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July 17, 2009
Confessions of an SEO Copywriter (You don't need a lot of copy)
One of our very own SEW experts, Tim Ash is featured on the cover of the summer edition of Online Strategy Magazine. In it, he talks about the short attention span of web users and how too much copy or flashy graphics can detract from conversion goals.
These are things Tim has learned as a landing page consultant. And in your gut, you know he's right. You skim web pages. You abandon pages that are difficult to navigate easily. You don't feel like reading a dissertation about a new pair of shoes. Do they look good? Yes. Where's the "Add to Cart" button?
You might think it strange for a copywriter and blogger such as myself to even talk about the idea that there can be such a thing as too much copy. After all, we copywriters often charge by the word. More words = more money. (Even when we charge by the hour, longer copy means more hours = more $.)
But I have a confession to make. I know you have a short attention span. I know you're probably skimming this post right now. Many of you comment without reading the entire post you're commenting on.
I know that I need to bust out 125-250 words to attract the Googlebot while making copy work with the design and also use my magical psychological powers to compel you to click the purchase button.
I like to use bullet points (when clients allow, which is sadly not often enough) and get straight to the point because I assume that readers are smart and don't need every nuanced point explained to them.
Of course, you know what they say about assuming.
That's why landing page testing is so crucial. Don't just assume your assumptions are correct. Test them. Develop pages designed around best practices and then test, test, TEST!
Despite all of the above, there are still some niches where a good deal of copy is necessary. Generally, the higher the price or the commitment involved in a purchasing decision, the more education a consumer will want. They get their desired information through copy. But even then, there could be niches where a busy businessman simply wants someone to call them. He'd rather chat it out and then decide. That's when short copy and a contact form might be needed instead.
The only way you'll know for sure is through landing page testing. I can't emphasize this enough. Yes, analytics are good. Yes, keeping an eye on your campaigns are good. But you won't know if you could squeeze even more money out your ad campaigns until you test.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on July 17, 2009 3:49 PM
Comments
Interesting post. I agree, the copy needs to be written such that it will engage. But it is a false assumption that people have short attention spans. This is not true. Evidence that people use to show short attention spans is biased because the studies use web pages to determine the degree of attention people spend on something.
All the studies consistently show is that people do pay less attention to web pages BUT they are prepared to attend to other things, such as books, with much greater depth and time given.
In other words, we don't have short attention spans per se. All we have is short attention spans for much web material.
In essence, we are prepared to pay attention to material that interests us (almost regardless of design). The reason that so much web material fails to make us pay attention is that most of what we see just doesn't interest us that much.
When web pages do engage with people, their attention span goes up considerably.
In other words, it's not about "tricks" such as bullet points or emboldening items for the supposed "scan" reading of web pages (another fallacy). What people need to concentrate on much, much more is providing something interesting....!
So you are right to suggest that what "interests" some people may be some short text with a phone number for more information. But equally, some people would be engaged by pages and pages of text - if it is interesting.
There is no such thing as a web page that is too long. But there is such a thing as a web page that is too boring. The issue is not attention spans, but the vast amount of boring material available.
Graham Jones - Internet Psychologist July 17, 2009 6:41 PM
I think Bullet Points and such 'tricks' definitely aid in viewing copy.
Your eye is skimming the words and the bullet points shows the major pieces of information a reader needs.
Lines of text just do not keep the attention. For me, it’s
• Get to the point
• Give me the information I need
• I have decided so quickly, where I go next!
Many people today are time poor; you have to make it snappy.
Susan Coombs July 18, 2009 5:50 AM
Nathania - My observations are specifically about landing pages which are at least in theory designed only with conversion in mind. I do not not think that this applies directly to blogs and educational content where people are investing time to learn something.
Although I must admit that attention spans seem shorter and the number of interruptions keeps increasing. So I guess "less is more" applies more and more often. I enjoy reading your long-winded writing - hope the converse is also true :-)
Tim Ash July 19, 2009 3:15 AM
Tim, good point. I should have made clear that my post was primarily about marketing.
IMHO, the best blogs are a mix of short and long posts.
And I must have done something right with this post to garner so many opinionated comments :)
Nathania Johnson July 19, 2009 1:57 PM
I agree with Susan bullet points grab eyeballs of the readers soon. It will make reading valuable and easily acceptable.
Joelchrist July 20, 2009 3:07 AM
You are 100% true, people often do this kind of thing for more money...
Alam
twitter.com/alamest
Fakhrul Alam July 20, 2009 9:46 AM
Great post Nathania.
Not sure if I fully agree with Grahams broad comment "There is no such thing as a web page that is too long." another factor is the type of site. This may hold true for informational, how to, or review type sites. For ecommerce, there is such a thing as too long.
Put your bullet points, features, benefits, add to cart, contact, and all the main most wanted info above the fold. IF you feel the page needs more, then add some of less pertainent text below. You can increase conversions AND rank at the same time.
Al Scillitani July 20, 2009 10:29 AM
Great post. As an SEO copywriter, it's part of my job to understand how much content is right for any given website and individual web pages. I find a really consistent issue with content is creating a 3,000 word article and hosting it entirely on one page. Splitting up larger pieces into smaller sections on multiple pages makes the content easier for visitors to read and helps create more SEO pages. We've even written on the importance of editing for the web vs print: http://bit.ly/11gr3B
Allison Goldstein July 20, 2009 10:47 AM
As a web designer I have to write content for the pages I build and I like to use bullet points if i can, to break up the text. I also use images to make the page more interesting and split up large paragraphs so it is easier to read.
Oliver July 21, 2009 11:59 AM
Awesome post Nathania! Abbreviated, straight to the point articles goes beyond engaging other readers’ interest. It also engages Google! Google actually gives more weight to the beginning paragraphs of posts, which is also where the writing should be engaging the reader right away. If the writer keeps rambling on and on, it is useless to the reader who will undoubtedly skip over it, and it is also useless to Google. Engaging with your readers and SEO goes hand-in-hand people. Too many authors fail to recognize this.
Joel July 26, 2009 9:47 PM
Copywriting, and all of marketing really, represent that beautiful intersection between business and creativity. Those of us lucky enough to find our way into this niche find that, amazingly, we can actually make a living being creative.
ZK@Web Marketing Blog August 2, 2009 2:11 AM
