So what makes good content that converts vs content that doesn’t?
By aligning your content with the needs of your ideal customer, you can witness a significant surge in conversions, even with the same page design.
1. Who's It For
Your website is for your ideal client rather than for you.
Many business owners create the site they want or like, but you may not be your ideal customer.
You must address your client’s problems and show them you can help them achieve their desired results.
Identifying your ideal client, their struggles, and aspirations will help you craft better copy that aligns with their goals.
Doing this improves your copy and will boost the results you see on your website.
Who is your ideal customer?
What problems and frustrations are your customers experiencing?
Every customer is trying to solve two types of problems.
External: Technology, time, pressure from family or employers, cash flow, politics, etc.
Internal: Self-doubt, frustration, shame, confidence, anger, disappointment etc.
People buy solutions based more on their internal problems than their external problems.
2. Headlines
Your headline is the single most important element of any web page.
80% of page visitors only read the headline before deciding whether the page is sufficiently interesting for their time.
It draws the user’s attention and invites them to read more of your content.
It should be short, descriptive, and hook the user’s interest. Informative headlines that connect with visitor’s problems and help them identify what you do and the results you can help them achieve.
Your headline and sub-headline should explain the benefits of your product or service within 3 seconds.
If it’s confusing or vague, people will leave your website.
Here are a few examples
“Generate 50% more leads through your website.”
“Sell your car in 2 days”
“More homes sold quicker than the top ten agents combined.”
“Never Have Your Website Hacked Again”
Here is a great video on creating and rewriting great headlines with examples.
Now look at your web page headlines and ask yourself if they explain the benefit of what we do quickly and conscisly.
3. Sub Headers
The subheader allows you to expand on your promise and provide more details.
Explain what they can get working with you, using your service, buying your product, or taking your training.
Keep it short and sweet. The fewer the words, the better. It’s all about clarity.
A few examples
“Eliminate Confusion • Connect with Customers • Grow Your Company”
“I teach business educators the profitable action steps for building a highly engaged email list, creating online training courses, and using online marketing strategies to sell with ease.”
Save 95% of your time dealing with website issues, get peace of mind and a better website.
Are you still trying to understand subheaders? Watch the video above to see how to combine your subheader with your main headline.
4. Intro Text
Your intro text should be a short, sharp intro to you, your company, and your product or service.
A good size is 200 to 300 words. That should give you enough space to tout your biggest benefits and encompass those all-important SEO keywords.
More people will buy from you when they feel you are talking directly about their needs.
Your copywriting should be friendly and conversational.
Use simple words instead of complex vocabulary.
Despite what you were taught in English, writing in the second person is okay.
Sprinkling the words “you” and “your” throughout your copy will personalize your approach and make it feel like you are talking directly to the user.
It’s also important to write the copy of your pages as though you’re speaking to one person. After all, that’s how the visitor reads it.
Refrain from trying to speak to the masses. I’m talking directly to “you” and not “all users” or “those who are interested.”
Once again, the words “you” and “your” will help forge a connection with your visitor.
Use words your visitors use
Don’t refer to yourself as a
‘solutions provider’
‘purveyor of global experiences’
‘hydration, ablution and sewage practitioner’
If you really are a cleaning company, a travel agent, or a plumber, not only will big words make you look pretentious and insincere, but they will also confuse people and prevent you from being found on search engines.
Write in a language your visitors use, weave keywords in naturally, and you’ll please both humans and search engine robots.
5. Features & Benefits
Short, sharp features and benefits are effective ways to inform the user of the benefits of your product or services.
Try to refrain from just listing features.
The feature is the facts of your products and services.
The benefits allow the user to understand how the product or service will help them.
Rather than giving broad generalisations about features such as:
“Our machine is fast.”
“120GB Of Ram”
“Monthly Plugin Updates”
It’s better to write specific benefit statements like:
“Our machine will increase your productivity by as much as 25%.”
“120GB Of RAM to help your store more without impacting performance”
“Monthly Plugin Updates to keep your website secure and performing better”
When displaying your features and benefits, you want to make it easy for the user to process. That’s why bullet point lists or simple icon lists are an easy and visual way to break up the page and get the point across.
Bullet Points
Icons
Watch this video to understand how to improve your features and benefits.
6. Video
You can use videos to explain your product or service or demonstrate how to use it. Watching the video can give potential customers a better sense of your products or services, helping them make more informed decisions.
Increased Conversion Rates
Videos can help you increase conversions by building trust with your visitors. When people see a video of you or your team, they better understand who you are and what you stand for, which can help them feel more comfortable doing business with you.
Better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Search engines often prioritise websites with engaging and diverse content, including videos. Adding video to your website can increase the time users spend on it, boost your search engine rankings, and improve your chances of being discovered by internet users.
7. Calls To Action
Once users know what you offer, does your potential buyer have a way to buy, book a call or easily contact you to learn more?
This is referred to as a “Call-To-Action (CTA).
You should use two types of calls to action on your website.
Transactional call to action
This is the primary CTA you should use to encourage users to take the first step in buying your product or service.
Most websites make this too passive with terms like “Find out more.”
It needs to be more direct to the user and what you want them to do if you want them to buy from you.
Examples of transactional CTA’s
- Book A Consultation
- Schedule an Appointment
- Request A Demo
- Buy Now
- Sign Up for a Free Trial
- Get A Quote
Transitional call to action
Lead Generators
Not everyone will be ready to buy from you now. You may have piqued their interest, but they want to learn more.
This is why it’s crucial to offer something potential customers would find valuable, such as a product fact sheet, service brochure, checklist, or free audit or trial.
By giving this away in exchange for an email address, you can start a relationship via email marketing where you share more information and demonstrate your expertise, which will help you move them along in your sales process.
Examples of lead generators
- Free PDF Download
- Free Video Course
- Free Workshops
- Discount Codes
- Webinar
- Free Software
- Free Book
To increase your lead generation, take a look at the Lead Generation and Automation step of this web improvement series.
8. Testimonials
It is powerful to use testimonials to support your copy and explain the results your customers are experiencing from your product or service.
It not only builds trust but also does the silent selling.
If other customers are happy, then I could be happy.
Add a headline to your testimonials
No matter the time of testimonial, text or video.
Add a headline to pull out the main takeaway from the testimonial.
Here are a few examples
- I save 10 hours a week using XX
- We have had record month after month using XXX
- I now have complete peace of mind
Try to make them relevant to the page they are on and the service or product you are talking about.
Take a look at the social proof step of this web improvement series for a deeper examination of testimonials.
Conclusion
As you can see from this series, the content on your website is very important and plays a critical role in the results you can achieve.
Take a deep dive into your ideal customer’s main reasons for needing your product and services. Understanding their needs, the benefits your offerings provide, and the problems they solve is not just crucial, it’s the foundation of effective content creation. It’s about putting your customers at the heart of your business.
Then, work through your content one step at a time: headline, subheaders, bullet points, testimonials, and call to action. Make sure the wording is simple and easy to understand, and use ” you” or “your” more to talk directly to the visitor.
Test different headlines and calls to action to see the impact these have.
If you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, I’d be happy to review your website’s copy and offer guidance on improving your content. Book your free web audit here.
