Microcopy consists of small bits of text within the site which helps to educate the viewer on your product or service. Microcopy leads the viewer to what they are looking for and is crucial to website conversion rate and ROI (Return On Investment). In bullet form, microcopy can quickly and efficiently, point out the services you provide. No frills, just the facts.
The most important microcopy may be pointed out by using buttons called CTAs (Call to action) verbs. You’ll recognize a CTA element as a colorful button or a link quietly enticing you to follow the link to buy now or learn more, free quote, etc. You may use CTAs as a link, for instructions, or to point out directions.
A recent study by Visual Website Optimizer lists the most important website elements as it relates to conversion rates. See the level of importance below and we’ll discuss each one:
- CTA Buttons = 30%
- Headlines = 20%
- Layout = 10%
- Copy = 8%
CTAs and the value they add to a website:
The CTA button on our website called “free quote” is vital to our day to day company operation. Visitors use our CTA (button) called “free quote” to ask for basic pricing information. We consider this CTA (call to action verb) one of the most important elements on our website and most if not all users actually use this element to contact us.
Blog Headlines:
Headlines pertains to the most current blog post title, and you can see just how important a compelling and interesting headline is based upon the schedule of importance above. Search engines are looking for “trending news.” Bloggers work hard on keeping your blog current with the latest news and spend additional time developing the blog “headline.” This is an important part of your website value. As new blog categories are introduced, your website grows in value and over time, using the most current and latest microcopy, it becomes an “authority website.” An authority website receives most of the visitors regarding a specific product or service, and offers the greatest conversion rate, based upon this increasing traffic pattern.
Layout provides the first impression:
The overall updated look and feel of the website is the first impression your visitor has and it is important to keep the site fresh with new images and offer the visitor new functionality which comes about by adding the latest smart technology. We suggest re-writing the home page content at least once a year, and adding new and interesting functionality to hold the viewer’s attention. If the entire site is outdated using old technology then a re-design is suggested.
Copy for the website:
As we develop a proposal for website re-design, the first thing we ask the client to do is to re-write all website content (microcopy) and let us know what pages are most important and what CTAs we can develop to guide the user to more pertinent benefits. Old content which has been on a current site for a few years is not the content you want to use again as you re-design your site. Fresh new wording is required for all new websites. This will attract the search engine spiders (seeing that something new has been added). Following these few simple guidelines can make a huge impact as you grow in the new year. Contact us to learn more about our services and to discuss changes and how you can create a better viewing experience for your visitors.
Conclusion:
For the new year just approaching, turn your visitors into buyers and future “return customers” using great microcopy.
Happy New Year …. may you reach all of your goals this year
Jean Holland-Rose
Chief Creative Officer & SEO Professional
