Landing page optimization is extremely important because how well it’s done really determines if the most important action that you want your visitor to do – to convert – happens or not.
There’s really no comprehensive guide that you can follow when creating your landing page and automatically make it convert like crazy.
Why?
For one, because landing pages have so many different purposes.
They can be used to make someone to buy a product, click an affiliate link or join an email list. All of these require slightly different optimizing tactics.
The other reason is that you have to do the testing yourself. Every audience is different so it’s in your responsibility to test how the copy works, what is the best place for the call-to-action, what kind of image to use etc.
While there’s no highway to happiness when it comes to landing page optimization, there are still few pieces of advice that apply to almost all types of landing pages.
Below I’ll explain some landing page optimization best practices that – when done correctly – will significantly improve your landing page conversion rates.
Remove the navigation and other links
Navigation and all other links should be removed from the landing page so that there’s no escape route for the visitor other than your call-to-action button, form etc..
You’ve got them this close to conversion so why would you like to give them an easy opportunity to go back and escape.
Don’t just ask, tell them what to do!
The copy of the page should be compact and the benefits of the offer should be clearly presented. You should also consider using slightly aggressive tone in the text.
If you want a visitor to do something there’s no point asking them or letting them know that your offer is available.
Just tell them to do something!
Here’s an example, compare these two:
If you want, you can download my ebook by filling in the form on the right.”
“Download my ebook by filling in the form.”
The first example doesn’t actually tell the visitor to do anything. It just informs you that there’s an ebook available for downloading.
Example number two is more aggressive and it tells the reader to download the ebook.
It may seem ridiculous that you have to tell people what to do, but actually it’s not.
People are bad in making decisions so something you just have to push them a bit. ߘ
Use bullets
Bullets should be used because there are people who just scan the page and will not read the text thoroughly.
The bullets should contain 3-5 main benefits of your offer and be so clear that without reading anything else the visitor can make a decision if he/she will grab the offer or not.
If you donɢt want to stick with those black dots there’s no one stopping you from getting little more visual.
Use images or/and video
It’s a cliche but images are worth a thousand words. Videos are even more effective.
It’s actually proven that videos can increase conversion rates by as much as 144%. That’s a lot!
If you decide to go with images make sure they are big.
Keep your forms short
The length of the form should be relative to the offer. If you offer something valuable, it’s ok to ask a bit more information about the visitor.
If you are just asking them to join the email list, an email address is enough.
You wouldn’t want to fill in your occupation, financial status etc.. just to receive a newsletter – right?
Make the your CTA button clear and visible
A call-to-action or CTA is explains itself pretty much. It’s used to call for visitors to take an action.
CTA can be a button or an image or even just a link in the text.
Here you can see how NBA uses call-to-action button to promote their All-star Weekend Package.
Nba allstar 2016 call to action
When you are adding a call-to-action button on your landing page, be sure to:
Use bright and attention-grabbing colors
Use action-oriented words
Place it above the fold
These are just guidelines and by testing you are able to see what works for your audience.
Make the content shareable
Add sharing buttons so that those who are blown away by the greatness of your offer are able to spread the word to their friends as well.
If you are using WordPress, you can use plugins like GetSocial or SumoMe to add share buttons to your site.
Do A/B testing and optimize
Testing your landing page is the most important thing.
A/B testing means that you will compare two variations of an element, for example green and blue button and see which one performs better.
One of the most famous A/B tests was done in Silicon Valley when Marissa Mayer ordered the Google engineers to test 40 different shades of blue and see which of the shades performs the best.
You don’t have to go that far but the reality is that there’s no way of finding out if your site is optimal for conversions unless you measure the activities that happen on your site and optimize your site based on the results.
Here’s a statement from Optimizely that offers tools for A/B testing:
A/B testing allows individuals, teams, and companies to make careful changes to their user experiences while collecting data on the results. This allows them to construct hypotheses, and to learn better why certain elements of their experiences impact user behavior. In another way, they can be proven wrong—their opinion about the best experience for a given goal can be proven wrong through an A/B test.
You can easily do A/B tests on your site using Google Analytics or tools like Optimizely.
Ariana enjoys blogging and nurtures interest on all most all topics. She contributes in many reputed blogs, social platforms and makes her living as a content writer. She is associated with Content Rally and Real Wealth Business.
