5 Reasons Why Headlines Are Crucial To Your Website's Success

5 Reasons Why Headlines Are Crucial To Your Website's Success
By: Robert Boduch

With such visual and sequential prominence, it's little wonder why headlines are the number one key to an effective web site.

Without a powerful lead, your message stands little chance of being noticed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. If your headline doesn't capture attention and pull prospects into your sales copy, than your marketing effort is a total waste of energy and resources.

Nothing is more important to getting your message noticed than the first few words on a page. If you're not allocating a sizable percentage of your time and creative effort to the headline used on each page of your website, you could be losing out on a large chunk of business.

Top copywriters understand this concept well. They know how essential it is to capture attention by literally stopping pre-occupied prospects in their tracks. It's the reason why headlines command so much of their collective creative effort.

Here are five good reasons why your site headlines deserve greater emphasis and attention:

Why Headlines Are Crucial #1: Headlines Are Natural Attention Getters.
The majority of online prospects are quick scanners. No one reads the body copy of a page without first reading and being pulled in by the headline. Headlines are the first thing your visitors see. They jump out visually and command attention. Headlines are leads set distinctly above the rest of the text. Often the typeface, size, and style used for headlines contrasts with that uses in the body copy. It's a proven approach that naturally attracts eyeballs, virtually forcing interested prospects to grasp the message of the headline and to read on.

According to advertising legend David Ogilvy, 5 times more people read headlines than body copy. Although Ogilvy was talking about print advertising in general, the observation is certainly applicable to websites as well. With 5 times the readership, headlines have the power and capability to make any message many times more successful.

Why Headlines Are Crucial #2: Site Headlines Serve As Valuable Guides To The Busy Surfer.
Headlines reveal key details. They tip off readers as to what follows. They provide clear signals to help readers decide whether they should stick around for the full message, or dash off to something else - something better suited to their own special needs and interests. As a quick summary of the entire piece, the headline either attracts continued interest and readership, or they repel it. Without a headline, the reader is forced to wade through a portion of the text to understand the meaning. Forcing readers to do this is to risk losing them altogether. It's sales suicide. In effect, having no headline will cost you at least 80% of your potential audience.

Why Headlines Are Crucial #3: Headlines Prepare The Reader For What Is To Come.
Headlines stimulate interest. They captivate, arouse curiosity and stimulate the desire for more. It's the headline that starts the reader's motor running. A good headline sets up a feeling of expectation as the reader anticipates discovering more -- and can't wait to get it!

Successful headlines address specific audiences. They open prospects minds to new possibilities and expand their level of enthusiasm and interest. The best headlines involve prospects... virtually guaranteeing their sustained attention for the time being.


Why Headlines Are Crucial #4: Headlines Simplify The Learning Curve.
Every headline serves to introduce whatever follows. As an opening or lead-in, the role of the headline is to succinctly communicate the essence of the message it precedes in an interesting and compelling way. Effective headlines and sub-headings reveal key bits of information -- often with the added power of emotion. A review of the various headings alone can often provide one with the gist of a given message. This makes it faster and easier to understand, remember, and review. Use your headings to generate emotional involvement and you increase the chances prospects will go back and read more of your copy.

When you make it easier to read and comprehend your messages, you increase the chances of making the sale.

Why Headlines Are Crucial #5: Headlines Allow You To Deliver Your Biggest Bang Right Up Front.
Capture attention and interest at the outset, by using your most appealing selling point. If your strongest, most desirable product attribute (benefit) fails to pull prospects in, surely nothing else you could ever say would do the trick, either. They're your initial point of contact with visitors -- that's why headlines play such an important role.

The stronger and more compelling your headline, the more readers are likely to read on and spend more time at your website. Create every headline to grab attention and inspire interest. The more alluring and irresistible you can make it, the more genuine prospects you'll attract and ultimately, the more sales you'll record.

Headlines are powerful marketing tools when used effectively. Take a good look at your site headline. Could you add more intrigue, curiosity, or interest? Test different headlines by trying various appeals and offer combinations. Keep an eye out for additional headline opportunities throughout your sales letters, as well as on other pages on your site. Make your headlines impossible to miss and difficult to ignore... then, watch your results soar!

When you see the difference a strong opening statement makes, you'll see why headlines are the most important part of your sales copy.

More resources at www.makeyoursalessoar.com

Author Bio
Robert Boduch is an author of dozens of best-selling books, reports and articles on the art and science of selling. A free newsletter targeted at anyone interested in selling more of anything is available at www.makeyoursalessoar.com

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4 Ways to Boost Your Website Engagement and Conversion

People often ask me why, as a business coach, I specialize in working with creative professionals. The answer is, I love to see talented people fulfilled in their work, as busy as they want to be, and be compensated really well for what they do.

But what I learned from my 15+ years as an agent for independent copywriters, art directors and fashion illustrators is that talent and taste aren't enough. If you're going to land those coveted projects, you need to stand out, connect and be ready to close the deal.If the mere mention of closing the deal makes your feel queasy, take a deep breath! I'm going to share 4 easy-to-implement ways in which your website can help you do that. Ready?

