Tag: headlines

The REAL Secret to Writing Great Headlines

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Image by @jbtaylor
Image by @jbtaylor

No matter how fantastic your small business’ product, service, or idea, it doesn’t matter unless you catch your audience’s attention right off the bat.

You could have the secret to all life’s problems wrapped up in a beautiful box, but if you don’t quickly tell your visitor how you have the answer to everything they’ve ever worried about, they’re not going to care.

So how do copywriters do it? How do they come up with those few, precious, magical words that make customers keep reading?

The first step, as you may have guessed, is to know what your customers are looking for. Essentially, you are offering a solution to a problem that they have. What is that problem? How can you help them?

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SEO Building Blocks: Use your Headlines

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headline What you don’t know about headlines may be hurting you and your small business. No, really.

We’ve talked before about using effective headlines on your website to entice customers and state the value of your business. But they also have another valuable attribute: the H1 (or <h1>) tag.

H1 tags are one of those things that search engines look for in your website when they’re crawling your pages and trying to figure out what your site is all about. The logic behind it is that if you’re emphasizing that information on the page as a headline, it probably means something – which is why you should always include keywords in it.

H1 tags are found in the HTML code that makes up your website. If you’re using a website builder like CityMax.com, the HTML is created automatically for you and there are ways to apply the H1 tag without having to mess with any code – keep reading to find out how.

Here’s the Golden Rule:
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3 Surefire Ways to Convert More Website Visitors into Paying Customers

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2010-04-26-writing “I’m getting traffic, but why aren’t more of my website visitors buying?”

If you’re asking yourself this question, you may want to consider revamping the sales copy on your website.

Well-written sales copy captures your visitor’s attention, communicates the uniqueness of your product or service, and convinces them why they should buy from YOU instead of your competitors.

Think of your sales copy like your best sales person, working for you around the clock 24/7 to promote and sell your products.

(And keep in mind that “sales copy” doesn’t necessarily mean hyped-up car salesman-type lingo. If you sell a product or service on your website, the content on your website IS your sales copy.)

Here are three quick fixes you can make to your sales copy today that will help you convert more website visitors into paying customers:

Tip #1: Write a compelling headline

The most important copy on your website without a doubt is your headline. It’s the first thing that visitors see on your site – and it needs to grab them by the eyeballs, convince them they’ve arrived at the right place and persuade them to stay on your site and read further.

Don’t waste your valuable home page real estate with a headline like:

“Welcome to my website!”

This tells your visitor absolutely nothing about you or what you have to offer.

Instead, use your headline to communicate the BENEFITS of your product or service – in other words, how what you’re selling will solve their problems and make their lives easier.

Check out this great example from one of our customer’s websites, BlueWonderCloth.com:

Say Goodbye to Harmful Cleaning Chemicals, Fumes and Vabors that
Leave an Invisible Toxic Residue on Your Countertops & Surfaces…

Clean Green & Clean Naturally with Blue Wonder
Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, Towels & Mops that
Magnetically Attract Dust & Dirt

As you can see, this headline is packed full of irresistible benefits that customers can expect to receive if they buy these products.

Tip #2: Add 3-5 powerful testimonials

If you want to establish credibility with your customers and close the sale, it’s important to offer proof that your product or service will do what you say it will.
The best way to offer this proof is to feature testimonials from happy customers on your home page or another prominent spot on your website.

Try to avoid adding general testimonials line such as: “I liked your widget, thanks!”

The most effective testimonials will describe the exact results your customer experienced by using your product or service – in other words, how did it make their lives easier?

Here’s another example from BlueWonderCloth.com:

“The Blue Wonder cloth is amazing! What a great time saver and chemical reducer. I save money by not having to buy chemical cleaning products each month, plus they are better environmentally and for health reasons too. No more breathing smelling chemical fumes. I’ve been using them for 3 years and I just love these cloths.”

It’s always best practice to confirm with your customers that it’s ok to use their testimonial on your website. Also, see if you can get permission to add their name (even if it’s a first name and last initial) and their city and state to the testimonial for added credibility.

Tip #3: Offer a strong guarantee

Do you stand behind your product 100%? Prove it to your website visitors with a strong guarantee and watch your website sales soar.

Examples of effective guarantees are:

  • “Try it completely at our risk…”
  • “Take a free, risk-free 14 day trial…”
  • “Simply return it within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.”

Some entrepreneurs are afraid to offer money-back guarantees, fearing they’ll see a flood of refunds in their email inbox. But considering that you’ll most likely get more sales than you would have without the guarantee, the reward far outweighs the risk.

Good copywriting that converts browsers into buyers is vital to any successful business.

When writing sales copy for your website, try to keep it simple and to the point. Add a headline that highlights the benefits of your product or service, include results-packed testimonials and offer a risk-free guarantee to your visitors, and you’ll already be ahead of 90% of your competitors!

Written by Elizabeth Southall, Conversion Specialist at CityMax.com and chili connoisseur.