If you are running an online business of any kind, offering a great product or service is just one piece of the puzzle, because no matter how good it is, it’s worth nothing if nobody knows about it. This is why you also need to create an effective marketing plan which will get your business in front in the eyes of your target audience. This is where your website comes in, along with social media, and maybe even a blog, to drive traffic your way. However, if your potential customers aren’t converting, traffic numbers are only a vanity stat.
Your average conversion rate across all industries is 2.35%. However, the top 25% of businesses are converting at 5.31% or better. One of the ways in which you can improve is by writing website copy which is guaranteed to grab your audience’s attention and get them to convert. Easier said than done, given the fact that that your average visitor only reads about 20% of the content on every page. With that in mind, let’s take a look at seven copywriting tips that will kick your website’s conversion rate in high gear.
1. Reduce Your Copy
As we have already pointed out, most readers won’t bother with reading lengthy paragraphs of copy, which means you need something short, punchy, yet informational in order to keep them interested, whether you are running an online sporting goods store or an assignment writing service. One of the best examples of short but effective copy is Trello’s website. In case you are not familiar with it, Trello is a project-management tool with easy-to-use dashboards. And their website copy accurately describes each of its key features using one sentence for each.
2. Be Conversational
The idea is not to come off as a sleazy salesman trying to sell their snake oil to a naive sucker. If you are looking for a masterclass in copywriting that sounds personal, but which also has a healthy dose of humor thrown in for good measure, then check Velocity Partners website. Even though they mostly do B2B marketing, they aren’t afraid to be hilarious, with subheadings like “Opt into your crap”, in case you want to join their email list, or “Join the cult. We’re hiring.” Also, calling their employees Velocitoids and advising you to never invite them to dinner parties, is just sheer comedy gold.
3. Write a Killer Headline
In case you are not sure how to tackle your headline, you can always create a listicle and then go with something like “10 Effective Tips to _______ Today”, or “How to Improve Your______ in 5 Easy Steps”. Also, people love ultimate guides on pretty much anything. SEO Journal know their target audience, which is made up of SEO specialists and marketers, all too well, which is why they wrote “The Ultimate Guide to Creating a True ‘Ultimate Guide’”. Not only does this have some great SEO value, since it appears as the first hit on the first page if you search for “ultimate guide”, but they have also gone meta, knowing that their readers will look for tips on putting together their ultimate guides on anything from assignment writing help to buying a used car.
4. Use Stats and Adjectives Together
Simply writing something that your product or service is the best or bigger is pretty vague. However, you can gain some instant credibility by choosing one of your strengths and then pairing it up with a stat or research data that proves it, which is something that essay writing companies have known for ages. For instance, “our new Ultrabook is 25% lighter than any other Ultrabook on the market” is a more credible way of saying that you’re offering the lightest laptop on the market, provided that this is true, of course. One real-life example is a post by Cognitive SEO on 66 “intiguiging” copywriting tips, with a key addition that they will “boost your conversion rates by 327%”.
5. Use Clear and Effective Visuals
Integrating your copy into an eye-catching visual is one of the best ways to grab someone’s attention, and Moosejaw knew that when they were creating their copy. They are known for creating unconventional copy that isn’t afraid to be funny or unorthodox. Well, the same can be said for their images, even though the stuff they sell, which is mostly outdoor gear and apparel, is pretty conventional. We don’t know about you, but it’s hard to ignore their invitation to follow them on social media since they have a dog wearing a parka.
6. Focus on Customer Benefits
For instance, if you are trying to sell a car, telling a customer that it has a V6 engine that has as 12:1 compression ratio will not tell them much, because it’s not a number they can’t wrap their head around. However, if you were to focus on user benefit, such as 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds or a top speed of 200 mph, it would resonate a lot better with them. Evernote have done exactly that, by focusing on what their customers get when they opt for their app, without even mentioned any of the product features.
7. Use Relevant Keywords
For this, we can go back to our third example, which SEO Journal’s use of “ultimate guide” as a keyword which lead them to the first page of Google. Obviously, you need to get your copy read by your target audience, which means you should absolutely incorporate the phrases you want to rank for inside your copy, as well as headlines. We suggest using tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find the most relevant keywords and phrases.
Conclusion
As you can see, although copywriting can be pretty tricky, there are some tips and tricks you can always fall back on. Start implementing the ones we have laid out in this article today, and boost your conversion rate in no time. Good luck!
Author Bio:
Michael Gorman is an experienced resume writer, author of numerous reviews on essay writing services, and a professional paper writer. In addition to this, he loves to blog, hike, and spend time with his friends and family. Find him on Facebook or check his Twitter.