5 Simple Ways to Increase Conversion Rates Using Headlines

The material presented below is based on an article by Neil Patel, the founder of well-known analytics services KISSmetrics and CrazyEgg. Needless to say, the rules formulated by this successful entrepreneur have a deeply researched statistical foundation.

However, it is worth noting that the research primarily considered the behavior of users in the English-speaking segment of the web. While audiences globally generally follow the same psychological laws of perception, visitors to a specific resource may demonstrate unconventional behavior in practice.

Therefore, to boost your headline’s click-through rate (CTR), you need to apply the following simple techniques.

Include Numbers in Your Headlines

It’s an ironclad rule backed by countless split tests—numbers magically compel viewers to click the mouse. Statistically speaking, the advantage of headlines containing numbers is simply enormous.

Here is a recent example. According to research conducted by The Moz, 36% of blog readers reacted to this type of headline. The gap with the second most popular text type was a massive 15%, scoring only 21%. However, using numbers is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Many nuances matter regarding specific values and the response they generate.

First, it has been proven that odd numbers work better. Second, it is always more effective to use a larger numerical value.

If you need to convince the reader of the massive scale of the benefits offered, you should convert years into months, months into days, and days into hours. “Get 360 days of extended warranty” sounds much more appealing than “Extended warranty — 1 year.”

But when using physical measurements, you must consider the deep-rooted associations people have with them. Remember the childhood riddle: what is heavier, a kilogram of iron or a kilogram of feathers? The vast majority made the mistake of thinking feathers were lighter. Half a ton feels larger than 500 kg. A loan term of 24 months is easier to process than 2 years. Therefore, when crafting a headline, you must carefully consider both the value of the number and the impression its unit makes.

A few more notes on the nature of human perception of numbers. If a promotional offer involves complex calculations, most people won't bother to figure out the final benefit. People take your word for it. Using this psychological trick, you can convince your audience that buying “15 items for $90” is a more interesting deal than “Everything for $5”. At the same time, an easily calculable offer like “$18 for 3 items” will lose its appeal.

The effectiveness of number-driven offers can be seen in both landing page headlines and long-form sales copy.

Even numbered lists can become a tool to skyrocket reader interest. You just need to use a countdown. Chart compilers use this rule to fuel listeners' interest in the top-ranking tracks. In extensive sales copy, the benefits of using numbers this way will be highly noticeable.

If you want to maximize your headline’s effectiveness—put numbers in it.

Use the Optimal Headline Length

A headline must completely capture the reader's attention. According to research by George Miller, a psychologist at Princeton University, the human brain can hold 5 to 9 objects in its short-term memory at any given time. It’s no coincidence that article headlines with the highest CTR contain exactly 8 words.

If you want your headline to be easily understood, use the correct number of words in it.

Furthermore, words in a headline carry different weights depending on their placement. The first 11 characters, which usually fit into the first three words, carry the core meaning for the reader. Next, people pay attention to the end of the sentence and remember the last words well. This means it is crucial to split the main idea expressed in the headline between its beginning and its end.

If we look at different languages, we can spot variations in the optimal length of a highly clickable headline. In English, the most attractive promotional offers should contain about 17 words, in Italian 9–12, and in French 12–15. While precise data for every language might not be fully mapped out, it is no accident that platforms like Google AdWords allow the creation of multi-word propositions consisting of a main headline and a subheadline.

Thus, the optimal length for different types of headlines is as follows:

News headlines should be kept shorter to grab attention quickly. A core idea expressed in 4–5 words builds trust in the information source. Non-promotional articles can be titled with a sentence of 7–9 words. Promotional offers and ads can contain 15–16 words.

Don’t Be Afraid of Negative Headlines

When creating a headline, we intuitively want to give it a positive emotional tone. It seems that a cheerful, positive mindset will attract more attention.

However, experts from Outbrain tested headline CTRs by comparing positive tones with neutral and negative ones. They clearly demonstrated that human psychology causes us to ignore overused clichés and overly positive words that fail to inspire trust.

