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Originally Posted by VacMan  JimOfferman,
I agree that usability is important on any website.
I'm talking about converting traffic into sales.
They seem to be separate subjects. |
They are not. Poor usability means less traffic is converted into sales, so I'd say the subjects are pretty connected.
Really, go read a bunch of Nielsen's alertbox columns. He has done extensive research into all the different stumbling blocks for website users.
It is unfortunate that they never give any indication to the lengths of the copy they test with. But I'd dare to wager that their long landing page was a few paragraphs at most, not half a books worth of text. And it probably did not have the scammy formatting.
The article doesn't actually say that long is always better.
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Both short- and long-copy pages offer some advantages to the website owner. Depending on your product or service, you may find that one serves you better than the other. Or you may find that some areas of your site warrant long copy while others require more brevity.
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So your mileage may vary. What is it that really counts? Quality!
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The long vs. short debate often overlooks the most important factor when it comes to website copy: quality. High-quality short copy will outperform poorly written long copy every time. The best possible copy should be developed and tested before you even begin to worry about the long vs. short debate.
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(emphasis is mine)
My opinion (as a former professional web designer) is that layout and content that work in harmony to broadcast "this is a quality product" will outperform anything that screams "this is a scam!".