Did you know that all landing pages are web pages, but not all web pages are landing pages?
If you answered, “Wow, I didn’t know that,” let’s first define a landing page. It will help you as we discuss seven landing page musts to increase your conversion rates. A landing page:
- Exists to persuade your customer to take an action.
- Captures your web visitor’s information. This is the conversion event that ultimately leads to conversion rate optimization.
- Has a form on it.
- Is uncluttered.
- Focuses on one action.
The most important part of your landing page is the form that exists on it. The landing page form has one purpose, and that is for your web visitor to give you information about themselves (contact info) so you can give them something in return.
That something in return could be a subscription to your email list or blog, a whitepaper, a manual or the ability to purchase from your website.
Increasing your conversion rate is vital to the success of your business, and your landing pages are the tool for success.
In this article, we are discussing seven landing page musts to increase your conversion rates. You’ll find tips and pointers to help you optimize your pages.
#1: A Cohesive Campaign
Let’s assume you are using email, social media or paid advertising to encourage users to visit your landing page. That means you already have an image and text that you are using in your advertising campaign.
When it comes time to design your landing page, you want to make sure that you use the same images and language on your landing page. You want your visitor to know they’ve landed on the page they were directed to.
In other words, your ad copy/images and your landing page should match for the best success.
Google AdWords uses the quality of your landing page to create a score they use to determine your cost per click. You want to support your ad with a landing page that corresponds. Plus, it saves you money.
This also helps you by increasing the likelihood that web visitors will take the desired action because it’s actually a page they clicked thru to visit.
#2: A Strong Call to Action
The whole point of your landing page is the call to action – the exchange. Let your landing page visitors know exactly what you want them to do once they land on your page.
Your effective call to action (CTA) automatically encourages your landing page visitor to take an action.
When crafting your call to action, take time to think about the wording and the design of your button. Spend some time looking at best practices. Consider testing verbiage and button color.
Lastly, make sure your button stands out and is above the fold on as many devices as possible.
#3: One Offer Only
Your landing page must have only one offer. Why?
Because you have one goal with each of your landing pages. In order to meet that goal, you have to make the conversion process as easy as possible for your website visitor. If you provide more than one option, you’ll confuse them.
If you have more than one offer, than create a new landing page. Alternately, you could A/B test multiple pages giving each one its own offer.
Keep your offer simple to make the entire process smooth. Look at the process as a whole: you run a social media ad campaign, your ad copy and visuals match your landing page copy, and the offer is the same on both pages. The end result is a customer who knows exactly what they want and can very quickly take your desired action without having to wade through multiple offers on the same page.
#4: Visually Appealing Design
If you want to increase your conversion rates, your landing page should be uncluttered and visually attractive. Don’t throw it together. Plan its design. Don’t just settle for a cookie-cutter design. Make it unique.
You definitely want to include some basic information such as your logo and contact information. We suggest that it look like the rest of your brand.
#5: A Short Form
We can’t emphasize this enough – make it easy for your website visitor to do business with you. Make the exchange of information as easy as possible.
We’ve mentioned the strong call to action and the button. It’s equally important to keep your form short. Ask for the absolute minimum amount of information.
Guide your landing page visitor to the form. Then, just ask them to fill out a few fields. Don’t overwhelm them or give them too many choices. The more fields you give them, the less likely they are to follow through.
Think name, email address, and if absolutely necessary, phone number.
#6: Security Information
Today’s consumer is hit with so many offers each day. Studies show the average person sees more than 5,000 ads or brand exposures each day. This is why it’s so important to validate your business.
To improve your conversion rate optimization, the website visitor must see you as trustworthy. We’ve put together a list of some ways to prove you are trustworthy, and your site is secure:
- 3rd party trust certifications such as VeriSign, industry-specific accreditations or the Better Business Bureau
- Testimonials and Reviews
- News mentions
- Some sort of guarantee
#7: A/B Testing
Test your landing pages consistently. For example, you might test headlines or button color. Use you’re A/B testing capabilities to learn which works best. (Note: don’t test both at the same time as this doesn’t provide exact results.)
A/B testing allows you to improve your landing pages and your conversion rate optimization. Monitor your response rates and change your landing page if necessary.
To Conclude
With these seven landing page musts, you’ll increase your conversion rates. Be patient and give them time to work. Always evaluate and continually test to optimize your landing pages.
So, keep it simple, make it attractive, include a strong offer and call to action, and you’re well on your way to increasing your conversion rates.
If you’d like more information on how to increase your conversion rates, we can help. Conversion rate optimization and lead generation are our specialty. We can help you craft super calls to action that drive more visitors to your landing pages and improve your overall conversion rate. Contact us today.
We’ll provide you with our FREE site performance analysis so we can work on your landing page conversion rates.
Image: Daria Nepriakhina
Thanks for the excellent article. I guess the KISS idea is very important. the same applies to people being visual vs. reading a bunch of verbiage.