Our company routinely runs large-scale landing page optimization tests to improve conversion rates. One of the most common components that we test is the sales copy on the page. We have found that changing your approach to writing can often lead to a double-digit increase in conversion rates.

What I am going to share with you is a distillation of our hard-earned experience over the course of hundreds of landing page tests. But this is not an article about ": persuasive" copywriting, or powerful magic words to use in your headlines. Most of the problems with writing for the web lie at a much more fundamental level. There is a giant disconnect between how much we care about our sales copy, and how much our Internet visitors do.

Visitors are usually looking for information with short attention spans. They're thinking "What's in it for me?" and aren't interested in sales copy or company profiles. They may want to know more about the company later, but the first order of business is to find information that answers their query.

To design a good home page, focus on the key benefits of your products and services. Every time you get into the details or features, make it a hyperlink to a new page around that topic. For instance, a search engine marketing firm might list the benefit below on its home page.