Landing Pages: How NOT to Complicate Conversion
So much has been written on creating landing pages we should all be masters at the craft. It’s one of our best points of contact to change visitors into leads. But many of us still falter with its construction, and we inevitably hurt our conversion rate.
Why?
We tend to forget the one fundamental that really applies to almost any marketing effort.
Simplicity.
A great landing page is simplistic. It never asks or offers more than needed.
Think about it; you’ve already done the job of getting them to the page. At this point of contact, your single goal is now to get them to fill out the form. Doing more than this could jeopardize conversion.
So how exactly do you “uncomplicate” the process?
1. Simplify the offer. Whether or not your business has more than one product or service is irrelevant. Only provide the information pertinent to the offer at hand. By tempting visitors with other offers, you could persuade them to leave the page and send them to one that isn’t as targeted to their needs.
2. Simplify the copy. Most visitors arrive at a landing page from another page. One that’s already enticed them with the offer. By asking people to read additional info, the on-second-thoughts start creeping in — and fast. Don’t give them a reason to click away. Keep copy short and to the point, focusing only on benefits.
3. Simplify the form. Requesting too much information from visitors quickly erodes conversion. No matter what anyone tells you, ask for the bare minimum. Name and email address is all you really need at this stage. Once someone becomes a lead, you have plenty of time to get any remaining chapter and verse.
4. Simplify the design. With landing pages, space is at a premium. So don’t waste it. Keep graphics clean and polished, sticking with only those related to the offer. The same can also be said for calls-to-action, headlines, claims and testimonials. If you try to cram too much on a page, you risk looking unprofessional.
5. Simplify the work. Don’t make visitors work for the offer — at all. Even asking someone to scroll down can hurt conversion. This requires a lot more work on your part, but you’ll end up with a very succinct page that delivers more leads through your sales funnel.
Once you’ve simplified your landing page, you can track your progress. Better yet, create two landing pages for the same product or service to test conversion. And then tweak the copy, graphics and anything else on the page to determine what works best for your audience.
This post was originally published on Beneath the Brand.