an image and if possible, I would like to keep it that way for the split testing.

Oh yeah - I use only natural SEO and no PPC as my page is #2 and #3 for '123 Cash Surveys Review'. Not sure if this affects the split test.
- Jay

Hi again

It's not a problem using an image for your headline, we do it alot. Looks much better when you can use a fancier font and things like drop shadow, right?

Ok, . . . split testing. Jonny is our split test guru, and he's checking out the best way for you to set it up and I'll let you know ASAP.

Just bear with me.

Phil