The REAL reason why short pages convert better
Spoiler alert: It's not because of their length.
A client (an enterprise?SaaS) recently told me:
"We like your draft, but we need the page to be shorter. Shorter pages convert better."
A year ago, I?would have delivered a?long speech on?how "that's not true", that "it depends" and that "people do read".
But this time, I realized that it was indeed true.
I've been working with this client for a while.?And?I knew what they were saying was a fact.
Among their pages, the short ones converted better. So how could I tell them it's not true?
"Wait... Does it mean short pages always convert better?"
Yes.
It's very likely that, if we took enough well-written short pages and compared them to well-written longer pages, we'd discover that short pages convert better.
But - and this is important - not because of their length.
It's correlation. Not causation.
It's not the "shortness"?of those pages that causes higher conversions.
The same way eating more ice cream doesn't cause summer.
We eat more ice cream in summer?because the weather is hotter.
And shorter pages convert better because... of their target audience.
More aware audience => better conversion rates
If you're writing for prospects that already know, like and trust you, you don't need to educate or persuade much.
They are ready.?You just need to tell them what you offer and show them an easy way to buy.
And you don't need many words for that.
领英推荐
That's the?real?reason why you observe higher conversion rates on?shorter pages: high aware audience that's more eager to convert.
To illustrate ??
One of the?best-converting pages of my client is a landing page offering a free trial.
They use it to drive traffic from ads shown to people who already search for "(name of software) free trial".
The page is about 400 words long. Prospects click on the "Try free"?button?like mad.
But could you imagine persuading people?who've?never heard of you to join your expensive course... in just 400 words?
Exactly.
"Wait... So what pages convert best now?"
The best-converting pages are those that:
....using the?minimum?number of words.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk?????
(This article has originally been published on Gillandrews.com)
***
I'm Gill Andrews, a conversion copywriter & web consultant who turns underperforming websites into lead-generating machines.
Want to improve your website fast? Check out my book "Making Your Website Work".
Growth, Comms & Content | Civil Engineer | Restaurant Guy | Reader/Writer | Hockey Dad
3 年I've always thought the same Gill Andrews but my stance has changed in recent years. 3,000 word blogs perform better than 500 words - as one example. What I think we can agree on is, if you haven't defined your problem, solution and/or value proposition in the first 400, THAT'S where you need to get the red pen out. Great post BTW...you've got me thinking:)
Systems Optimisation Specialist Founder | Trainer | Product Manager | Social Entrepreneur #CareLeaver #ActuallyAutistic #LivedExperienced #ForgottenAustralian
3 年Great piece! I love the humor in your writing, while making valid points too. It’s not always about length. It’s about how you use it. No one wants to get board half through ???? Plus if you eat too much ice cream in one hit it could cause brain freeze or a stomach ache. I know I’ve experienced all 3 when smashed with a long winded page of endless... Oo look! A shiny button! ..what was I saying? ????
Customer Insights & CX Strategist | VoC Messaging Strategist | Customer Experience Advocate | VOC Expert and Professional Dot Connector & Sense-maker
3 年lol. love the ted talk and this line: eating more ice cream doesn't cause summer.
Copywriter For Health & Wellness ???
3 年I love this explanation, thanks for sharing!
Systems that scale businesses to 6 & 7 fig | On the cusp of big time growth? You have a good problem | Scale as a coach, consultant or creative with process, strategy, software, & automation | Save 20+ hours a week
3 年Woohoo!! Now there's proof. Thanks Gill. Orit did you see this?