There’s really no comprehensive guide that you can follow when creating your landing page and automatically make it convert like crazy.
Why?
For one, because landing pages have so many different purposes.
They can be used to make someone to buy a product, click an affiliate link or join an email list. All of these require slightly different optimizing tactics.
The other reason is that you have to do the testing yourself. Every audience is different so it’s in your responsibility to test how the copy works, what is the best place for the call-to-action, what kind of image to use etc.
While there’s no highway to happiness when it comes to landing page optimization, there are still few pieces of advice that apply to almost all types of landing pages.
Below I’ll explain some landing page optimization best practices that – when done correctly – will significantly improve your landing page conversion rates.
Remove the navigation and other links
Navigation and all other links should be removed from the landing page so that there’s no escape route for the visitor other than your call-to-action button, form etc..
You’ve got them this close to conversion so why would you like to give them an easy opportunity to go back and escape.
Don’t just ask, tell them what to do!
The copy of the page should be compact and the benefits of the offer should be clearly presented. You should also consider using slightly aggressive tone in the text.
If you want a visitor to do something there’s no point asking them or letting them know that your offer is available.
Just tell them to do something!
Here’s an example, compare these two:
If you want, you can download my ebook by filling in the form on the right.”
“Download my ebook by filling in the form.”
The first example doesn’t actually tell the visitor to do anything. It just informs you that there’s an ebook available for downloading.
Example number two is more aggressive and it tells the reader to download the ebook.
It may seem ridiculous that you have to tell people what to do, but actually it’s not.
People are bad in making decisions so something you just have to push them a bit. ߘ
Use bullets
Bullets should be used because there are people who just scan the page and will not read the text thoroughly.
The bullets should contain 3-5 main benefits of your offer and be so clear that without reading anything else the visitor can make a decision if he/she will grab the offer or not.
If you donɢt want to stick with those black dots there’s no one stopping you from getting little more visual.
Use images or/and video
It’s a cliche but images are worth a thousand words. Videos are even more effective.
It’s actually proven that videos can increase conversion rates by as much as 144%. That’s a lot!
If you decide to go with images make sure they are big.
Keep your forms short
The length of the form should be relative to the offer. If you offer something valuable, it’s ok to ask a bit more information about the visitor.
If you are just asking them to join the email list, an email address is enough.
You wouldn’t want to fill in your occupation, financial status etc.. just to receive a newsletter – right?
Make the your CTA button clear and visible
A call-to-action or CTA is explains itself pretty much. It’s used to call for visitors to take an action.
CTA can be a button or an image or even just a link in the text.
Here you can see how NBA uses call-to-action button to promote their All-star Weekend Package.
Nba allstar 2016 call to action
When you are adding a call-to-action button on your landing page, be sure to:
Use bright and attention-grabbing colors
Use action-oriented words
Place it above the fold
These are just guidelines and by testing you are able to see what works for your audience.
Make the content shareable
Add sharing buttons so that those who are blown away by the greatness of your offer are able to spread the word to their friends as well.
If you are using WordPress, you can use plugins like GetSocial or SumoMe to add share buttons to your site.
Do A/B testing and optimize
Testing your landing page is the most important thing.
A/B testing means that you will compare two variations of an element, for example green and blue button and see which one performs better.
One of the most famous A/B tests was done in Silicon Valley when Marissa Mayer ordered the Google engineers to test 40 different shades of blue and see which of the shades performs the best.
You don’t have to go that far but the reality is that there’s no way of finding out if your site is optimal for conversions unless you measure the activities that happen on your site and optimize your site based on the results.
Here’s a statement from Optimizely that offers tools for A/B testing:
A/B testing allows individuals, teams, and companies to make careful changes to their user experiences while collecting data on the results. This allows them to construct hypotheses, and to learn better why certain elements of their experiences impact user behavior. In another way, they can be proven wrong—their opinion about the best experience for a given goal can be proven wrong through an A/B test.
You can easily do A/B tests on your site using Google Analytics or tools like Optimizely.
Ariana enjoys blogging and nurtures interest on all most all topics. She contributes in many reputed blogs, social platforms and makes her living as a content writer. She is associated with Content Rally and Real Wealth Business.
Topics:
Landing Page Optimiaztion
