5 Reasons Why Headlines Are Crucial To Your Website’s Success
5 Reasons Why Headlines Are Crucial To Your Website’s Success
Copyright © 2002 by Robert D. Boduch
Without a powerful headline, 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 copy, than your marketing effort is a total waste of energy
and resources.
Nothing is more important to getting your message noticed than
your headlines. 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.
Following are five good reasons why your site headlines deserve
greater emphasis and attention.
1) Headlines Are Natural Attention Getters. Most online
prospects quickly skim web copy looking for a reason to stay or
a reason to go. No one reads the body copy of a page without
first being pulled in by a strong lead, delivered by a
compelling headline or sub-heading.
Headlines are the first things your visitors see. They jump
right out visually and command attention by being set distinctly
above the rest of the text. Often the typeface, size, and style
used for headlines contrasts with that used in the body copy.
This proven approach naturally attracts eyeballs, virtually
forcing interested prospects to grasp the key message and to
read on due to its magnetic appeal.
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 much more successful.
2) Site Headlines Serve As Valuable Guides To Busy People.
Headlines reveal key details. They tip off readers as to what
follows. A strong headline provides 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 summary of the entire piece, headlines either help sustain
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 and relevance. 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.
3) Headlines Create Anticipation and 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,
increasing the likelihood of their sustained attention and
engagement.
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 often delivers 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
boost 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.
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 the strongest, most
desirable product attribute (benefit) fails to pull prospects
in, surely nothing else you could ever say would do the trick,
either.
The stronger and more compelling your headline, the more time
prospects will spend at your site. Create each 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 benefit power,
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 letter, as well as on other
pages on your site. Make your headlines impossible to miss and
difficult to ignore… then, watch your results soar!
