Landing pages are customers’ first impression of your business/services. Your landing page can either increase conversions or in the worst-case increase your bounce rate. There is nothing worse than dedicating time and resources to create the perfect landing page, that sadly doesn’t result in any conversions.
In this article, we will give you tips on the most essentials when it comes to creating successful landing pages.
1#Speed
If users on your website are experiencing a slow response, they will be less likely to find what they are looking for. Research has shown that if a page is taking more than 3 seconds to load, it is expected to be abandoned by the user.
Google Search and Ads have already made page speed as a ranking factor. Pages that provide a superior user experience are getting ranked higher. Ensuring that your page load time is as fast as possible will do wonders for your user experience. Many sites experience slow loading times due to too much JavaScript, or too many un-optimized images.
- Read more about ranking and why it is important here.
There are several tools available online that can help you determine your page speed and areas with red flags that need improvement. PageSpeed Insights is a free online tool that can help you improve speed and performance according to Google WebMaster Guidelines.
2#Be Explicit
Avoid being generic; keep in mind that your traffic sources are not one. Just like you tailor your products and services, so should your landing page. You do not want to appear like a one-stop-shop that can provide everything and do it all. Your landing page should reflect that as well.
You will realize an increase in conversions if you adapt your landing page according to your traffic sources. An easy way of implementing this is by putting yourself in your clients’ shoes. Each client or user searching on Google is trying to find a solution to a problem. The keywords typed into the search query define their problem.
Make sure your landing page is specific and direct and shows exactly solutions to your users’ problems.
3#Too Many Distractions
If you do not grab the attention of your clients within the first 3 seconds, they’re most likely going to be distracted. Today more than ever, people have a short attention span. There are too much information and an overload of choices; therefore, everything needs to happen now, fast and exciting. One of the worst things you can do is having distractions on your landing page that drive users away.
Try using less visual distractions, limit the use of flash and animation. Avoid using navigation that leads them to click away. You can instead focus on your offer, and use a reasonably sized image, bullets, numbers, and bolded H1 and H2 texts. Having a landing page with a chat, pop-ups, and quizzes, are most likely to drive customers away.
4#Your Landing Page doesn’t Resemble your CTA
A commonly occurring problem that many websites see is an increased bounce rate. Users would enter the site then quickly exit it again. This is normal if the call-to-action does not align with what your landing page is offering.
Notice how the user clicked on your CTA because it was enticing enough; your landing page should be in sync with this. To ensure this, what your landing page is offering should be the same as your call-to-action. For example, if your website is offering a free downloadable booklet, your landing page and call-to.-action should clearly show it. Another important aspect is the language used. Your tone and wording should be consistent, to create a seamless transition from traffic to conversion.
5#Poor Mobile Experience
Today, the majority of searches on Google are carried out from mobile phones. The sheer number of people using their mobiles for all online activities is exponential. It’s only natural that people would prefer using the device that’s in their pocket constantly, rather than a laptop or tablet.
When your website is not optimized for a mobile experience, this results in lower-ranking, traffic, and conversions. Why would someone wait for a slow loading page that doesn’t display correctly? How likely are you to buy or commit to a service from an unprofessional functioning site?
Moreover, Google, the largest search engine, has already made the mobile website speed as a ranking factor in the SERP. Today it is more important than ever to ensure your landing page is easily accessible from mobile devices.
- Keep up-to-date with the latest from Google Search here.
6#User Concerns
It is relatively easy to offer a service or product for a price. However, it is harder to ensure that you are covering all the concerns that a customer may have.
When you are searching for a service or product, you start by carrying your research. The research represents a bunch of concerns and objections. If you’re buying a product, you likely want to know about refund options, money-back guarantee and if there is a free trial. If you’re offering a service instead, do you have any case studies or testimonials from others who have tried your service? Were your previous clients satisfied? These are general concerns that clients might have.
In your landing page, addressing these issues is essential to ensure that users convert into clients or customers. If you overlook addressing such concerns your most probably losing customers because they’re bouncing away from your site.
In case you are struggling with connecting to your audience and determining their concerns and objections, you can use some of the online survey tools such as HotJar.
7#Keep it Simple
Do not over complicate your landing page. People usually prefer simple direct and natural processes. There is a charm about simplicity that makes it attractive.
For example, if you’re running an e-commerce shop, how many fields do you actually need for your checkout process. Similarly, if you’re offering a service, how many steps and forms should the user go through.
Complications to these steps are likely to drive your customers away. The more convenient and direct your process, the higher the chance it will results in conversions.
