Your landing page copy is one of the most important factors in conversion rate optimisation. Most business owners, and even marketers, are not born natural copywriters, so it is common to make several basic copywriting mistakes without even being aware of it.
Four necessary factors of good landing page copy
#1. Focus on benefits to the consumers first, features second
It’s been said many times, but it bears repeating, that humans make purchasing decisions primarily based on emotion not logic. The reason behind the success of each version of Apple’s iPhone is that Apple have spent time cultivating an emotional connection with their customer base that inspires loyalty. Although there may not be huge improvements in terms of features between each new model release, Apple customers continue to line up outside of stores on the release date to buy each new model. Their purchase decision is driven first by emotion, but they will then rationalise this choice by looking for logical reasons i.e. features second.
#2. Be succinct
Try to keep your text as brief as possible, while still capturing the main points. The more copy you provide (even if it is high quality) the more you risk distracting your customers and diluting your main message. Your copy’s goal should be to inspire your potential customers to take a specific action. Keep the call-to-action in mind at all times, and edit down your word count ruthlessly.
#3. Emphasise your unique selling proposition
Most businesses have a huge amount of competitors operating in their industry. Therefore, one of the most important messages to get across is what you do differently to your competition and why you are the best company to fulfil your customers’ dreams. The same people who check out your site will probably also compare your site with several others before making a decision so make sure your points of difference are communicated clearly.
#4. Do your A/B testing
No matter how good your copy is, in order to get the best results, you need to do A/B testing. A/B testing simply means that you test two different versions of your landing page (or email headlines) against each other by splitting your list into two separate groups. You then send the first group landing page A, and the second group landing page B. Using analytics, you can then track which version has higher conversions. Once you know the winning formula you can then apply that globally and start the next A/B test.
Four copywriting mistakes to avoid
#1. Don’t try to appeal to everyone
Most amateur copywriters make the mistake of being too general or vague. Although this might seem like a good idea on paper to appeal to everyone, the best landing pages are targeted very directly to their audience’s expectations and needs. The problem with trying to appeal to everyone is you alienate your core, loyal audience by diluting your message, and it comes across as though you don’t know what you stand for. Just like you wouldn’t want to date someone who had no idea what they liked or what they believed, most people do not want to do business with a company like that either.
#2. Don’t patronise your audience
Most web users have been around the block a few times. They might not know everything, but they know enough to pick up on inauthentic promises and false claims. Honesty is your best policy.
#3. Don’t include navigation to other pages on your homepage
Including links is a no-no on your main landing pages, the reason being that it diverts customers away from taking action. If you currently have several links on your landing pages (even internal links) this suggests that your company would benefit from improving your site structure and the layout of information.
#4. Don’t be too mathematical
Often businesses need to discuss numbers on their landing page, for example discounts and prices. However, when you’re discussing numbers the most important thing is to explain what the numbers mean in relatable terms. For example, if you’re discussing distance, “four minutes walking distance away from the train station” is more easy to understand and relate to than “0.56km away from the train station”. Similarly, explaining the weekly cost of a gym membership as being the equivalent of two cups of coffee a week, helps users put the cost, for example, $8.99 a week, into context.
The most important thing to take into account when writing a landing page is to create a clear, precise and relatable message, while avoiding distractions. Above all, you should focus on how your product or service will improve your customers’ lives, not simply the features. Another key consideration is to minimise talking about “we” i.e. your business. You can still get across the key messages about what makes your business great, but try to reframe it in a way that makes the customer the centre of the conversation.
Luke Chaffey is a Digital Marketing Specialist with KBB Digital. For advice on Digital Marketing, including SEO services and Digital Strategy, visit www.kbbdigital.com.au
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