"Do you know what attracts your readers? What headlines they respond to most? Do they respond to pictures? Do they know what your offer is?" asks Peter Da Vanzo in a recent SEObook.com post. Testing will give you answers, but it can be tedious and costly. Da Vanzo offers the following ideas for quick-and-cheap, yet effective, testing:
Review your copy. One of the best ways to test the effectiveness of copy is to leave it alone for a day. Then, re-read it in a more objective light. Read it out loud, and have others do so as well. You'll be able to hear whether the most important points get emphasized, if the desired action is obvious, and more.
Conduct a basic split-run test using AdWords. Run a short AdWords campaign against your list of keywords, titles and descriptions. Test the performance of your landing pages by swapping one for another on different days. This will give you "a rough idea [of] what people who search on your chosen keywords are really interested in," he says.
Make sure your pictures sync with your message. "A picture's function is to increase sales," says Da Vanzo. "If it doesn't, it shouldn't be there." Therefore, it's best to always ask, "Does this picture tell the customer a thousand words about my product or service?" he notes.
The Po!nt: Don't rush it. Take the time to test basic elements of your website copy; it could help improve your SEO efforts at little cost.
Source: SEO Book. Read the full post here.
by Christina "CK" Kerley
