Great Copywriting Can Reduce Landing Page Friction
Imagine you are searching for a product or service that you are really interested in and you finally get to the landing page for something promising…and then the page takes too long to load or the description is confusing or the buttons to sign up and purchase aren’t clear about which is which…this is all what we in “the biz” of marketing like to call “landing page friction.”
It is the junk that stops you from actually buying, signing up, or reading more about something on a landing page.
Sometimes it can be as simple as the description makes it sound not quite right for what you are looking for and as complicated as the page is taking too long to load and you have better things to do than wait for someone’s website load.
Landing pages are supposed to be smooth entryways to a product or service.
They should be the simplest part of the buyer’s journey.
Often, though, they aren’t…
What’s missing? Well, part of the problem is that you need to reduce landing page friction with great copywriting!
What the heck is copywriting?
AWAI, the American Writers and Artists Institute, describes it like this, “Copywriting is the process of writing persuasive marketing and promotional materials that motivate people to take some form of action, such as make a purchase, click on a link, donate to a cause, or schedule a consultation.”
So copywriting includes all the language you see (and sometimes don’t see) to help persuade you to act.
Sometimes that action is a sign up and other times it’s to buy a product or service.
Either way, when the copywriting stinks…everyone can tell.
Even those who don’t understand copywriting can know when the writing is bad.
…but it’s difficult to tell when there is great copywriting reducing landing page friction because it should seem completely smooth and invisible.
To quote from Futurama, “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.”
That’s the goal of great copywriting.
How to reduce landing page friction with great copywriting
Knowing how to improve is the first step. The second step is to start following through, whether that means learning how to do some great copywriting on your own OR hiring a copywriter.
Once you are ready to go…here are some ways great copywriting can reduce friction on your landing pages:
Keep your landing page copy specific
The goal here is to answer any question before they are asked. Think through what your customer might be wondering at this stage of their buying journey. Even if you think it doesn’t need said, it probably does to somebody out there.
As long as it is true, feel free to use phrases like “no credit card required”, “sign up for $0”, and “it takes less than 10 seconds.” This gives assurance to your potential customer and makes it clear and easy for them to go ahead and make that purchase.
Be flexible with your payment options
While this may not immediately seem like copywriting, there will be a lot of clever copywriting that will reduce your landing page friction when it comes to good flexible payment options.
Some companies keep it to just a few and some big companies over optimize and offer 10+ payment options. However, keep in mind that more choices can actually do the opposite of reducing landing page friction. Either way, you will need some great copywriting that clearly communicates the benefits or nuances of each payment option that isn’t already obvious (like paying with credit card).
Everybody loves free shipping
Here’s the thing: no one likes to pay more than the price tag on anything. Free shipping can obviously reduce landing page friction because people feel like they are getting a great deal. However, this again doesn’t feel like it has much to do with great copywriting…
…but I want you to imagine if you offered free shipping but it wasn’t mentioned until checkout. How many people walked away because of shipping costs? Or how many people wondered about shipping, never saw it anywhere, and just assumed they’d be paying for shipping and that set the price too high for them. When you use great copywriting and get ahead of customer expectations, then you have a much higher chance of increasing your conversion rates.
Entice and inspire
I want to wrap up with this point: great copywriting can reduce landing page friction when it entices and inspires customers into making a purchase.
There are some amazing wordsmiths out there who are moving products so quickly that companies can’t keep up with demand. They have done amazing things with just the power of the written word.
The great Copy Legends, as they are known in some circles, made the ordinary extraordinary and the extraordinary seductive.
If you want to make sure your landing page converts, then you need to make your copy enticing and you need it to be inspiring so they will actually make the purchase and improve their quality of life in some way.
Copywriting, amirite?
Idinnit amazing? With some simple words on a page you can make people buy what you are offering over and over again. It just takes knowing the right things to say, the right things to not say, and when to take some creative risks…
…but what do you think? Are you enticed or inspired to take a crack at re-writing some of your landing pages?
If you decide you need some help, then feel free to fill out my contact form and we will see what we can do for you! Otherwise, I’d love for you to check out the DSM blog for more general marketing goodness.
As always, I appreciate you, friend!
