Your landing page. The number one area on your website that can cause anxiety and distress among all involved with creating it. The goal is to have your customers complete some sort of action. Perhaps they need to buy something or sign up for something. Regardless of what you want them to do, there is one thing that is universal; you want visitors to do something once they get to this page.
But, the question is, does your landing page really work for you? Is it really converting visitors into customers? Learning whether your conversion optimization techniques are truly working is a vital part of any marketing campaign. So, let’s delve a bit deeper into this tricky situation and see what we can find out.
What’s Wrong with my Landing Page?
First, let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that businesses make when they are designing their landing page. One issue that is most common is that the landing page is cluttered and difficult to read. Cluttered pages will get you no customers. Instead, it will get your visitor running for the hills in confusion.
The first thing you should do to correct this problem is to decide which information is pertinent and which isn’t. The idea is to quickly drive home your point, using exciting phrases, that will get your visitors to quickly do whatever it is you have brought them here to do.
Likewise, make sure it’s easy for your visitors to convert. They should be able to sign up for your offer with very little effort. For example, simply entering an email address in a popup box should be enough for them to get your newsletter. Adding much more than this one step process will drive them away faster than anything.
Finally, take a look at the focus of your landing page. If the information is mainly geared towards your company, you’re doing it wrong. The reader should feel as though they will be getting value from what you are offering, and should easily be able to see what this value is from glancing at your landing page.
How can I make it Better?
So, even if you aren’t making any of the mistakes mentioned above, how do you go about making your landing page the best ever? Here are some things you will definitely want to take a look at.
Heading.
The first thing your visitors are going to notice when they come to your landing page is your heading or headline. This simple line should be eye-catching and engaging. Visitors should be excited when they read your headline so they become motivated to follow through with your offer.
Navigation.
You want to limit the amount of ways your visitors can escape your landing page. The goal is to keep them there until they sign up for your offer. One way to do this is to limit the amount of exit points they have away from your landing page. This could mean hiding your site navigation or limiting the amount of links that are present on your landing page.
Image or Video.
You will also want to spend some time looking at the images or videos that you include on your landing page. Images need to be quality shots and showcase exactly what you are offering to your visitors. Videos are also a fantastic option to include on a landing page. In fact, they actually tend to create more conversions than images. However, the video you choose should also be relevant to your offer and be fascinating to watch. Short videos also work best because visitors won’t be willing to watch a long video before signing up for your offer.
Social Media.
Make sure the links to share your landing page are clearly defined and easy to see. Not only do you want your current visitors to complete the action, but you also want them to share it with their friends. For this reason, the easier it is for them to share it the better. You may even want to request they share your event on social media directly, after they have signed up for your offer or before they leave your page.
Content.
Finally, you will need to spend time building quality content to go on your landing page. While you want the information found there to be short and sweet, you also want it to be valuable and intriguing. Never should you make the content boring or just there to fill the page. Instead, make every word count so you can have the best chance of converting visitors to your landing page.
In the end, your landing page is one of the most important pages of your entire website. In fact, some would argue that it is the most important, aside from the checkout page. Because of this, it is extremely important for the landing page you create to be clear, concise and valuable. Taking the necessary time to create this page will make the difference between getting conversions and not.
Not only this, but your landing page can actually affect how your website is viewed by search engines when they analyze your site for placement in the search engines. Understanding this can help you determine exactly where you should be placing items and what items are most important on your landing page.
What are some examples of your favorite and least favorite landing pages? Share them with us in the comments below.
Much success,
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