A complete stranger is looking for mortgage advice. Do you think they want the facts or to be entertained? To feel excited or safe? Reassured by your reviews or impressed by jazzy design?
Make it easier to read
More clicks on a Google Ad: In a split second on a Google search results page, the brain is pulled toward the path of least resistance. If the ad doesn’t get to the point, the user scrolls past it to the ad that tells the brain: “Here is the mortgage advice you asked for.”
Easy to read experiment: We tested 2 Google Ads. One was written so that a 10 year old would understand it, the other was written for adults. The more basic, easier to read ad (for 10 year olds but read by adults) got more clicks.
Use less words
The “Tax” of Extra Words: Extra words are a “tax” on the reader’s time. When readers see a long, “exciting” block of text, they perceive it as high-effort and are more likely to skip it.
The Skim Factor: Everyone skims. If you try to build a story to keep things “exciting,” the reader will likely miss the point because they are darting around the page looking for what’s important to them.
Short email experiment: We tested short email newsletters (one paragraph) versus long email newsletters (multiple paragraphs). The long email newsletter had a click through rate of 1% the short emails had a click through rate of 11%. The shorter emails were more effective.
Book recommendation: Writing for busy readers — This book has lots of example of experiments that show less words drive more action
Use concrete language instead of abstract adjectives
Abstract (Bad): “Amazing,” “Outstanding,” “Incredible.” These are “empty” words, they take up space without providing information.
Concrete (Good): Get mortgage advice today.
Concrete Google Ads experiment: We tested 2 Google Ads. One used ‘boring’, straight to the point content. The other used quotes from Google reviews about how amazing the team is. The boring ad’s click through rate was 52% higher. More people clicked the boring ad.
Do basic Q&A
This is backed by user behavior. Our search analytics show that the vast majority of people search for basic, ‘boring’ mortgage questions. Web pages structured as simple Q&A, see visitors spending longer on the page to read it. What people truly want is specific clarity over entertainment.
You’ll also be more likely to feature in Google and AI search results if you answer the questions that people are searching for.
Q&A experiment: We interviewed an advisor about joint borrowers with a sole proprietor. We asked frequently googled questions on the subject then used the transcript to create an article. This new content replaced the copy written by a professional copywriter. The page is now featured on page one of Google and in AI search results. The page now generates leads when before there was none. The boring Q&A content out performed the exciting sales copy.
Yes mortgages are ‘boring’ but that’s what people want
Don’t use the boring factor as an excuse to create content. Basic, ‘boring’ and reassuring content converts strangers to clients.