In our previous blog, we looked at how to get started with using landing pages to increase online conversions. This go-around we’ll delve into what makes a landing page truly great, and better yet, truly effective. Let’s get started!
Headlines
On your landing page, you need to have a headline and it needs to clearly communicate what you propose to do for your customer. Your headline should be bold and short. If you feel like you have a lot you must cram into your headline, your best bet is to break it up into a headline and then a sub-header.
For example, which do you think would be most effective on a landing page:
Our Software Download Can Find All Your Most Important Emails and Save You Time!
Or
Our Software Download Locates Your Important Emails
Save time sorting your inbox!
Or even this:
Our Software Download Saves You Time!
Use it to find all your most important emails first!
Most of us recognize that the first headline example is too long; it’s just trying to say too much. But which of the next two examples is better? One explains what the product does and the sub-header entices with a benefit, the other is reversed. There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, but depending on your campaign, one will be better than the other. One way to find out which is more effective is to try both and track which one gets more conversions. In the Marketing business this is called A/B Testing, and it’s a great way to find out what your customers really respond to.
Content
Now that you’ve crafted your headline, what else goes on the page? You need some content that tells your customer all about your product, giveaway, etc. Avoid using a simple list of the benefits of your product. Instead, help them understand how your product will make them the hero, the winner! Your product isn’t the hero here, nor are you, it’s all about them – your customers. For example, when marketing a knife to home cooks, do you think the customer is envisioning how great it’s going to be to have evenly cut vegetables? No, instead they are skipping ahead mentally to that moment when they serve the perfect dish – to friends, family, at a holiday gathering – and it’s a huge success. The written content’s job is to tell them how your product is going to facilitate getting to that moment.
Also consider your visual content. I’ve said it before (and I’m sure I’ll say it again) – NO stock images! I don’t recommend them for your home page or most other pages in your website. If the landing page is like the front door, make it as attractive and enticing as possible. This may be one area where it’s worth it to hire a professional photographer or videographer to capture your product in all its glory.
“It’s Free”
Using the word “free” in not necessarily a good conversion tactic anymore. We internet users are a jaded bunch now and instantly get suspicious about accepting “free” offers. We know that we are likely to pay a price later for getting a freebie – will our email address get sold on a list? Will we be pressured to buy something else? The word “free” no longer conveys trustworthiness. A study of 20,000 landing pages by the firm Unbounce actually found a 9.24% conversion rate with the word “free” and a 10.79% conversion rate without the word “free.”
Confirmation Page
To go along with your landing page, you’ll need to design a confirmation page. The confirmation page serves to let your customer know that they have successfully done what you asked them to do on the landing page. You’re letting them know you received their order, or confirmed their registration, whatever the goal was. You have a choice with your confirmation page; you can simply say “thank you!” or you can try to continue to engage with your customer. You could offer them a discount on their next purchase, you could offer them an instant download, or even present social sharing buttons and a link to your blog. Whatever you choose to do, be judicious. Don’t clutter up your confirmation page with 5 or 6 offers or links, pick one or two. This is another area where A/B Testing is valuable, to see what your customer chooses.
We hope you enjoyed our 2-part introduction to Landing Pages. If we can help your Raleigh business with a campaign that includes landing pages, call Mike Morris at 919-424-8314 or email Mike@morrisseo.com.
