Split test different versions to improve conversions

Writing purely for landing pages is a different concept to writing for SEO. Search engine optimisation places certain constraints on the way you write – you must include certain keywords, and a certain number of those keywords, which can effect how direct your message is.

Balancing SEO and your marketing message can be done – it’s a specialist skill, but if you are advertising your business on PPC  platforms such as Google Adwords, through stand alone landing pages, then the SEO element of a page doesn’t come into play. This gives a writer freedom to write the marketing message exactly as they want it, rather than feeling obliged to work around certain phrases or headings.

Writing a more direct message to your target market usually results in higher conversions. The only down side is that you have to pay pro rata for your PPC traffic. It’s also worth split testing different versions of a landing page – changing headings to have more or less ‘impact’, which can compromise the trust of a reader (if it’s over-promising something or claiming something outrageous for example).

It’s not just design and layout that can be split tested on landing pages – test bullet points versus plain text. Test 300 words versus 100 words. Test a page with the prices included versus one without.

Testing is a key success factor for online marketing – if you can increase your conversion rate from 2% to 3%, you are effectively doubling your sales opportunities, which can significantly influence your profit.