The landing page of a website is the page that visitors see when they first arrive at a web page after clicking on an advertisement. It is not uncommon for webmasters to create a variety of landing pages that are specific to different ads. Landing pages represent the first impression that a visitor has of a website, and they have a huge impact on the conversion rate of a web page. To ensure that a website’s landing pages are effective, here are some of the most important things to consider.
A Call to Action
Even if someone has the best designed and concise landing page, if visitors don’t know what they are expected to do, they probably won’t. Therefore, it is important to have a prominent call to action. Many webmasters have found great success using bright colors, like orange or yellow, as a background for their call to action. Additionally, it should be on or near the top of the page so that people do not have to scroll down to find it.
Use Testimonials
People are much more comfortable doing business with a website or company that has positive feedback from customers. This is why landing pages should have a few positive referrals and reviews from people who have used the product or service that the landing page is offering. Studies show that specific, product based reviews fare better than general ones that only talk about the company. These should be visible and near the top of the landing page.
Clear Headlines and Subject
Not only will a clear heading and title help people understand what the subject of landing page is, it can also help reduce the cost of ads. Most people that arrive at a website have a specific expectation in mind based on their keyword search and the ad they followed. Landing pages should be sure to meet that goal by directly stating the purpose of the site and providing clear and well written content. Pages that are off message or are confusing are likely to end up with high bounce rates and low conversions.
Focus on Conversions
While most websites focus on having a number of widgets, tools and contact options, successful landing pages tend to be more focused. Webmasters should minimize superfluous information and links and focus on and promote their conversion goal. This will help to prevent visitors from becoming side tracked and following links to other areas or sites.
Keep Testing
There is always room for improvement, especially in the ever changing world of the Internet. Webmasters have discovered that everything from the color scheme of their layout to their call to action wording can negatively or positively affect their conversion rate. To ensure the most accurate results, webmasters should test individual items over a period of time, but small changes can have a huge impact. Mozilla saw a nearly four percent increase in their conversion rate by simply changing their call to action wording to download their free Internet browser Firefox.
Web Designer
Snap offers affordable web design to small businesses Australian wide. It is important to make sure that your web designer is aware of the above points.
Landing pages are so important, that sounds odd to many people I guess, but to me, when I am guest posting or running a campaign of some kind, it makes a huge difference in conversion rate if I have a good landing page.
What I finally realized was that I had to try a couple of different designs in order to find the best design to convert. And sometimes, that just takes a couple of times trying it out. Thank you, Andy, this is an excellent article to show us how important it is to set these up well.
Michael,
Landing page design is definitely not one things fits all. Playing around with it to get the best conversion rate is huge.
BTW, do not thank me! Thank the author for an awesome post.
Andy
Great checklist Andy. I would say to keep things simple too. A lot of times people start with their end goal in mind, but then they add one thing, and another feature, and another image, and suddenly your call to action gets lost.
Just a reminder to keep first things first!
Nate,
It is ok to make everything aesthetically pleasing and to layout the page exactly how you envision it. However, the call to action is crucial and must not be forgotten.
Andy
Yes, I totally agree with Michael. Landing pages can have a huge impact on conversion rates.
A mistake many websites make is cluttering the website with too many options.
Remove any unnecessary distractions and make sure the call to action is clear and simple.
I usually add one call to action above the fold and one at the bottom on the page.
I do the same thing. People will move in directions you can not fathom. Better to have the same call to action there at least twice.
The beauty of a landing page is that it can be easily transformed and customized for each campaign.
Candice,
Absolutely! I have landing pages for a wide variety of topics. They are all similar, but different based upon the campaign.
Andy
Thanks Andy! Actually you have a very interesting article here! Thank you once again!