9 replies to this topic

[EGOL]

Most people use keywords or clearly descriptive titles in their persistent navigation such as: Blue Widgets............ Brass Widgets......... Antique Widgets

Have you tried tossing in just one or two zingers such as "Good Stuff"....... or....... "Look at These!"

I think that a lot of them would really irritate your visitors but one or two can be a good way to seduce visitors into a big page of goodies that might otherwise have a sleeper title such as "resources" or "instructions".

What's your gut on this?

Edited by EGOL, 04 February 2012 - 01:56 PM.

[cre8pc]

I've experimented with putting "zingers" and trigger words into title tags and meta descriptions to help motivate searchers to choose that page over another one. I've seen in work and seen other SEO's do it. It certainly jives with Ux and how humans like a push in the right direction. Nothing wrong with an occasional look here! I recommend things like adding an USP like "free shipping here", "20% in Feb only"...search engines crawl often and resort. They can tell when a promotion is working and this may help tweak better rank overall if even for a little while.

[EGOL]

Thank you, Kim.

I am glad to see your comment because I know that you think about these things.... I really like your idea about using a unique selling proposition.

[iamlost]

The 'secret' to conversion - and site navigation clicks should be considered as micro-conversions - is to make a visceral connection with the visitor just as with any other call to action:
* literally grab their attention.
Remember that most are scanning on the fly-by and you need to interrupt that process.

* dose with emotion.
Remember that unless you can initiate an engagement process the visitor is likely to return to their default scan and away process.

* encourage memory retention.
In one sense inherent in being persistent site navigation.

To what level you need or should take the above framework will depend on you, your niche, and your audience. It can be as simple as replacing 'About Us' with ' About EGOL'* or 'Who We Are'. Or it be somewhat different: 'Our Vow' or 'Hi, My Name Is EGOL'* or 'Who Is EGOL?'* or a simple 'EGOL?'*...

The most important part of unusually naming persistent navigation is that each link name (anchor text) be consistently appropriate with the rest. Thus if using 'Who Is EGOL?'* an appropriate companion link might be 'Where is EGOL?'*.

* Note: The EGOL name is used without permission on grounds of being shorter than [insert brand name]. And unlike Waldo is not trademarked.

Most often sites persistent navigation defaults to very similar naming conventions due to length restrictions; all those links needing to be squeezed into one constrained horizontal container. It means that being different from what visitors expect to read is (1) good because it sets your site apart and it becomes more likely to be remembered; and (2) bad because being different will cause confusion while the mind adapts and possibly dislike - some people distrust the different.

Probably two-thirds of my sites use rather bland default persistent navigation names while a third use mildly different naming conventions. And I can't say that I've noticed a difference in visitor behaviour or usage. No really wild or off the wall ones though.
Sooo... feel free to test and get back to us... Mmmm?

However, page titles, headers, sub-headers, captions, buttons, et al are definitely conducive to 'zingers' and similar that follow the framework I mentioned at the top of the post.

[EGOL]

Sooo... feel free to test and get back to us... Mmmm?

Thanks for all of the ideas!

I am testing a "good stuff" link and another link similar to "pretty widgets"

I'll let you know what happens. This site has an audience of old farts so "tavern" or "hardware store" might work better than what I am currently using.

[glyn]

yes, I do this all the time, I use "escape" for iinjs pages

[A.N.Onym]

On one of the projects I tried using two lined text in the top navigation that looks like this:
http://images.sixrev..._block_menu.png

In the navigation the descriptive text:
- was placed above the main visibility words
- worded as a single phrase with the main words under it
- contained longer tail phrases and/or the main persuasive benefits/guarantees
- was also a call to action, e.g.:

Learn
About Us

Get more sales with
SEO services

Both the description and the main words were in a single block and worked as a link, naturally, despite how they looked - not the most elegant solution for usability, I know, though I did use text-underline on :hover.

By having two lines of text and the longer line smaller in size actually makes it possible to be quite free in adding a few words. But don't get too carried away: I've spent hours trying to find the right words that fit into the page/design width.

In my opinion, it is much better, than typical navigation, but I haven't tested it: it'd have to be the same project, obviously.

Edited by A.N.Onym, 05 February 2012 - 12:54 PM.

[iamlost]

I am testing a "good stuff" link and another link similar to "pretty widgets"

Ah... and to complement 'good stuff' you will also have 'better stuff' and 'best stuff' links?

In the navigation the descriptive text:
- was placed above the main visibility words
- worded as a single phrase with the main words under it
- contained longer tail phrases and/or the main persuasive benefits/guarantees
- was also a call to action, e.g.:

Really like the idea, Yura.

[EGOL]

Ah... and to complement 'good stuff' you will also have 'better stuff' and 'best stuff' links?

hmmm..... maybe I should just to straight to "best stuff"

Really like the idea, Yura.

I like it too. He the smaller headings can be good stuff, better stuff, best stuff.

[EGOL]

Update.... "Good Stuff" is pulling in the clicks. It is a two word link in the top nav that is getting more clicks than big images and videos. "Pretty widgets" is not doing so good.

I just checked on how links in the same location have earned clicks in the past. "Good Stuff" is winning 2:1. This is very good CTR for a link with irrelevant anchor text.

Also, people who visit the destination page of this link spend nearly 17 minutes on the site (because it is nothing but links to the good stuff all across the site). The average visitor spends a little less than two minutes on the site.

Edited by EGOL, 05 February 2012 - 07:55 PM.