As an eCommerce site you most likely employ many tactics to increase your traffic. With more than $3 billion spent on paid search alone, you might think that increasing traffic to your site is the best way to increase revenue.
It’s just one way.
Many eCommerce sites overlook the landing page. They spend so much time focusing on driving traffic, social media and page rank, that they forget the landing page. That’s got to change. The landing page is one of the most important ways to increase your revenue.
According to econsultancy, for every $92 spent acquiring customers, sites only spend $1 converting them. Let’s examine this lopsided stat. This study says that sites spend nearly $100 getting people to their site, but then they only spend $1 to keep them there. The odds they’ll stay? We’d say not too well.
Let’s clarify the landing page. A landing page doesn’t mean only your home page. A “landing page” is any page on your site that visitors can “land” on. Thus stems the importance of optimizing every “landing page” on your site.
We’re going to talk about seven landing page optimization mistakes eCommerce companies make and through this discussion, help spread the word about the importance of landing page optimization.
Mistake #1: The Mismatched Headline
Suppose you are selling men’s fishing boots, and you’ve created a Google Ad. Your ad headline says, “Looking for Men’s Shearling Fishing Boots?”
When a visitor sees the ad and clicks on it, they have a certain expectation of what they want to see. Many ecommerce sites make the mistake of not continuing the headline on the landing page.
If your landing page headline is not the same or incredibly similar to your ad headline, the odds you’ll lose the conversion and the sale are high.
You must continue the conversation started in your ad right onto the landing page. Give your website visitor exactly what they expect when they clicked on your ad.
Mistake #2: Not Testing
Yes, testing takes time, but it is vital to your landing page optimization.
In the simplest terms, create two versions of your landing page. You can, of course, create more. Use one page as your control, and call this the A page. On your B page, consider changing the headline or the call to action. Perhaps you’ll want to add a video in place of the image. Test one thing on each page. So, if you want to test another item, create a C page.
Testing your landing page shows you which one is doing better. After a period of time, you can eliminate the poor performers and stick with the most optimized landing page.
Testing may seem like a daunting task, and if it seems too complex, get ahold of a landing page expert. They can help you test and optimize your landing pages.
Mistake #3: Not Speaking Directly to the New Customer
Shopify explains that new visitors behave very differently than returning visitors. Many ecommerce sites make the mistake of treating new and returning visitors in the same fashion.
If you look at your analytics, you’ll most likely find that most visitors to your site are new visitors, so let’s treat them as such. Here are a few ways you can entice the new customer to stay by speaking directly to them:
- Offer a coupon for first time buyers.
- Make the landing page clear. Let’s take the example of the men’s boots above. The new visitor lands on your page, but all they see are rows and rows of boots. Why should they buy the boots from you? Include a visual at the top of the page that tells the visitor exactly what’s on the page. Show your shipping options. Tell them why they should buy from you – in just a few words, please.
Mistake #4: Not Speaking Directly to the Returning Customer
Your return customers are your bread and butter. Returning visitors to your site typically spend more than new visitors. They’ve already visited and purchased once. Now, they’re back for more.
A study found that new customers spend on average $24.50, and return customers spend $52.50. The study confirms that it’s easier to convert a returning customer than a new one.
Assuming you have cookies on your eCommerce site, here are a few ways to speak to your returning customers:
- Offer a coupon for returning customers.
- Show them previously viewed items.
- Tell them there’s something still in their cart.
- Give them a link to your store’s new arrivals.
Mistake #5: Using Too Much Text
Busy people don’t have time to read all that text. Catch them fast, or you’ll lose them. Use images and short bursts of text. Communicate your product and message up front.
If you need to include a lot of text, use images, icons and color to break it up for easy readability.
Mistake #6: Choice Overload
The paradox of choice from Barry Schwartz explains that choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.
What’s that have to do with ecommerce landing pages? It means that humans are unable or unwilling to cope with a huge variety of choices.
Have you ever searched for a product online, only to end up on a landing page with row after row of choices – most of which don’t apply to what you were looking for?
If you reduce choices, you’ll increase conversions, namely purchases.
How do you fix this? Offer a way for your customer to narrow their choices on your landing page. Let’s say a consumer is searching for jeans and they clicked on your search result. If you take them to a page with children’s, men’s and women’s jeans, they’ll probably bolt from your site because there are too many choices.
Instead of showing them rows of choices, invite them to narrow their query. Use images on your landing page peppered with a bit of text. The jeans page might show a man, boy, woman, girl and baby in jeans.
Your customer can then easily pick their choice and end up on the page they desire.
Mistake #7: Not Capturing an Email
One of the best ways to speak to your new visitor is to present them with an email sign-up form. Pop-ups are a good solution for this.
They work best when tied to an offer. Use the email capture to offer an instant discount and/or free gift. This invites their participation and gives them something in return.
Your Next Steps
While these are just seven of the landing page optimization mistakes ecommerce companies make, they are some of the most important.
When creating your next landing page, step back and make some notes. Strategize how your page will work. Consider the new and returning visitor. Create the page to encourage conversions and engagement.
Good landing pages aren’t built in an hour. Take time, think them through, and you’re well on your way to increasing revenue.
Would you like some assistance implementing these ideas? We’re here to help. What’s more, we guarantee your results. Contact us today. We’d love to talk with you about optimizing your landing pages for better outcomes.
Image: Terrance Heath
