When a potential customer lands on your website, you only have a few seconds to make an impression. The first thing they read will be your headline at the top of the page.
Your website headline plays a MAJOR role in converting browsers into customers. A well-crafted headline can be the difference between success and failure online. If you don’t hook attention and entice people to read more, you’re leaving sales and revenue on the table.
We spoke with Todd & Lee Allison, Melbourne-based copywriters from The Copy Brothers, about the power of an incredible headline. Follow this simple 3-step guide to craft compelling website headlines that convert.
Are Website Headlines REALLY That Important?
It’s easy to see how critical headlines are for conversions. Copywriting legend David Ogilvy once said that five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.
“He was referring to newspaper space ads at the time,” Todd explained. “But the point still holds true for your website. We recently had a builder with a landing page that wasn’t performing well. We wrote a new headline, but we didn’t change anything else on the page. Just by switching the headline, they halved their cost per lead.”
There are countless examples of famous copywriting tests where a new headline has increased the response rate. It remains the most critical element of your copywriting for conversions.
Follow This Simple 3-Step System To Write A High-Converting Headline
Step 1 – The Pre-Headline
The pre-headline sits above your main headline in a smaller-sized font. It works as a lead-in for your main headline. Some people call it the ‘eyebrow’ text because it sits above your main headline (a bit like your eyebrow sits above your eye).
“The goal here is to arouse curiosity and grab the attention of your ideal customers,” said Todd.
Generally, the two points you want to focus on:
1. Address your target market. Describe them as precisely as possible.
For example: Say you’re a financial planner who helps people in their 50s prepare their finances for a comfortable retirement. Your sub headline might be: “Attention over 50s preparing for retirement.”
2. Hit your customers’ biggest pain point. What is the #1 problem that you help them solve? What frustrates them or scares them more than anything else?
Example: “Over 50s terrified of running out of money in retirement.”
Some copywriters omit the eyebrow text altogether. A main headline and sub headline can work well. But be mindful of making them too long. The eyebrow headline lets you call out your target market, without cramming too much into your main headline.
Step 2 – The Main Headline
The main headline is the most important part of your headline. It sits smack bang in the middle and is in larger font.
“You can’t go wrong if you focus on the biggest benefit of your product or service in your main headline,” said Lee. “Don’t talk about yourself too much, if at all. Focus on what’s in it for the customer. Be direct and specific, instead of clever or cute.”
Here are 5 tips for writing a high-converting main headline:
1. Highlight the main benefit for the customer. Do you help people save time or money? Reduce stress? Feel more confident? Lose weight? Get whiter teeth, clearer skin, or thicker hair? Including your main value proposition is always a great way to hook attention.
Examples:
- “Retire early with all the money you’ll ever need.”
- “Enjoy your dream retirement and leave a legacy to your family.”
2. Create curiosity. If you offer a new solution for a problem, highlight the news-worthy nature of it using words like “new”, “secret”, “little-known”, or “discover”.
Examples:
- “Discover the new way to double your superannuation.”
- “Little-known method helping Aussies retire 5 years early.”
3. Evoke emotion. Make the benefit even more appealing by creating an emotional connection.
Example:
- “How to double your super and spend your golden years spoiling your grandkids”.
Another easy way to evoke emotion is to use power words. Power words are words or phrases that evoke an emotional response in your audience. Words like “dangerous”, “safe”, or “secret”. Check out our list of 999 power words and include some of them in your headlines.
4. Be specific. Include a timeline if possible. Use the shortest timeline you can genuinely claim, but don’t go crazy and make it unbelievable.
Example:
- “Double your super in 5 years” is better than “Double your super in 5 months”. The second option might generate a lot of interest, but it raises people’s scepticism. If nobody believes it, your conversions will suffer.
5. Mention your “unique mechanism”. A unique mechanism is the vehicle that gets your customer to their desired result. People are sceptical by nature. Your unique mechanism makes your claim more believable by highlighting how your audience will achieve it. This might be a new method, breakthrough, program, hack, or step-by-step system.
Example:
- In this article, our unique mechanism to help you write a high-converting headline is a “3-step system”.
These are all useful tips for writing your headline, but don’t feel pressured to include them all. A good headline should be easy to read, not long and confusing. A benefit-driven headline will always perform well if it is clear and easy to understand.
Step 3 – The Sub Headline
The sub headline sits below your main headline in smaller font.
“This is a good opportunity to elaborate on the theme of your main headline,” said Lee. “You can also use your sub headline to handle objections, add social proof, or explain your unique mechanism further.”
Here are three ideas for writing a killer sub headline:
1. Back up your main headline by offering proof of your claim.
Examples:
- “Rated 5 stars by 2,500+ (now wealthy) retirees.”
- “Trusted by thousands of Aussies to retire young and rich.”
2. Tease out the benefits and elaborate on your main headline – especially if you have a new way of doing things that people might not be familiar with.
Example:
- “The new financial revolution designed to boost your superannuation FAST. Discover why thousands of Aussies are making the switch!”
3. Overcome objections. Focus on objections you haven’t addressed in your main headline.
Example:
- If your main headline is “Double your super in 5 years”, an objection might be that this sounds like a risky investment strategy. Your sub headline could be, “Without sacrificing your lifestyle or risking your grandkids’ inheritance.”
Bonus Step – The Call To Action
After your sub headline, include a ‘call to action’ (CTA) button. Your CTA indicates what the customer should do next to get what you’re promising in your headline. This might be starting a free trial of your software, booking an initial consultation, or shopping at your online store.
At ConversionCow, our CTA button is “Free 14-day trial”. This CTA works well because it not only tells the customer how to get started – it also overcomes the objection of price. Customers can try ConversionCow free for 14 days and see if they like it before they invest their money.
Want to increase conversions by up to 90% by changing one word of your CTA? Find out how with these web conversion statistics you can’t ignore.
Ready To Put Your New Headline – Writing Skills To The Test?
It’s always a smart idea to write many headlines and test them to see which one converts the best. If you’re running paid ad traffic to your website but not getting results, change your headline. This simple switch alone could be enough to increase conversions.
Use These Principles To Write Your ConversionCow Popout
ConversionCow can work almost like a headline that follows your customer down the page. Many of the principles in this article will help you write a great popout. For example, you can use the tab as your ‘eyebrow text’ to call out a pain point or hook attention by speaking to your target market.
ConversionCow is super easy to use, even if you’re not a tech person (no code required). Sign up for a free trial, follow the copywriting tips in this guide, and see how fast you can increase your conversions! conversioncow.com