A targeted landing page can convert traffic into leads into sales. Which is great, except that not all landing pages are doing what they were intended to do. Is yours one of them? How would you know?
Landing pages should prompt consumer action. They are the place where you tell consumers what you want them to do and entice them to do it. So, they are critical to the success of your site.
If you think that your landing pages might need a tweak, check out the following best practices. Then ask yourself—am I doing it right?
#1 Eliminate distractions
They are the bane of all effective landing pages. The navigation bars and menus, the search boxes, the pretty flash animation. All the shiny objects and exits on the page that keep people from completing the desired action.
Visual elements and too many exits can sabotage your landing page. Limit the number of ways that visitors can leave, so that they aren’t tempted to wander away. If you must include navigation elements—hide them!
#2 Simplify the content and design
Keep your landing pages clean and uncluttered, and reduce extraneous content. This is the place for information-dense text and a streamlined design, not sensory overload.
Try putting more of your content into bullet points and lists. Bold headlines to make them stand out and use fewer but larger images. Don’t give people too much to have to absorb or they will get distracted from the purpose, a la point #1.
#3 Make your offer compelling
Offering real value should be the focus of your landing page. So every piece of content, including the button, should be worded to emphasize the value and the benefit. Instead of “Submit”, use “Download your Free Trial!” or “Get your Ebook Now!”
People want to know exactly what they are getting in exchange for that email address, so make it crystal clear.
#4 Add links for sharing
Guess what? Your audience, their friends and colleagues are on social media. So enable sharing of your landing page, to make it simple for these folks to get to your offers. One visitor clicking the Like button, or pinning your site, could potentially lead to hundreds or even thousands more.
#5 Keep your forms short
Brief, to the point and “above the fold” is the way to go with your forms. Particularly with first contacts, you don’t want to ask for too much, too soon. Keep it to a name and email address, maybe an optional phone number, and don’t make them scroll to get to it.
Short, simple forms reduce the friction (i.e. hassle, complication) that often prevents further action on the part of the visitor.
#6 Test and monitor constantly
Landing pages are very testable. Check your conversion and page analytics on a regular basis to determine how they are doing. Engage in A/B testing to see how minor tweaks, or perhaps even a completely different design, can improve your landing pages’ performance.
Take advantage of online landing page tools designed to help you see what’s working and what’s not, and to find the right design and layout for your company.
Adhere to these best practices to ensure successful landing pages that convert more leads into sales and more visitors into paying customers.