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How to write a homepage headline that generates conversions

By 14th July 2016 No Comments

It seems like many people are under the wrong impression that the Internet has changed everything. It hasn’t. One example is within website homepage headlines.

You can still find the same style of headlines on websites that the likes of David Ogilvy used for print ads back in the 1960’s. There’s one simple reason for this – they work.

Ogilvy also taught us that headlines are read by approximately 5 times more people than the body copy, proving that headlines are crucial to your website homepage, just as much as they were for ad prints over 50 years ago.

 

The first headline your visitor sees is the most important copy you’ll write.

It all sounds great, doesn’t it? Just a few words could greatly change your website and business forever! But, unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. If it were, I wouldn’t be writing this article in the first place!

So, yes, it’s not that simple but at the same time, it’s not rocket science, either. Creating an attention-grabbing, high converting headline, for your homepage, is a straightforward process that just needs a bit of thought.

In this article, I’m going to tell you how to transform your online business and generate a lot more leads by simply tweaking your homepage headline…

 

Focus on their needs, not your features.  

Stressing the importance of your businesses benefits rather than features is something you NEED to do in your headlines. Let me give you an example of two comparisons below:

“Welcome to Startup Active. We offer websites for fitness professionals all over the world, with modern designs and beautiful features.”

“Struggling to get fitness clients for your fitness business? Want a bigger presence online? We design and create lead-generating websites for fitness professionals, bringing you fresh new leads every week!”

 

Which headline works better?

Hopefully, you said the second headline. This is because it addresses our potential customer’s pain points. It instantly grabs their attention as it’s openly discussing problems that they may be facing.

To find out your potential customers pain points you need to be in conversation with your audience. Develop an understanding of what issues they’re having and what they desire. Take note of these pain points and turn them into catchy attention-grabbing headlines.

 

Stand out, jeez!

Working in the fitness marketing industry, you wouldn’t believe how many websites I see churning out the same content as everybody else. It’s a big problem.

How do you propose to stand out from the crowd?

You need to use your headline to grab your audience’s attention and keep it. Sharing the same content as Joe Bloggs PT website makes you forgettable. Remember, the majority of website visitors aren’t ready to make a purchase. If you’re banging on about the same stuff as Joe Bloggs then your website won’t even be remembered, let alone revisited for a second look.

Don’t be afraid of using a different tone in your content than other websites.

Creative entrepreneurs write content with unique angles and spins. Write about useful topics and then put your own spin on it.

 

Don’t write your headlines for everybody.

How does the old saying go? You can’t please everybody.

This is quite true, especially when writing your homepage headlines. Trying to please everybody in your headlines just simply won’t work.

Figure out the people your product or service is best for – whether new mums, men looking to pack on the muscle, young adults struggling with weight issues.

Think about the people who’re likely to be attracted to your website and who’re likely to give your service a chance.

 

Discover your most unique and desired feature

Once you have nailed down the audience you want to speak to, you need to figure out what exactly it is that makes your product/service unique and highly desirable.

When you find the one that is unique to you and highly desirable to your target visitors, write it down on a clean sheet of paper.

Don’t wordsmith it. Don’t get fancy. Don’t try to persuade.

Just write it down. You’ll be using this single statement as the basis for your home page headline from this point on.

 

Headline templates that work

The following headlines are inspired by some of formulas above, but I’ve removed specific details to provide you with a framework for your own headlines.

 

  • The secret of getting [results]
  • Advice to… [Target market]  who want [results]
  • Do you suffer from [problem] at [occasion]?
  • Discover the [benefits] you get with [results]
  • Proven: The most effective way to get [results]
  • Do you suffer from [problem]?
  • Do you have these symptoms of [problem]
  • Guaranteed to [results] without [objection]
  • Does your [problem] ever embarrass you?
  • To people who want [results] but don’t know where to start
  • How much is [problem] really costing you?
  • The right way to solve [problem]
  • [X] proven ways to get [results] and [benefits]
  • Are you ready to have [results] in just [time]?
  • To [target market] who want [results] by [time]
  • The secrets of [target markets] that always get [results]

 

So there you have it!

It can be quite surprising how significant and effective your homepage headline can be. Don’t rush it and stick any old rubbish up there – it’s the first thing visitors will read and it will determine whether they stay and read your page in more detail or just simply leave.

Play around with the examples above and feel free to share the results in the comments as well as any other questions you may have.