7 proven tips to optimize your landing page

Landing pages are important. Why? It’s important because it’s the place potential customers land after clicking your ad. It’s the magical place where you have the ability to make an eye-popping and coherent call-to-action. The opportunity to grab your leads by the throat and convert them!  A good landing page can lead to higher conversions and more traffic. Before you even begin making it you need to ask yourself a couple questions. What is your goal, who are my competitors and who is my target market? Once you have a firm grasp on these answers you can start making your landing page. So, in light of its importance we’ve decided to share with you 7 tips on how you can make the most of your landing page.

Mobile Friendly

There are currently more people using mobile phones than laptops. There are almost as many cell phones being used as people in the world- 6.8 Billion. This trend shows no sign of slowing down. Currently more than 65% of online searches lead to action within an hour. Therefore, it’s very important that your landing page is mobile friendly. People are on the go. If your content is straightforward your conversions will also be on the go. There is an increasing urgency for things to be done now. This urgency has been facilitated by cell phones. If your landing page is translated into a mobile version in a simple way more will be happening more often.

The Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your call to action is the most important part of your landing page. If your call-to-action is weak but the rest is good you’re not going to get anywhere. You need something that is going to make your lead follow through, whether it’s filling out a form or placing an order. Consider, for example, the difference between “click here” and “Let’s go!”. Your message needs to be communicated effectively. The more warm and personal the CTA the better your chances are of securing a conversion and not seeing a bounce.

*Tip: Here are a couple good words to consider when making your CTA: “let’s”, “together”, “now” and “want”. Basically, words that create a sense of collaboration or urgency!

Design

Make it pop, but keep it simple. You have an army of fonts, colors and pictures at your disposal. Not to mention limitless possibilities in how you can design it. There is a lot tempting you to put as much into it as possible. However, it’s much more effective to keep it simple. Reserve the most extravagant color for your CTA so that there is no confusion for your visitors about where to go and what must be done. Something important to keep in mind are the visuals or graphics. If you have a lot of graphics it’s going to increase your page’s loading time. According to the Aberdeen group, a two second delay in page-load time results in 10% less views, a 15% decrease in customer satisfaction and a 5% loss in conversions!

Quick, quick the bear is coming!

Imagine for a second that you’re camping in the mountains. You manage to find some signal and somehow end up on a landing page that interests you. All of a sudden you hear you friend scream that a bear is running towards you. You have less than 8 seconds to read, respond to the CTA and get to safety. That’s what needs to be on your mind when you’re making your landing page. Your message needs to be crystal clear and easy enough for someone to see it and know what it’s about almost immediately. If your message and CTA is long and unclear you’re going to be losing leads. We’re living in a world where fast and clear sees results.

Language

This is something that is not exclusively for landing pages but any form of communication. Avoid using words that are difficult for your viewers to understand. On the upside you’ll come off as superior, on the downside you’ll lose conversions. There is a 10% increase in conversions when less technical language is used. If you use familiar words your viewers will feel more comfortable. If they feel comfortable you will have more conversions. It’s very powerful to focus on what your customers want and need in language that they can identify with.  Avoid using words from sales manuals, for example. Just because something sounds effective, doesn’t mean that it translates to your viewers.

Headlines

A good headline should be your message in a nutshell. The content that comes afterwards should only provide necessary explanation. The headline should catch your audience so that if a bear was chasing after them they could almost skip the content and go straight to the CTA. If you wanted you could even include a sub-heading, but I would be careful. Don’t give a sub-heading if your headline can communicate what needs to be communicated.

Don’t Ask for Too Much

When a lead comes to your landing page, the last thing you want to do is scare them away requesting too much info. Keep it short and simple. Only ask for details that are absolutely necessary. If possible, stick only to their email address. If you ask for a lot of information your leads are going to get irritated. Remember, the bear is coming!

Think of a landing page like a man in a bar. You have two guys. One is attractive and the other is not. The one guy uses a bad pick-up line and the other is strong and clear. No need to say which guy has more of an edge. In the same way, it’s important to have a landing page that looks good with a strong and clear message. Also, consider trying new and bold strategies, like the call-only campaign. Landing pages have incredible potential. It’s important to maximize on them.