1 ) Keep the text content streamlined – You have a few short seconds to get the attention of your prospect, don’t talk in long paragraphs. Hell, I doubt anyone will even read all the way to #15, so get to the point.
2 ) Have a clear call to action – Are you looking to generate phone calls? Capture email addresses? Sell Tickets online? Make sure the person visiting your landing page doesn’t have to guess what you want them to do. The goal should be obvious to the user.
3 ) Shorten your contact form – Everyone hates giving out personal information, but you would be surprised how many forms I come across that are 15-20 fields long. Unless you are giving away free iPad’s or have an equally appealing offer… keep your web form fields to a minimum or you will scare people away from filling anything out. Ask for the least amount of information you will need to effectively market to your prospect again. For most businesses, a name, email and comment field should be sufficient.
4 ) Use Google Analytics to test pages – Where is your traffic coming from and what are they clicking on? Google Analytics is a free easy way to see what is working and what pages your users are navigating. Keep an eye on your sales funnel and monitor your landing pages to make adjustments accordingly.
5 ) A/B test different landing pages – Test, Test, Test. Internet Marketing takes the guess work out of advertising. Start with 2 landing pages. Test the 2 pages against each other and find out which one is performing better. Keep the best one and make a few adjustments that you think will increase conversions. Repeat. View a tutorial on A/B testing with Website Optimizer here.
6 ) Phone number placement – I’m amazed at how many landing pages I come across that make you keep scrolling and scrolling in order to get to the contact information. You’ve made a huge effort to get a prospect to your page, sometimes paying for the traffic. Make it easy for them to contact you. Phone number and contact form, top of page and large.
7 ) Use Graphics Wisely – Use graphics to your advantage. Lead the users eyes where you want with targeted graphics. Just be careful about letting pictures take control of the real agenda… Conversions!
8 ) White space – Sometimes in life, less is more. Landing pages are no different, too much crowding will scare people away, and their eyes will get lost. A few neat paragraphs and graphics, contact form and phone number should be plenty to get your point across. Use the white space to your advantage to lead the users eyes to the offer.
9 ) Above the Fold – This isn’t a mortgage, so keep the pages and pages of scrolling to a minimum. Most landing pages should be able make a compelling offer fit on a single screen, or at least most of the important information. Especially contact info… I’ll say it again… Especially your contact info above the fold.
10 ) Unique Selling Proposition – What is your offer? Does this offer separate you from the competition? Is your offer compelling enough and does it have a sense of urgency that will make a visitor to your page make a purchase? These are all questions you should think about before finishing your landing page.
11 ) Build Credibility with Endorsements/Testimonials – Don’t be afraid to use some of your testimonials or endorsements to build credibility. These are 2 of the best ways to enhance instant confidence in your product or service. Use them wisely.
12 ) Engaging Headlines – I read somewhere that half your time spent making your page should be spent on the headline. This is the key to grabbing the attention of your prospect… and you have about 4 seconds to grab their attention before they leave and bounce out of your site, so make it count!
13 ) Keyword rich text – This is especially important in Pay-Per-Click campaigns, where your ad placement is affected by your landing page relevance. Pick your words wisely, and use keyword rich text to keep the readers attention and they know they are on the right page!
14 ) Test with others – Sometimes, even with every A/B test, analytics, and all the knowledge in the world, can’t replace a set of unbiased eyes checking out your page to see what they find. Pick someone who hasn’t seen all of your other variations and ask how easy it was to navigate. Did they end up finding the offer easily, and was your goal clear to them?
15 ) K.I.S.S. – When all else fails… Keep It Simple, Stupid! Don’t over think your landing page, and keep it easy to navigate. A lot of times, these end up being the best converting pages!
