It’s not enough in 2014 to simply drive people to the front page o your website and hope that they’ll find what they need. More and more company websites are relying on landing pages to ensure that a potential client lands on a page that walks them through the sale or contact process.
WHAT IS A LANDING PAGE?
A landing page is exactly as it sounds; a page that your potential client will’land’ on or reach when they click on asearch engine link,a post on social media or a link in an email you send.
It bypasses the front page ofthe website, driving the visitor exactly where you need them to be.
SOUNDS A DODDLE!
Unfortunately not. For many years companies have built what they would call landing pages, but are simply carbon copies of a website’s front page with a few keyphrases changed. Not only does this tactic not work, it’s also not good for your search engine listings and can in some instances see your site penalised.
OK, SO WHAT DOES A LANDING PAGE NEED?
Well, here are my top ten tips for landing pages that convert:
1) DECIDE WHAT THE AIM OF YOUR LANDING PAGE IS
Some landing pages are created purely to complete a transaction and allow your customer to buy. Others may be data capture pages with the intent of getting a potential contact to sign up to a mailing list. Make sure that whatever your landing page is, the focus of the page is purely on that.
Landing pages are not meant to be all things to all people, so concentrate on the task in hand.
One page, one objective.
2) USING YOUR HEADLINE, DESCIBE THE SOLUTION YOU PROVIDE
The headline is probably the first thing people will see on your page, so make it stand out!
Use bold text or graphics for your headline, and bold claims work well too.
Examples of great headlines for a landing page include:
* Not enough traffic to your website? Download our FREE whitepaper now!
* Lose weight quickly and easily with our fantastic new diet supplement
* Find your perfect match by signing up with Your Perfect Match today!
* Get [your product] for half price and watch [your problem] melt away!
3) DON’T FORGET YOUR SUB HEADING
Sub headings may be in smaller type, but they’re just as important, as they begin to back up the claims you made in the headline.
So, in the examples above, we might use the following sub headings:
* See your site traffic soar in a matter of days
* 86% of users lost 14lbs in just 4 weeks
* Over 57,000 singles online right now
* Get [product] half price for just 5 days
4) USE IMAGES
Landing pages need to be bright and persuasive, which just isn’t possible if all you use is text.
A bold image at the beginning attracts interest,and smaller graphics throughout the page give interest and draw the reader’s eye.
5) USE TESTIMONIALS
If you can, get testimonials from your clients and customers, and USE THEM!
Nothing sells aproduct better than recommendations from other people. Ideally you would be able to use the real name, picture and website link of the person giving the recommendation, as this is much more trustworthy than ‘said Doris B from Worcester’.
6) WRITE COMPELLING COPY: BUT KEEP IT SIMPLE
Gone are the days when landing pages had to be 8000 word masterpieces covered in yellow highlights and flashing graphics.
I’m not denying that pages like that work for some people, but not only do they look unprofessional, they’re far too busy for the average reader. You want your reader to decide quickly that your product or service is for them, not to have to wade through tons of copy to find out what you expect them to do.
Keep your copy short and simple – explain the benefits and features of your product in as simple terms as you can.
7) DON’T FORGET YOUR CALL TO ACTION
The single worst mistake I see on landing pages is no call to action. A call to action could be ‘sign up here’,’buy now’, ‘call the hotline straight away’ -something that tells your reader what they should do next.
Make sure your call to action is bold and brave – whetherin a different font, different coloured text, or an eyecatching graphic.
Depending on the length of your copy, I’d also suggest using your call to action more than once on a page – maybe after your introduction, after the testimonials, and after your closing paragraph?
8) IF IT’S A FREE DOWNLOAD OR DATA CAPTURE, DON’T FORGET THE FORM!
Make sure the form you include looks as attractive as possible.
I can hear you saying ‘But a form’s a form, right?’ Well, no.
– An attractively designed form will attract more signups than a poorly designed one
– A form asking for as little information as possible is more likely to be filled in than one asking for every bit of info you can think of.
If your page is more than one screen length then include the form at the top of the piece (maybe in place of the right hand column of your site) AND at the bottom.
9) DON’T LET THEM STRAY!
Your landing page is meant to be astandalone page, so limit distractions by removing navigation to the rest of your site.
It sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it? If they’re not interested in your offer, then you WANT them to look at the rest of your site.
But think about it; you’ve spent time and effort (and possibly money) to bring them to this carefully crafted page – you want to keep them there until you have either the sale or the info you need. If they start clicking about on interesting looking links, they may not return and your efforts have been in vain.
The only navigation a landing page needs is a link to your home page via your logo,and redirection to your home page once they have completed the action you require.
10) OPTIMISE YOUR ‘SUBMIT’ BUTTON
If you require your visitor to send a form, the default wording on the ‘submit’ button just isn’t enough. Why spend time crafting fantastic copy, making your page look pretty and optimising your call to action, and then fall at the last hurdle?
It sounds like a small thing, but it adds to the overall appearance of your page.
So, instead of having the wording ‘submit’ on your button, jaz it up a bit:
– Get your xxx NOW!
– Download your free report NOW!
– Start losing weight right away!
Get the picture?
These are just ten tips for creating a killer landing page – hopefully they’ll help you on your way.
I’d also recommend reading the following:
– 101 Landing Page Optimization Tips http://unbounce.com/101-landing-page-optimization-tips/
A long read but well worth it; covering what to do and, more importantly, what not to do.
– 7 Tips Every Great Landing Page Needs http://www.quicksprout.com/2013/09/26/7-things-every-great-landing-page-needs/
Some great tips from Quick Sprout, including Building Trust.
And finally, here’s a great infographic from Infusionsoft http://blog.infusionsoft.com/infographic-7-ingredients-to-create-the-perfect-landing-page/ that, along with my tips, will help you to build the perfect landing page.