If you’ve engaged in a Pay Per Click marketing campaign and have complete confidence in the strength of your keywords, but your conversions aren’t great – you might have a problem with your landing page.
There are certain steps to take when creating landing pages that convert, but firstly you should ask yourself two questions:
Who is your target audience? If you don’t know who your ideal customer is, you won’t be able to create the kind of content that will get them clicking.
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What do you want them to do? Are you hoping that they’ll buy your latest product? Sign up to a newsletter? Download an ebook or claim a special offer? Your answer to this will determine the conversions, which will in turn allow you to track them.
There’s no secret ingredient to magically get you clicks, but you can kickstart your campaign by following these 15 tips…
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Eye-catching headline
Never underestimate the importance of a headline; it will determine whether your page gets read and needs to be catchy and honest, explaining exactly what the page is about and referencing the keywords that your audience will be searching for.
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Short and sweet
On average, visitors will only read 28% of the words on your page, so there’s no need to waffle on. Keep all copy to the point and make sure that it’s relevant. If the page feels too lengthy, people will lose interest and abandon it halfway through.
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Engaging copy
Just because the copy needs to be short doesn’t give you an excuse to falter on the quality. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Your copy should be engaging, straight to the point and leave your reader desperate to complete the transaction.
Kissmetrics suggest that you should influence the reader’s subconscious by using ‘hypnotic’ trigger words to create a reflex action and stimulate the unconscious mind.
The power words that are said to get the best reactions are: ‘imagine’ – encouraging readers to visualise exactly what you want them to; ‘you’ – building more personal and intimate connections; and ‘because’ – explaining why the reader needs to take action.
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Design
The design of your page should be crisp, clear and have a backbone of Information Architecture, which will take you to the top of search engines and ensure that your readers convert. If the design is too complicated, it takes the focus away from what you’re selling.
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No distractions
Your landing page is all about getting your audience to complete you desired action. If you add text or links that lead readers away from the point, odds are, you won’t get the conversion you’re looking for.
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Mobile optimisation
80% of 18-44-year-olds check their smartphone before they even use the bathroom in the morning. If your landing page is not mobile friendly, not only will you not be catering to a large proportion of your target audience, but search engines like Google, who now use mobile optimisation as ranking criteria, won’t look too kindly on you either.
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Clear calls to action
There should never be any question as to steps should be taken next, so make your call to action (CTA) loud and proud. You can shout it in your headline, on clickable buttons and in your copy. A great way to draw attention to your CTA is to include directional cues, such as arrows or images pointing to your button.
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Match ad text
Consistency is key. Successful landing pages include the same phrasing used in your AdWords campaign. If your landing page doesn’t match the tone of the ad, readers will have little confidence in the message that you’re delivering.
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Quality images
According to the Social Science Research Network 65 percent of humans are visual learners. Using bright, eye-catching images will make your page more appealing and more shareable.
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Test ideas
Your page should not be set in stone. The only way to make it the best it can possibly be is to thoroughly test it. A/B test your ideas and let your customers tell you which message works best, by tracking conversions for each.
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Social media share buttons
People love to share, so why not utilise the power of Facebook and Twitter by including social media share buttons. This is a great way of increasing your reach and raising awareness of both your brand and your page.
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Fast loading
If your page takes forever to load, people will lose interest and close the browser. Make sure to keep an eye on the loading times.
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Make it about the visitor
We’re all selfish creatures at heart, and if you bore someone by telling them all about you and not what you can do for them, you’re unlikely to hold interest. Telling your story is fine, but you need to have a hook that will grab attention and connect with your audience. The best way to is this is by describing how your product/service can benefit them.
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Include testimonials
Testimonials provide authenticity and build trust. If you want people to buy what you are selling, you need to show them why they should. Genuine reviews and stories are the best way to make this happen.
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Thank you follow up page
Not only is a thank you page a polite way to show your appreciation, but it’s also a great opportunity to lead your reader to other services, products or areas of your site that you would like them to visit – like your blog.
Following these steps, your conversion rates will soon rocket off the charts. For more business tips, keep your eyes on Creative Digest’s marketing blogroll.