1) Incorporate language into your website

Even if your work is 100% visual, adding language gives your work context, communicates your mission and helps clients get to know, like and trust you. Bonus, if your text is keyword-rich SEO rating will benefit from a nice boost.

Not a writer? No problem. Here are some ways you can easily incorporate language:

Testimonials:

Nothing boosts your credibility more than having other people say how awesome you are. Sprinkle testimonials throughout your site and be sure one is on your home page.

A positioning statement:

This can be a short paragraph, or 2-liner. Your goal is to state what you do, who you do it for and what they get out of the process. For example, mine is: "I help freelancers and creative entrepreneurs define what makes them unique, create a clear marketing message and strategy, and get more clients".

Your story:

I'd much rather read someone's story than another boring bio. That said, your story must have a purpose, structure and flow. Rambling childhood memories are not client attractive!

2) Present work that resonates with the client you want to attract

I recently did a website VIP planning and strategy day with a photo artist and one of her challenges editing and presenting her work. We started out by selecting only the images that she really loved and felt represented her vision. Sounds simple, right? But when factors such as what colors people in certain regions like and what you images you have in inventory (and therefore, are motivated to move) get involved, your vision can quickly become clouded. Next we printed out the image select and laid them out, left to right, on the floor (an old agent trick) to see how they flowed. We immediately saw that the edit would be much more impactful if we reversed the order. Funnily enough the opening image was one she had initially felt ambiguous about, but now made sense within context of the edit and flow.

Be objective, look at your work with fresh eyes and edit, edit, edit. If you can't do it alone, recruit an objective and constructive partner to help you.

3) Drive traffic to your site

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs and freelancers make is subscribing to the belief that if they build it, people will come. It's a nice idea, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Prospective clients need several points of contact before they're ready to buy, so you need to be consistently on their radar. I've tried every method from cold-calls to promotional mailings, and the best way I know is to share high-quality, high-value content with your prospects - no strings attached. Whether it's a newsletter, blog, social media or give-away on your website, building and nurturing your list is invaluable.

4) Get clients to take action

One of the first questions I ask my coaching clients is "what do you want people to do when they get to your website?" Answers range from a blank expression to "enjoy the work". If you don't know what you want people to do, how are they going to know what to do?

Here are a few things you might want them to do, along with suggestions of how to get them to do it:

Join your mailing list:

Create something helpful/educational/gorgeous that they can download once they subscribe. Make sure that the offering really is of value and is related to the services you offer. For example, I offer a free 5-step guide to building a thriving creative business.

Call you:

Have a call to action that clearly communicates what you want them to do and what they will get e.g. "for a free 20-minute consultation call me" or " call me to discuss your next campaign". Make sure that you include a link that takes them to your contact page or your on-line calendar.

Check out your services:

You might create a 'Work With Me' button or link that takes them directly to your services page. Whatever your call to action is make it really easy for them to follow through on it.

5) Bonus tip: Have a submission form on your contact page.

If your contact page features just your email address and phone number, your visitors now have to find a pen, write it down, open their email, type it in... You get the point: the more obstacles there are between them and you, the less likely they are to make contact. Make it really easy!

Article source: http://www.abcarticledirectory.com

How To Promote Your Website and Build an Email List The Simple Way

Following on from his great article on ethical approaches to email lists, today's blog features Paul Luciw's tips on promoting your website and building that essential email list.

Paul Luciw

There are a number of ways to promote your website and create an email list. The people who will view your website need to spend time on it as the information it features is of value to them. This will often direct them to be a subscriber. This means they will agree to accepting you emails. But how do you create traffic to your website and get these subscribers?

Creating traffic to your website requires that you advertise that it exists. This can be easily done. You won't require a billboard or a mobile sign. You could have a thousand business cards made up featuring your website and the product you are selling. Then you could go door to door leaving potential customers with your business card and a testimonial about the fine product your company is promoting.

You could also have one page description of your product printed and then post them in various places such as grocery store bulletin boards and even on telephone poles at busy intersections. These are great ways of getting free traffic to your website so that potential customers can consider buying your product.

Of course you will have to create a website. This actually can be done for free. There are a number of companies that will allow you to create a blog for free and you can feature the product anywhere on what you have created. Of course there will guide lines you will have to follow. You need to come up with original content and be able get your message across in well written manner.

You could also promote your product by writing articles. These companies will allow you to write articles about something related to the product you promoting. Please understand it has to be related to the product you are promoting and not a direct sales pitch. Therefore you will not be able to directly market your product. You will be allowed to direct the readers of your article to a blog or website that will direct your potential customer to the direct sales pitch. This actually turns out to be in your favour as these articles will be featured on Google because of their original content. As a result you article will create traffic to your blog or website. Traffic to your website or blog will be key to your monetary success. So creating original content for your articles and the website that your article directs them to is very important.

Original article at: https://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Promote-Your-Website-and-Build-an-Email-List-The-Simple-Way&id=10196218