How to get better improvement ideas for YOUR website...

...than what you find on the internet [View in browser](=.hDAziNq10mKZUy3prNPbBZq8u88BWMUwJhoqnAoc-bE) What comes first, copy or design? I used to roll my eyes every time I saw someone post this question on social 🙄 Come on, people! Do you seriously think you can create a persuasive page by filling in the words in the fixed sections a designer created? #haha #nothowitworks Copy comes first, of course. This was a hill I was prepared to die on. Until last week, that is. Because last Wednesday, I suggested to a client that it would be best if their designer created a design draft of the page first, before I add the words to it. And it made perfect sense. #truestory Which reminded me that, when it comes to creating effective web pages, very few things are set in stone. Surefire ways to improve your website? No such thing For example, these things are said to always increase conversions (but don't): (1) ✔️Trust seals ❌...but not if credibility isn't a concern Example: Secure payment seals under a call-to-action button that isn't about paying. (2) ✔️Addressing possible objections in your copy ❌...but not if you use negative words that put ideas into prospects' heads that weren't even there Example: "We won't spam you". (3) ✔️Using the exact words your prospects use to describe their problems ❌...but not if they aren't ready to publicly identify with them Example: "Do you feel embarrassed/ashamed/like a failure, etc.?" (4) ✔️ Putting your call-to-action button high on the page ❌...but not if you haven't given people enough reasons that would justify the commitment it implies Example: "Contact me" button in the banner of a freelancer homepage (here's how to decide [how many CTAs your banner needs](=.g44cl2AhhN2H1GYFwqy_IsxVvxJ5GDKuZUswVs0uoaI), if you're curious) Sure, the advice from the blog posts that promise you those surefire ways isn't wrong. But it's also not always right for you. A better way to get the right ideas about improving your web pages is to ask yourself these 5 questions. 5 questions to ask yourself to get better website improvement ideas - What's the main message of your page / section? - What's the best way to convey it? - Who's looking at the page? - What would you like them to do? - What would be the best way to make them do it? At least, you can use these questions as a filter for the "10 surefire ways to increase conversions" from some guy on the internet to figure out what may work for you. At most, you can use them to brainstorm and find your own ways to improve your pages. Example Let's take that page I told you about in the beginning, the one where we decided to create a design draft before the copy. Here's how the answers to these 5 questions justify this decision: - Main message: "This is who we are now". A big brand underwent a drastic redesign. The page is supposed to present their new visual identity, color scheme, motion elements, etc. - Best way to convey it: Make visual elements the hero of the story. - Target audience: User community, industry colleagues, competitors, press. - Desired action: We want people to comment and share on social. - Best way to make them do it: Create a page with an impressive design concept that will stand out, but that also has a clear message that gives people all the necessary info that one can't convey through visuals along. And this is how one ends up doing things one could never imagined doing. Like creating the page design draft before the copy :) This would be all from me for the week. Stormy greetings from Germany ⛈️⛈️⛈️ Gill [Website review](=.0wioogbKc6hwPSAzV_sG6HzFjHjhv_mtcCYaQ9CWzL0) | [Copywriting](=.aGbsQ7y_kLLIW2KGxlUypzu-IFNfPNtNvbqyyYRNJ5I) | [📙 My book](=.19ujsXFwEk6GKkbQYteN2FneHiLJPVu0kUDU8ht7Gds) | [🖥️ My course](=.hmNC21MtzuxFEIxDcQLOv5mtMDJMALNPQ0WguDLx6cI) P.S. This email may contain typos, and I'm fine with them because cloning humans is, unfortunately, still impossible. Spending more time proofreading my emails would mean I'll have to share fewer tips with you. And sharing more and better tips is more important to me than sharing tips that are grammatically perfect. I hope that's fine with you, too. [Gill Andrews] [gillandrews.com](=.HD9QM0Tw6EUK62B4vVekb47gGkRCNa32is805ZZuGfg) [Share to Facebook](=.OCz86_nmNhuNWW62ggZzVtCAhwY3KrbenD2us_ixa78) [Share to Facebook](=.LD1auXSoDEMWr1Lmst_Jy9ab-ULFcD3P0kFrz8GMnO0) [Share to Twitter](=.O0Nn_s99uxzmRh2X6Uph8XDV98D4ONwj6xp7Q0P7g3k) [Share to Twitter](=.pfgYPU-_xBZQMaNproriTLFOh6QsqLV8D_qmIhmRAtU) [Forward email](=.GnQ7N3rTGdMgtZB4JtABGNLQwwSl1gAhep12k2pB1HY) [Forward email](=.C7kqlonhcTDx5bQ6rbk-Sp-RsyG6STETqtoGM4-izjs) Gill Andrews You received this email because you signed up to my updates. Changed your mind? No problem. Unsubscribe using the link below. [Unsubscribe](=.uo-l6huyYUR7rgiM_RQl-I1lh6BDkQVkP-5qqB6NdB4)