Studies show that when a visitor arrives at your website you have between 3 and 7 seconds to grab their attention. Obviously this is a small window so you have to do everything in your power to ensure your visitor starts reading your content. This is achieved through a great headline.
We’re all familiar with headlines as we see them in newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. No-one opens a newspaper and reads the entire thing from page one to the end. They skim the headlines and see what’s of interest to them.
It’s the same with your website. People are browsing around the internet and are looking for clues that your website is worth spending time on. You can provide this clue by using an attention grabbing headline that makes them want to read more.
Common mistakes
The first mistake I see with most websites is not having a headline at all. You need to ensure you have a headline that stands out by using an eye-catching color and bigger size. Your headline needs to draw the readers’ eye to it immediately.
Next is the common “Welcome to…” statement that people use. Here you are using precious words to communicate something of little interest to your visitor. First they want to see if you have anything of value to offer.
Last but not least is making the headline all about your business. I hate to break this to you but your visitors don’t care about your business. They only care about what you can do for them which we’ll talk more about in a second.
So let’s take a look at some ways to improve your headlines.
Headline tips
The first tip is to learn from the professionals. Magazine publishers are experts at creating headlines that sell their magazines. So next time you’re in the supermarket have a browse of the magazine rack and see what headlines you might be able to use for your website.
As we talked about above you should try to explain the major benefit of visiting your website in the headline. This might be the main benefit people get from doing business from you but remember it has to be unique and grab attention. “We fix your plumbing problems” may be a benefit… but it doesn’t exactly make me desperate to know more.
A simple formula to use is the “Who Else Wants To…” approach. All you have to do is add your major benefit to the end. For example my headline might be “Who Else Wants To Increase Their Website Sales Without Needing More Traffic?”
What you do next
Headlines don’t have to be complicated and you’re better to have something rather than nothing. So come up with a few headlines right now and then choose one to put on your website. Make sure it’s bold and eye-catching as well and you’ve taken a big step forward to retaining visitors on your website.
Of course once you attract their attention you need to be able to back it up. Your first paragraph should carry on from the headline and explain more of the benefits they’ll receive from your business. Once they understand the benefits you can start to move into why they should choose you over all other competitors.
