If there was one thing I did learn from college, it was a rule by E.B White. The seventeenth rule in The Elements of Style applies well to achieving a high conversion rate in e-commerce. Let me explain.
In the Elements of Style Mr White explains that an important principle in creating good copy is to omit needless words.
‘…Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts…’
Writing effective copy for the web
Many users on the web have little time. They are busy people who want to achieve a task. In regards to en e-commerce site they are there, normally, to either buy a product or find information on a product. Using flowery copy on a product page will do little to help improve that webpages conversion rate. Generally, be reducing your copy you will see an improvement in your e-commerce conversions. Getting rid of excessive copy benefits your page in a number of ways including.
- It reduces ‘noise’ on your page and focuses attention.
- It helps make important copy more prominent.
- It helps present all the important stuff ‘above the fold’ so users don’t have to scroll.
Can long copy work?
Now, I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t use long copy. Long copy can work. However, long copy has it’s own place. In effective e-commerce websites you should keep your copy short, benefits focused and concise. You can add additional information in tabbed formats to fulfill the needs of the prospects who require more copy. However, as a rule of thumb – keep is simple and short.
If you would like to find out more about how to improve your conversion rates on your e-commerce website, just give me a call on 01484 531122.