People visiting websites are subject to sudden changes in their state of mind.  Just a few words can send people down a new mental and emotional path.

The psychology of website behavior is the stuff of books, lectures, and college courses.  We can’t begin to cover it all, but here is an example that epitomizes the temperamental state-of-mind of website visitors.

It has to do with what is known as stop words.  These are words or phrases that are put in to reassure people, but that in fact trigger a negative psychological reaction.  For the business website, this hinders conversions.

The most common lead-generation website stop word is the term spam.  Numerous businesses have split-test the following scenario, all with the same negative impact on conversions.

What the businesses do is put the phrase “We will never spam you” or “We don’t spam” next to the conversion button where the visitor submits their contact information.

Of course, this phrase is meant to reassure the visitor their email won’t get spammed with sales messages.  However, split-testing on this phrase shows consistently that it has the opposite effect.  When a phase using the term “spam” is included, it backfires – causing conversions to go down.

What’s happening?

Planting the Seeds of Doubt

Stop words like “spam” offer us a window into the mind of the website visitor.

The conclusion drawn from these split-tests is that seeing the term “spam” planted the seeds of doubt in the prospect’s mind.  Even though the messages states you won’t get spammed, the negative connotation gave the visitor cause to pause.

Similar results have been discovered with phrases like “no gimmicks” or “no payment required”.

What does this tell us about the psychology of the website visitor being confronted with a sales message?

In a few words, they are:

• Cautious
• Flighty
• Temperamental
• Impatient
• Mercurial
• Excitable
• Capricious
• Whimsical
• Erratic

This is part of the nature of the the internet – and the nature of people.  When you give someone cause to pause, they’ll exit your website.  With so many choices available, any hint of doubt motivates further search.

People read “no payment required”, but in their mind they start thinking about how payment will be required.  What else will be required?  I don’t want to be required to do anything…what else is out there?

It’s not logical.  But it is human nature.

The takeaway from this is that you want to avoid stop words and replace them with terms that have a positive connotation.

So instead of “We won’t spam you”, say “We guarantee 100% privacy”.

Instead of “No payment required”, say “Free Offer”.

Reactions to your online content are virtually instantaneous, and decisions emotional.

To generate leads, you have to answer the unspoken question, “What’s in it for me?” without triggering the unspoken reaction “I’m not sure about this”.

It’s a fine line.  And it explains why research, data analysis, and webpage testing can make such a difference in conversion rates.