Page Layout Error

Page Layout Error

Even if you keep the sales copy exactly the same, trying a slightly different page layout can result in a tremendous increase in profitability.

For example, when I first started the SEO Book site, I only promoted this e-book off to the side. I switched to promoting this e-book on every page right below the page content posts and overnight the sales more than tripled.

Another good example of how page layout can really make a difference in a web campaign is Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. During Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, they used their blog to cast a vote on whether or not their campaign should accept matching funds. After people voted, they were sent to a landing page. The first day saw 100,000 voters and raised $248,000.

They looked at the vote return landing page and noticed that the donate button was at the bottom of the page. They moved it to the top of the page. On the second day, another 100,000 people voted, but they raised $4,500,000.

Make it Flow

Small sentences and paragraphs with common words make writing flow easily. In addition, you can make the text easy on the eyes by setting a line height (the area of a line of text and the space above or below it) to at least 120% of the text height, and by using the maximum contrast between your text and background.

Since you have no sales person on your site, the text is the sales person. It needs to answer questions and arouse appeal toward your products. 

GapingVoid.com is a weblog (some might find offensive for cursing and being blunt), but it talks about creating smarter conversations, and I find his cartoons and copy refreshing for their bluntness.

You can get away without being the best copywriter if you are honest.

Sell Upward

McDonald’s asks, “would you like fries with that?” Most major corporations know it is easier to sell again to a person than it is to find a new prospect. After a person contacts you or orders something, send them to a thank you page.

Give them small free gifts, strengthen their bond with you, make them feel good about their decision, or try to sell them something else. It does not need to bring in money to be a gain. If they subscribe to your mailing list, you have increased your exposure FREE. Consider giving them options to read other journals that cross promote you.

Or, you could reference affiliated companies. These links can hold discounts that appear as gifts, when in actuality, they make you money. I recently purchased ink cartridges and got 5% off for adding their site to my favorites list. It is much cheaper to give me 5% off than to try to find me again later. The possibilities are endless.

Focus on the User

The user focus must be on benefits offered to them. Writing the word you instead of we is a must. The simpler and easier it is for users to see benefits from an action, the better off they are and the more conversions you make.

Some techies might like features, but to general audiences it is usually best to rank your priorities in the following manner:

1.      Audience

2.      Benefits

3.      Features (if you are selling to a techie audience they may want the features before the benefits).

Make it a Conversation

All the above tips pale in comparison to the following tip:

•       Write in a conversational tone, as a person, not a company.

Fake fluffery does not go well on the web. People can smell it a mile away. Since the Web started as a non-commercial entity, there are certain etiquettes (or netiquettes) that dictate how we should act. When we go outside these basic ideas, we not only avoid conversion, but also are likely to offend our readers.

Many of the people who have bought this e-book told me they bought it because I sounded honest and real. Some of my blog posts are somewhat random, personal, or humorous, and some people like that.