5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Landing Pages to Convert More
A business website alone isn’t enough to drive leads and sales. Business owners also need to creatively market and advertise their products and services to various online and offline channels, such as social media, search engine ads, sales materials, and more. A key part in every marketing campaign is having an optimized landing page that leads customers further down into the sales funnel.
As a refresher, a landing page, as the term suggests, is a precursor page of your website where customers are first directed to when they click on your business website link or URL from your marketing campaign.
It is often a standalone page, distinct from your homepage, that is dedicated to prompt web visitors to complete a desired action—to convert them, so to speak—such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, downloading a white paper, or filling out a contact form. However, a landing page doesn’t have to be a totally different and separate web page. While not ideal, it could also be any page in your website, such as your About, Services, or Contact page repurposed as a landing page.
Importance of a High-Converting Landing Page
A landing page is one of the most essential elements of lead generation and conversion. It acts as an online attendant that ushers your customers to the next step of the conversion process.
A high-converting landing page is one that effectively converts site visitors to qualified leads and into paying or returning customers. Landing pages are important for businesses for the following reasons:
- It directs site visitors to better targeted pages that can effectively capture important customer details such as asking for their emails for lead generation.
- It limits distractions for your customers, helping them focus their attention on one particular offer at a time.
- It helps you track data, which in turn, helps you gain insight as to how engaged a certain prospect is and how ready they are to make a purchase.
- It simplifies the conversion process. Most customers are still indecisive; by creating a landing page, you set the track for conversion by offering a simple call to action, prompting visitors to make a clear decision on the spot.
How to Optimize Your Landing Pages to Convert More
What makes an effective landing page that successfully generates lead and converts visitors into paying customers? Here are a few tips to make your landing pages convert more:
1. Match your offer to the needs of your audience
While you have a specific target audience in mind, not all audiences are on the same level down the sales funnel—some may be just slightly familiar with your brand while others are already somewhat engaged, ready to make a purchase. Increase the relevance of your landing page by matching your offer to the needs of a particular audience segment.
Create several different landing pages that are targeted to different audience segments, instead of using a generic landing page with the exact same message over and over. For example, a free trial offer is well-suited to audiences who are still new to your brand, while a discount coupon is more appropriate for users who are already acquainted with your brand and are ready to buy from you.
2. Make your messaging consistent
Your landing page should always be able to deliver on what was promised in your ad. When a customer clicks on your ad, it’s important that they should feel that they have landed on the right page. Eliminate any confusion by making sure to keep your messaging consistent in both your ad and the headline and call-to-action (CTA) of your landing page.
Inconsistent messaging not only causes confusion for your audience; it also leads to customers losing trust in your brand and the repercussions could negatively affect your business.
3. Keep it simple
An effective landing page is one that isn’t cluttered; it should allow visitors to focus their attention on the essential elements: the headline, the landing page copy, and most importantly, the CTA button. Embrace white space, remove the global navigation bar, and emphasize your CTA by using a contrasting color from the rest of the design.
Keep your lead-capture forms short and simple. Only ask what is needed, like an email address, so as not to overwhelm or turn your customers away. Also make it a point to keep your landing page body text simple, succinct, and straightforward. Landing pages tend to be more effective in drawing leads and conversions if customers can easily get the information they need in just a few seconds.
4. Emphasize the value of your offer
Customers are drawn to offers that are relevant to their needs and challenges. For every piece of marketing copy, it’s important to highlight the value of your offer. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience: “What’s in it for me?”
For example, instead of saying, “Our free eBook contains information on how to start a blog,” it’s better to phrase it along the lines of, “Find out how you can start earning with your blog using our free eBook.” Emphasize how your offer addresses a specific problem or need that your audience cares about.
5. Personalize your CTA
The CTA is possibly the most important element of a landing page; it means the difference between a conversion and a bounce. This is why it’s crucial to craft compelling CTA copy that encourages customers to click on it.
Using generic CTA copy such as “Click here” or “Submit” doesn’t really explain anything or give direction to what will happen when customers choose to click on it. Instead, it’s more effective to personalize your CTA copy by using words that are relevant and appealing to your audience, such as “Send my free gift,” “Grow my traffic,” and “Sign up for free.”
Landing pages and ad campaigns work together hand-in-hand. Care must be given to craft the perfect strategy to make both elements effective in achieving your marketing goals. Most importantly, always consider how your audience responds to your marketing campaigns.
If you want to learn more about crafting and designing high-converting landing pages, or if you need help with your digital marketing efforts, give us a call at 888-420-5115, or send us an email to [email protected].
Tags: ad campaign, call to action, cta button, digital marketing, landing page
