When it comes to online conversions, content is king. And though there are many sites that have a lot to say, and do it well, there’s a fine line and a balance to be maintained. Does your homepage have what it takes to convert?

1. How many benefits do you have listed?

1. 1-3
2. 4-6
3. More than 6

2. How many different Calls to Action do you have?

1. 1
2. More than 1
3. What’s a Call to Action?

3. How many search keywords are in your main headline?

1. 1-3
2. More than 3
3. I went for a more clever headline to sell my product

4. How long does it take to scroll to your conversion point?

1. It’s at the top of the page
2. It’s down toward the bottom
3. I have multiple conversion points all over my homepage

5. How long are people staying on your homepage?

1. My average page views are 60 seconds and more
2. Most people tend to jump off after a few seconds
3. I’m not sure

ANSWERS

1. How many benefits do you have listed?

If you answered “a”— You’re going in the right direction, but you might want to pump things up a bit. You want to convince your customer to convert, so be sure to assess all the highlights of your product and showcase them with short, direct benefit statements.

If you answered “b”—This is probably the sweet spot for benefits. Keep them short, direct and try making them visually scannable by using bullets and giving the lines some breathing room.

If you answered “c”—Try scaling back. Too many benefits won’t get read, and could prove to be more overwhelming than anything. You can lead them to a landing page that does more heavy lifting, but keep it cleaner on the homepage.

2. How many different Calls to Action do you have?

If you answered “a”— You’ve got it right. You can have the same CTA in multiple places on your page, but for a strong conversion path, there should be only one message.

If you answered “b”—You may be causing decision paralysis. With one main conversion metric, you need to have one CTA. Find the most important message (and test them) and stick with one.

If you answered “c”—You might need a little help with your online conversion prowess. Your call to action is essentially the message in the button that gets people to click through and buy, learn more, or take an action in the conversion funnel.

3. How many search keywords are in your main headline?

If you answered “a”— This is a good number to work with. The idea is to make the search experience a smooth, congruent one, and for people to immediately identify terms they were searching for.

If you answered “b”—You may be cramming too many search terms into a headline, which can compromise the quality of the message. Try less words, and remember that you can use a strong subhead to continue supporting your search terms.

If you answered “c”—Though it’s tempting to go for the cute line, you’ve got to focused on direct and targeted messaging. You have a limited amount of time to catch the customer’s attention, and if they’re coming from a search, you need to have an immediate connection with their keywords.

4. How long does it take to scroll to your conversion point?

If you answered “a”— Having your conversion point (CTA) at the top of your page is a smart idea. Visual prominence is key. Just don’t forget that you have a whole page of information, and there may be additional opportunities for conversions via inline links, additional buttons and more.

If you answered “b”—Don’t make your customer wade through the page to convert; they may lose patience and leave the page. Having a CTA at the bottom is fine, but be sure to have one at the top, too.

If you answered “c”—You’re on top of your conversion game. Multiple CTAs throughout the page are a very smart way to ensure more clicks and more conversions.

5. How long are people staying on your homepage?

If you answered “a”— You’re in good shape. It sounds like your content is holding interest long enough to educate, and hopefully convert, your customer.

If you answered “b”—You could probably stand to optimize your content. Too much copy can be a turn-off. Take a look at your answers to the previous questions and see where there’s an opportunity to keep their attention long enough to convert.  

If you answered “c”—With so many tools available, you can easily start tracking the actions of your customers. This will give you invaluable learnings for your content, including which CTAs are working, what content is of interest, and how long people are lingering to learn more.