Landing Page 101

Eight seconds

A dandelion in a breeze may just last longer than the average online attention span.

Landing Pages

Allow you to capture a visitor’s information through a lead form.

A Call to Action

Is where the rubber meets the road. If they click, you’ve generated a lead.

The Blink Test

Can someone look at it and know what it’s about before the dandelion disappears?

First impressions are critical because you should be optimising for instant conversion.

  • The more intelligence you have about your leads, the better you can market to them.
  • The better you can target your marketing, the more likely you’ll convert them to customers.
  • The more landing pages, the more leads generated.
  • The more leads generated means a better conversion rate.
  • A better conversion rate equals a happy business.

Your message is the focus

You need to show and tell because people process images faster than words.

Get rid of the clutter.

  • You need clear and compelling copy sitting on a page with minimal distractions.
  • Why do you think landing pages have no headers or footers? Because you don’t want distractions. None.

Why your headline shouldn’t suck.

  • Because it’s the first thing they’ll see. It is not a title. It is a headline.
  • Cut to the chase and be succinct – tell them why they’ve landed. What you’re offering and why will it benefit them?

Call for re-inforcements, take advantage of your sub header.

  • If they only read the headline and the sub header would it make them complete the form? Would it make you?
  • Add some context. It’s the cavalry riding over the hill to reinforce the position. It’s your value proposition.

Kill your darlings.

  • You’re aiming for simplicity. Not verbosity.
  • All those persuasive words that you’ve written? Kill some of them. Ruthlessly and without fear. What’s the value for your visitor?

Is your landing page responsive?

  • Are your audience smartphone users or business people with laptops?
  • Your landing page should be responsive to the screen size and orientation it’s being viewed on.
  • 42 % of smartphone owners between the ages of 18 and 29 consider their phone as their primary way of accessing the internet (Pew Internet).
The Lead Form

Put it in its place.

The lead form should be above the fold not lurking down here. For those of you who guessed it should be up top, congratulations you get a gold star. For those that didn’t, well… you won’t forget it now.

Don't screw up your landing page

We will never, ever rent, sell or even barter your email address. Never. We don’t like being spammed and we can’t imagine you like it either.

You are not their mother.
You don’t need to ask for every little detail. Your lead form should only ask for the essential information you need to follow up. Ask yourself, what would you tell and is it absolutely necessary that you need to know this?

In general, asking for someone’s age, their telephone number or street address is likely to decrease conversion rates. Much like it did when you decided not to take that date home to Mama.

Don’t ask them to submit.

Download instead of submit. Start my free trial instead of submit. Get your eBook instead of submit. Action instead of submission.

Calm their fears.

Either put a link to a privacy statement to stop any fears they may have of being spammed or tell them you won’t be selling their email address.
You could also include your telephone number as some people aren’t comfortable with online transactions but do want to participate.