Answer this question about your own blog. And, be honest, OK?
Did you set up your blog specifically for conversions? Or did you just slap something up there based on your “gut feeling” of what would work?
For most people who are starting out – and even many long-timers – it is the second option.
If that’s you, then your blog is primarily just a big collection of blog posts. The auxiliary pages are likely being overlooked. And your main thoughts about conversions come down to stuffing things in your sidebar and hoping somebody clicks on it. This is what I like to call trying to get “impulse clicks”. (Hint: It rarely works)
In this post, I’m going to talk to you about how to tweak your blog for conversions. We’ll talk, specifically, about 5 important “core pages” you should have on your blog.
The reason this is important is because conversions are the name of the game here. If you’re not getting your readers to do something valuable when they come to your blog, then you’re building no leverage, no asset, no value. Which adds up to a huge waste of time.
So, let’s get started…
First Things First: Conversions?
First off, I’m not going to assume you know what I mean when I say “conversion”. So, let me clarify.
A person who comes to your blog is just an unnamed, random person. You have no idea who they are. There’s no connection. So, the very first thing to do is get them to CONVERT from a virtual nobody into a real subscriber (or in marketing jargon, a “qualified lead”).
In practical terms, this means that they will opt into your email list. Earning the email address of your readers is the first and foremost purpose of your blog.
Everything about the setup and design of your blog should be aimed at getting people to opt in for lead magnets. Then, this puts them on the road for receiving more ongoing and enhanced value from you (which can be paid, too). From a business perspective, it fits into the bigger picture like so…
The blog serves as your homebase, and its primary purpose is to move them to the next step: To opt-in to your list via a lead magnet.
NOTE: For more information on the blog revenue funnel pictured above, click here.
Your Blog As An Attention Funnel
Now, in order for your blog to serve that function, it has to be set up to funnel attention.
See, think of attention as a flow of energy – and honestly, that’s exactly what it is. When a person is sitting on the other end of their computer looking at your blog on their screen, you can almost envision little attention beams coming out of their eyes and looking at your blog. But, that attention must be GUIDED. Otherwise it will flow all randomly and not go anywhere.
Ever poured a glass of water onto a concrete floor? The water just splatters around in a random fashion and makes a huge mess.
But… pour that glass of water into a funnel of some kind and the water doesn’t splatter. In fact, it will be guided rather gently into whatever it is aimed at.
The same thing happens with this energy we call attention. And your blog’s primary function is to attract attention and then guide it to the next logical step.
Now, in most cases, that first step of attracting attention is going to be by way of one of your blog posts. And, in almost all cases, one of your blog posts will be the main entry point to your site. And there’s a number of things you can do on a blog post to optimize it as an attention funnel, such as:
Paying attention to what I call “content packaging“
Including a targeted call to action at the end of the list
Not cluttering up your sidebar with useless garbage that visually distracts
Including in-post links to places on your site you want them to go
But, aside from your blog posts, you’ve got the “core pages”. Sometimes people will land on these pages directly, but most often people will come to these pages after doing something else. This means they are more “qualified” because that second click means they’re more interested than a casual web surfer who just scans and bounces off.
We need to take into account the mindset of the person on these core pages – and set them up accordingly. So, let’s review 5 of the most important core pages of your blog and what to do with them.
#1 – Your Home Page
Of all your core pages, your homepage is most likely to be used as an entry point for your blog. So, with that, let’s look at the typical mindset of the reader on this page…
They know nothing about you yet. They really don’t give a crap about you, to be honest. They have one question on their mind: Is this site relevant to me and should I care?
Now, what most people do with the blog homepage is run it fairly “default”. Most themes will display latest posts by default on the homepage… which means that most blog homepages are crammed full of 5-10 full blog posts, a ton of sidebar widgets and the like.
In other words, most blog homepages are just visual overload and completely overwhelming. And that sucks for conversions.
The homepage of your blog should do these 3 things:
Clearly communicate your brand and value proposition.
Move them a little down the belief chain to believing in what you offer.
Give them a CLEAR next step.
See, the purpose of the homepage is to catch them, “sell” them, then move them along deeper into your site (ideally by way of subscribing).
One example of this is NerdFitness:
You can see how NerdFitness has a very clear value proposition at the top of the homepage. It clearly shows what the site is about. It also shows personality, offers social proof (244,556 in their community), and offers a lead magnet (25 Mistakes Newbies Make When Trying To Get Health). And there’s an opt-in right then and there.
As you look down, you don’t see a whopper list of 10 latest posts. There’s one post (which happens to be extremely fitting for the purpose of the page), and a list of popular posts. And I bet that popular post list isn’t auto-generated with some plug-in… they probably specifically CHOSE each of those posts to precisely communicate VALUE to a brand new person who arrives on this site. They know what the target audience is looking for, and they offer up the precise content that delivers it.
Nicely done.
So, here’s what I recommend you pay attention to on your own blog’s homepage:
Are you effectively communicating what your site’s value proposition is? If you’re unsure, ask a few of your friends their first impressions who are not already readers of your blog.
Are you including any elements of why your blog is trustworthy? Social proof? Testimonials?
Are you funneling them into that content which is mostly likely to immediately deliver the best value to them, based on knowing where they’re likely at?
Don’t allow people to scatter from your homepage. Give them an opportunity to connect then move them along in a targeted manner to those things most likely to make an impact. Be strategic about it… not just your latest blog posts (which is based on time, not strategy).
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#2 – Your Blog Page
If I’m recommending that your blog’s homepage NOT be a list of your latest posts, then it goes to show that you’re going to need another page to serve that function. That would be your “blog” page. Often, you’ll actually have “Blog” in your navigation menu for it.
