When it comes to lead generation, landing pages are of the essence. Without them, most marketers would likely be lost at sea. This is because they are integral when comes to the conversion of website visitors into leads.
Landing pages also play a crucial role when it comes to generating re-conversions. This is especially true because they enable site visitors to be directed to better-targeted pages. Through this technique, a website can capture leads at a higher frequency than the conventional forms used in other web pages.
On paper, converting visitors into leads through landing pages sounds like a piece of cake. However, this is not always the case because of a couple of vagaries on the web. We’ll be going into detail and covering some landing page optimization tips to boost the profile of any website out there.
1. Critical Elements
In order to facilitate the conversion of visitors into leads on any website, a number of critical elements need to be present. A headline is absolutely necessary while a sub-headline can be of great benefit to the project, albeit not necessary. A brief description of what’s on offer should follow in order to emphasize the worth of what the website is all about.
Images, testimonials and security badges can also help add some luster to the overall look of the landing page. Importantly, a form to capture visitor’s information is an absolute must since it helps guarantee lead generation.
2. Links to a Minimal
The existence of too many links on a single landing page can prompt visitors to check them out en masse. This can have a detrimental effect on the number of leads generated because most visitors become distracted by such links. An effective way to increase the conversion rate is by removing the main navigation from the page.
3. Match the CTA and Headline
Trust is of the essence when it comes to lead generation. Naturally, people who click on particular calls-to-action (CTAs), expect to find the same thing on the landing page. To ensure that you are able to gain a massive following, it’s always advisable to ensure that the landing page reflects exactly what is promised.
4. Analytics for the Win
Even the harshest critics out there profess their love for analytics. This is because they can tell you exactly how people got to your webpage and what activities interest them the most once they get there. These details are crucial when you are looking to make a couple of changes in order to boost the conversion rate. Remarkably, building traffic is a harder task when compared to raising conversions.
5. Videos
Through the years, videos have become the preferred medium when it comes to the dissemination of information. The more informed visitors are about a landing page, the more likely they are to become leads. At the same time, incorporating videos into the mix is of benefit because it gives visitors options to choose from. Traditional text is known to work, but video seems to be king at the moment.
6. Social Proof
In the age of social media, people have come to associate success with numbers. Instead of simply relying on testimonials to get the job done, creativity should reign supreme. Widgets are fantastic alternatives. Providing social proof of how well you are helping like-minded individuals like your prospects can provide the sucker punch necessary to close the deal.
7. Options in Sign-Up Flow
The phrase “the more the merrier” couldn’t ring truer when it comes to giving visitors options when it comes to sign-up. To achieve big results, you need to implement big changes. Making drastic changes to the sign-up flow of your landing pages is one of the single largest changes you can make to the outlook of the landing page.
The sign-up options can be anything you choose, whether it’s Gmail accounts, Facebook accounts and Twitter handles. Also, you need to provide the option of direct sign up where visitors can enter their desired email address and other form fields. By presenting options to visitors, they get the impression that they are in control. A comfortable visitor is more likely to make that jump from a lead to a prospect.
As one of the landing page optimization tips, it’s always good practice to A/B test whatever changes are made to ensure that all calls are based on hard data.
8. Mobile Friendly
Mobile ads are all the rage because they tend to appeal to consumers’ desire to purchase something on the spot. As a marketer, you need to ensure that your mobile landing pages and their forms are intuitive. By simplifying the hassle, you’ll be giving prospective customers exactly what they want. In turn, they are likely to go the distance and lead to improve conversions.
9. Go for the Kill on the Call to Action
Remaining objective is of the essence when it comes to formulating CTAs. You should avoid using clichés like “Submit” when drafting them up. CTAs important because they can make all the difference between a bounce and a conversion. As such, it is important to spend extra time in formulating them to match up with your target audience.
10. Empathize with the Customer
Visitors are likely to feel encouraged to fill out forms when they believe that the landing page is formulated with them in mind. The landing page copy thus needs to stay away from the unadventurous sales copy that makes it blindingly obvious that the goal is to make a sale.
11. Make Full Utility of Power Words
Power words can help add more oomph to a landing page. While a select number of words can help accentuate the message, the focus should primarily be on structuring the copy to appeal to the prospects’ emotions. You can take full advantage of prospects’ fears by letting them know how you are going to make a difference in their areas of interest.
12. Bullet Points
Among the landing page optimization tips that we list out, this is probably the most straightforward. Bullet points enable visitors to comprehend landing pages and get the gist of exactly what is on offer. Stylistic elements of bullet points like roman numbers and various shapes in editors can help keep visitors interest in the copy.
13. Images
Indeed, images tell a thousand words. Therefore, care needs to be taken when selecting which images to use on a landing page. This is because images are likely to resonate more among visitors more than plain text. Impressive images can help drive the conversion rate higher if more visitors like the general outlook.
14. Play with the Colors
Complementing color schemes can make the difference when it comes to turning visitors into leads. As visual beings, humans are more likely to prefer picture-esque websites that blend in the colors on the landing page. Tools like Adobe Kuler, Hex Color Scheme Generator, and Color Scheme Designer are fantastically easy to use. These tools work even when you don’t have prior graphic design experience.
15. On Screen Display
To get the most out of your landing page, you need to ensure that specific section like the CTA, form fields and sections of the copy highlighting the benefits of the landing page remain above the fold. This particular landing page optimization tip is quite effective at ensuring more visitors are converted into leads. All by simply minimizing the effort visitors spend in checking out the landing page. The lesser the number of scrolls, the better.
16. 5 Second Rule
First impressions are of the essence in all aspects of life. Within the first 5 seconds, a landing page should automatically entice prospects to keep reading through. Else, more time needs to be devoted to making changes to the general outlook of the landing page. Making these changes prevents possible situations of visitor frustration.
17. Share a Smile
Studies have shown that smiling faces are incredibly efficient at building trust. By displaying your face, joyful team members or happy customers will inevitably make visitors believe in the services you have to offer. This can have all the difference in the world when it comes to increasing conversions.
18. Meta Tags
Meta tags are essentially the backend things that Google skims through. As such, they are quite important when it comes to SEO. Meta tags should be used in titles, keywords, and description attributes. Alt tags can also be incorporated in images in order to stress the refrain.
19. Load Time Optimization
Among the landing page optimization tips, this is probably the most underappreciated. This is despite it having a powerful sway when it comes to customer satiation. Visitors are more likely to appreciate a fast landing compared to a slow one. To effectively reduce the load time, you need to reduce the size of images on the landing page. Photoshop is an excellent tool to get this done without compromising on the quality.
