Headline Copywriting Mistakes To Avoid

The purpose of great website copy is to keep your visitor on the web page to read all your content. In order to keep their attention you need to write great headlines and subheadlines because most visitors will scan your content to see if it interests them. If the headline doesn’t capture their attention they’re not going to read any further and will leave. You only have a few seconds to make an impression.

5 headline copywriting mistakes to avoid

1. Ignoring the benefits

When a person visits your web page they’re thinking “what’s in it for me?” Even though you may mention all the great features your product or service has, your visitor is interested in how the product will benefit them. Place yourself in the position of your customer and ask yourself “how will this product or service solve my problem?” Include the most prominent benefit in your headline.

2. Being too general

If you try to appeal to all people you will appear to no one or only a few. Think of your target audience and address their specific needs. You can accomplish this by asking questions or creating lists. For example “are you attracting lots of traffic but not selling any products?” or “five ways to lose 10 pounds in 7 days.”

Headlines that cater to specific needs gets the customer to focus their attention. Once you’ve got their attention they’ll be motivated to read the rest of your content.

3. Lengthy headlines

If you try to say too much in your headline your visitor will lose interest. When writing a headline create several versions then choose which one sounds the best. Remove any unnecessary fluff so that your headline is short and to the point. Avoid using complicated vocabulary. Stick with words that even a 5th grader would understand.

4. Not interesting

Even though you include the main benefit of your product or service in your headline if it doesn’t engage the reader they won’t bother to read the next sentence. To overcome this barrier use questions, numbers, challenging or controversial statements that compel the reader to read more.

5. Grammar and spelling mistakes

You’ll give your business an unprofessional impression if your web copy contains grammar and spelling mistakes. Make sure you run your content through a spell checker, then give it to somebody else to proofread. If you don’t have time to do this then read it aloud to yourself and/or let it sit for a few hours and then check it again.

Writing great headlines becomes better with practice. Do a little homework by observing the headlines of professional magazines because they’re probably paying thousands of dollars for an expert copywriter.

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