Are You Giving Your Landing Pages The Attention They Deserve?

Arguably, no single page anywhere on your website is more important than your landing page(s).  That’s where all your time spent on content, and web hosting, and social media finally pays off.  You make a value proposition to the customer -be it for a sale or just a free newsletter- and see if your efforts have been worth it.

Every landing page on your site should be given the utmost attention, because each one is a pitch.  Just as a salesperson seeks to refine their technique to drive more sales, your landing pages should be tested and re-tested and refined to get the most and best qualified leads.

So, we’ve got some tips to ensure your pages are driving plenty of conversions.

Four More Great Ways To Refine Your Landing Pages

1 – Website visitors are easily distra…Squirrel!

A great landing page should be stripped down.  You don’t want unnecessary links that might take a visitor away from your site, because there’s no telling what a visitor may randomly decide to click on, never to return.  Many even advocate a true “blind alley” approach to landing page design, with literally no links aside from the signup button.

This also goes for visual elements.  Use a very clean, newspaper- or poster-like landing page design, with clear visual cues to point your visitor at the most important parts.  Don’t clutter it up with unnecessary graphics, or deploy fancy scrolling/animated backgrounds.   These almost inevitably make it harder for users to find the right button.

2 – Drop the jargon and make it understandable

Don’t outsource your landing page copy to your usual 1c/word freelancer, or at least don’t blindly post up what they provide.  If there is ONE set of copy on a website that should be checked by multiple eyes, and edited for improvements, it’s your landing page.

It should clearly lay out how your product\offer is different from dozens of other options out there.  This does not mean filling it up with jargon or your own trademarks.  That can start throwing up red flags for a reader, who’s likely to distrust an excess of bafflegab.  If they can’t figure out what your product actually does, in real-world terms, they’re unlikely to continue.

Remember: Just about anyone in an organization might be reading this, not just someone well-versed in industry terminology.

3 – Include the right kind of social proof

By and large, visitors simply do not care how many thousands of people have “Liked” your webpage or otherwise socially interacted with it.  Those numbers are easy to inflate, and everyone knows it.

With the above being said, other numbers can be social proof. If you’re displaying how many numbers users a platform/application has, or statistics that convey your business’ performance/position in the market.

However, quality testimonials or other quotations of praise can be highly effective, if they’re seen as being from someone who’s similar to the visitor.  If you’re going to include some, always include the username of the person who said it, so the visitor can potentially verify its authenticity.

4 – Answer questions before they need to be asked

Your landing page should try to anticipate questions\objections a reader might have, before they need to ask.  Address the questions your sales\support staff hear most often, or poll potential customers about their top pain points when deciding on a product in your field.

This doesn’t just convey information.  It’s another way of saying “Hey, we understand your needs!” when the page already knows what questions a visitor is likely to be asking.  It demonstrates real customer focus.

And remember: A-B Testing is everything in landing page design.  Keep trying new ideas, track your stats, and find what works best!

Find out more about landing page best practices and how to capture leads with this free whitepaper