Now, on this page, people usually expect to see a chronological list of blog posts. So, go for it. The typical mindset of the person on this page is that they’re looking to see what else you have to offer. So, the goal of this page is to allow them to find something of value.
If they find something of value, then they’ll click on it. This moves them a little further down the funnel of potentially becoming a real subscriber. Plus, it reduces your bounce rate and increases page views. Win all around.
So, to maximize the effectiveness of the page, do the following:
Keep sidebar clutter to a minimum. I’d recommend an opt-in and links to your “most popular” posts (that you hand-picked).
Have nice, big headlines that pop out and don’t blend in.
Preview images work nicely to communicate value of each post.
Don’t use any plug-ins or WordPress features on the post lists which repeat incessantly for each post. For instance, category links, tag lists, social media buttons, etc. These things can be on the post itself, but repeating it over and over again for every post on the list of latest posts is ridiculous and clutters things up. NOBODY is going to share a post they haven’t read anyway.
Have an obvious search function (but only if your blog has enough content to avoid them running into dead ends).
#3 – About Page
Every blog should have an about page because people will indeed visit it when trying to figure out what you’re all about. The typical mindset of the person on this page is… “Should I care?” So, what’s your answer to that?
The about page won’t usually be an entry point to your site, but it is a page they’ll go to after arriving from another page. And their sole purpose is to find out why they should care about your blog.
What most people do on their about pages is drone on about their life story or other drivel. And while you might not think your story is drivel, THEY DO. Why? Because they don’t know you yet.
So, your about page isn’t literally a page about you. It is about your site and WHY THEY SHOULD CARE. In other words, the about page is a sales page about you and your blog. It should “sell” them on your site and (like all good sales pages) give them a call to action. Namely, the option to subscribe.
Also read: 6 Cornerstones For A Killer About Page On Your Blog
#4 – Getting Started
Many people don’t have “getting started” pages, yet they’re an insanely good idea. Especially if your blog is catering to people who are trying to accomplish something big which has a lot of parts to it.
Most likely, your blog is rather haphazard in how it approaches the topic (you can fix that with structured “guide” pages, but more on that another time), so leaving them to search for what they need or depend just on your latest posts is just too confusing. It forces them to approach a rather large topic out of sequence. That generates confusion, and most people will react to confusion by simply leaving.
You should have a solid understanding of the transformation that you’re in the business of delivering (See episode #42 of Coffee Break Blogging: What is a Transformation Map? And Why Is It So Important To Your Profitability?) But, all transformations have a beginning, a logical sequence, then an ending.
When a person arrives on your blog, they’re usually looking for something. They’re looking for an answer. And they’re looking to be guided to it. The most logical thing to do is say, “Hey, you! You ready to get _____? Cool, click right here and let’s get started.”
So, a “getting started” page or a “start here” page in your top navigation would be a good idea. This might be a great page to funnel them into from your home page. You can also link to it in your welcome message once they get onto your email list.
Typical things done on a “getting started” page include:
Orient them to the main purpose of the site and the outcome you’re shooting for.
Tell them exactly what they’re first steps are.
Invite them to connect to take it further. (aka, opt-in).
On this page, you want it to help them get started with your site, but you also want it to help them get started on the transformation itself. You want them to get a “win” from it. To feel like they just accomplished something – and associate you and your brand with that “win”.
To get an idea of one way to do this, you can check out my own getting started page. Additionally, you can see how BecomingMinimalist.com did it. Short story of how the brand got started, links to their best stuff, and invitation to connect. Very… minimalist. But, effective.
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#5 – “Thank You” page
Much of what we’re doing on the blog is about moving them down the funnel – namely to opt-in for a lead magnet and get onto the email list.
Now, obviously, when somebody submits that opt-in form, they’re going to come to a “thank you” page. And that’s a VALUABLE page. After all, they just took a pretty significant action: They gave you their email address.
One of the 6 principles of persuasion from Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is consistency. Essentially, people are much more likely to follow through on something that they’ve already started. Getting them started can be the hardest part, but once they’ve done it, it is easier to slip them into something else. So, a person takes step #1 and opts into your email list. If you’re not giving them an opportunity to take another step, then you’re dropping the ball.
Now, if you’re building out a proper blog profit funnel, then the “thank you” page will contain an offer to purchase a relevant front-end offer. So, it’d be something like…
“Hey, thanks for subscribing! Everything I promised is being sent to your email inbox in just a few minutes, but while you wait, let me show you how _________”.
Then you educate them, and provide them an opportunity to buy something from you. Something cheap (because you haven’t yet built up enough trust for anything else) that they could buy with minimum risk, minimum funds, but get crazy value from you. That puts a buyer on your email list. It also shows them that you deliver good value.
Now, if you don’t have a good front-end offer yet (you should make one), there are other things you can do with this “thank you” page. Such as:
Fill out a survey (which could gather useful information for you).
Invite them to connect with you on social media.
Invite them onto a forthcoming webinar.
Invite them to share the fact they just subscribed on social media (use a pre-formatted tweet and include a hashtag. ClickToTweet is helpful in this case).
Point is – don’t just say “Thanks! Check your email to confirm”. That’s boring and a waste of a valuable page.
Always have them take another action.
Take It A Little Further
I’m going to leave you there for today. However, I’ve prepared a little tool to help you perform a self-evaluation of your own blog. It is a simple checklist. The purpose is simply to walk you through various aspects of your own blog so you can really evaluate how effective each element is.
You can download the Blog Self Evaluation Checklist below…
The post The 5 Most Important Pages On Your Blog – And How To Tweak Them To 2X Your Conversions appeared first on Blog Marketing Academy.