The indicator of emotional messaging was the use of words universally interpreted as positive or negative. The former includes words like “good” or “always,” while the latter includes “lose” or “never.” The research results clearly showed a noticeable increase in the click-through rate for headlines with negative content. The CTR of such headlines exceeded that of neutral ones by 30%, whereas positive texts scored 29% lower than neutral ones.

This is easy to explain. The majority of people view overly enthusiastic, motivational headlines as insincere. Negative ones, on the other hand, give the impression of being impartial and force people to familiarize themselves with a potential danger. The more shocking or negative a headline looks, the higher the probability that the reader will want to dive into the text.

A high-converting headline does not look overly optimistic. It is either neutral or crafted using negative trigger words.

Clarify the Meaning With a Subheadline

This rule states that you can write a highly clickable headline by using a two-part structure: a headline and a subheadline rolled into one. In this case, it consists of a short, intriguing thought followed by an explanation. Here is an example: “Budget Weddings: How to Save Money on Videography.” A detailed explanation demonstrates respect for the reader. The person notices your desire to help and guide them through the article's contents in advance. This builds trust in the information source, and consequently, the headline’s clickability soars.

This rule for creating subheadlines is widely used everywhere in advertising communications. Magazine article teasers, book subtitles—everything serves one single purpose: to introduce the potential client to what they will find inside, compelling them to read the entire text.

Interestingly, analysts from the Content Marketing Institute discovered that simply adding punctuation marks, such as a colon or an em dash, to a headline can increase its click volume by 9%.

Write Headlines That Everyone Understands

Remember The Moz study that revealed the significant advantage of headlines containing numbers?

In addition to that data, the study also provided results comparing headlines written in different styles:

• Question - “What are the ways to make dinner enjoyable?”;
• Narrative, classic - “Ways to make dinner enjoyable”;
• Educational/How-to - “How to make dinner enjoyable?”;
• Direct address - “Ways you can't do without if you want to make dinner enjoyable”;
• Simple with numbers - “30 ways to make dinner enjoyable”.

These headlines ranked in this exact order according to their effectiveness. It’s no coincidence that the worst-performing headline is an open-ended question posed to the reader. It fails to promise a solution to the site visitor's problem, and as a result, it lacks clickability, scoring only 11%. The second-to-last headline is vague, lacking a direct indication that the reader will receive a comprehensive guide. Its effectiveness rate is 15%. The next headline again puzzles the reader, although it looks more specific, scoring 17%. The headline with a direct address introduces a note of intimacy and promises essential knowledge. It naturally scored higher at 21%. But the text that attracted the audience the most is specific, simple, and calm. It directly states the number of methods and the ultimate goal. The reader has no doubt that they will find the crucial information they need right there. Hence the massive click-through rate of 36%.

We can see that the most specific proposition, containing a numerical value and easily understood by the widest possible audience, yields the highest metrics. The argument in favor of simple and clear headlines is obvious. A person visits a website expecting to see a precise and unambiguous answer to their questions. You can find examples of successful headlines on Lpg.tf.

To provide them with an easily digestible headline, you need to have a clear understanding of your website's core target audience and their needs.

When drafting your headline, make it as simple and specific as possible.

Let’s Summarize

So, thanks to the analysis of numerous ads and headlines, we have obtained a recipe for crafting truly effective headlines. Of course, without considering the unique perception traits of the people who form the core of your website's target audience, coming up with the perfect headline is hardly possible. Therefore, the very first step is to define a rough persona of your average reader.

And, keeping this persona in mind, we select headline variations based on the following rules:

1. Craft a clear and distinct sentence;
2. Supplement it with a number that represents a benefit;
3. Keep the emotional tone of the headline neutral, or add a touch of negativity;
4. Limit article headlines to 7–8 words, while ad headlines can be expanded up to 16 words;
5. Place semantic accents wisely, splitting the headline into a core and an explanatory part, remembering that the first and last words are the most significant.

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