Website conversions, not just traffic, are going to play a large part in the overall digital health of your business.
Many businesses carry a hefty design budget, and then when it comes to writing, they are ready to throw something together in order to put the project in the finished column.
They know they need the search engine visibility, so they are ready to use the same keyword 50 times in order to make it rank. There is a fundamental flaw when it comes to this common content strategy.
Good design draws people in. Repetitive keyword usage might make your site rank high initially, but if Google detects a lack of value, it could place your site in a hole that will be tough to climb out of.
Let’s just say you were hypothetically able to attract large amounts of traffic by gaming the system, and writing spammy content. Thousands of people flock to your site.
With no good story, no emotional appeal, and no clear and concise call to action, you are likely to lose out. A numbers game is probably not going to work in your favor.
If your content is spammy, overly salesy, and not useful, you’re not likely to reap the benefits of your large pool of traffic. Even in a large crowd, most will be able to see through this type of artificial content strategy. It takes a more holistic approach to achieve more website conversions.
Achieving Website Conversions, and Not Just Traffic
It takes a little effort to not only achieve a sustained amount of website traffic, but also receive the intended results you might be looking for – website conversions. No one logs on to the Internet to view eight hours worth of commercials.
They’re satisfying their curiosity. They may be ready to buy, or they may be on a fact-finding mission. Either way it is in your best interest to guide them to what they are looking for in order to achieve website conversions.
Here are a few tips for writing copy that results in website conversions:
- Have a cohesive marketing plan – Are you making up your marketing strategy as you go along? Eventually, it’s going to start to show to your readers and customers. Understand your sales goals. Understand how your website, blog and social media platforms can fit together to get you there and communicate your message. Creating a marketing plan is an important to-do.
- Tempt readers with your headline – If you are going to work on one aspect of your writing, this is the aspect you should work on. Give people a benefit or a promise. Tempt them to click. Make your blog post or website content irresistible. The headline is the single biggest factor in determining whether someone will read your content. You can have the best blog post in the world, and do everything else right. But if people never click, nothing else matters.
- Tell a compelling story – Can you give us a story about someone who benefited from the use of your product or service? Can you tell us how you started in the business, and when you truly saw success? What other stories do you have that might be worth telling? A strong story can become your biggest ally in the fight to get a reader to pull out his wallet and buy when they finish reading your content. The art of storytelling is one that can be learned with a little practice.
- Use emotional appeal – There are a wide variety of businesses out there doing what you do. Sure, you can sell to prospects thousands of miles away, but businesses thousands of miles away are now competitors. Learning how to create an emotional appeal can tip the scales in your favor. Humor, fear or love can help you sell more. People react stronger when they don’t just want what you sell, they need it – emotion is the catalyst to bring your reader to this point.
- Solve their problem – Provide as much useful information on the topic at hand as you can. Tell your readers exactly how to do what they want to do. The quicker you can answer their questions and position yourself as an expert, the better off you’ll be. Make sure your content is where it should be when it comes to features and benefits. When they need to make a purchasing decision, or decide they don’t want to complete a project on their own, you are their next likely phone call.
- An irresistible call to action – You’ve done everything right to move people through your content. What’s next? You need to tell them exactly what you want them to do. A call to action doesn’t have to be you jumping up and down yelling, “Hey, buy my stuff!” You just need to tell your readers what you want them to do, whether it’s comment, sign up for an email newsletter, download an eBook, or buy. Tell your readers what’s in it for them. Nothing is more frustrating than reading something good, and then not knowing how to act on it.
You Need Quality Website Content
Your reader has options, thousands of options. Yet they chose you. Make sure that you are doing everything you can to keep them invested in your content. It’s the only way to finish in a website conversion.
Spelling and Grammar Counts – Almost doesn’t count when it comes to writing quality content – even if the meaning can be deciphered. Consistent grammar and spelling issues erode trust. They cause people to wonder what you really know about your business. So read your work aloud before you publish. Have a second set of eyes go through it. Hire a copy editor if you need to. Just make sure the mistakes are removed.
Choose your words carefully – After you finish the initial draft of your content, you can go through and see how much of it can be edited down. When you tighten it up and make it easier to read, you are making your readers’ lives a little bit easier – something they may just reward you for in the long run. When you edit your copy down, pay attention to your word choice. Are you using strong verbs? Is your writing as punchy as it can be? This is the time to consider the details.
Stay on topic – Your writing should set up a point from the beginning. Every word from that point onward should be single-minded in focus, making your case. Anything that strays from the original topic should be deleted. If it’s really good writing, use it for another post.
Get a little personal – It’s OK to talk about your family, hobbies, or passions. It’s OK to let people into your world a little bit. They have to like you, and that is all about establishing a common bond.
Land that Website Conversion
In the end, landing a sale, or a website conversion, is all about trust. Your readers have to like you, and they have to believe that you are the solution to their problem. This means positioning yourself as a friendly and helpful expert.
Website traffic is a glorious perk. It’s great to have an audience. But website traffic alone won’t pay the bills. Make sure you are doing everything you can to complete that conversion.