BAM! A bolt of marketing genius hits, and you start building the basics of your next marketing campaign. You think of all the different ways you can get your great idea out into the world and who you’ll target. Creative concepts and taglines flow back and forth in brainstorm sessions. You’re all set to begin your campaign, right?
If you said yes, you’re forgetting a crucial campaign element. When it comes to campaign creation, there’s one common area that is often overlooked- the landing page.
Consider the landing page to be the hub of your marketing campaign and each channel a spoke. Social media posts, email content, blog features, and more all link back to that one page asking users to make a commitment to your company. The landing page plays such a vital role yet only half of companies optimize design and content for conversions (Marketing Experiments).
So why do we often overlook landing page optimization (LPO)? It’s simple: since landing pages don’t have a set budget, like paid ads or SEO, it’s easy to dump all relevant campaign content onto one general landing page without a second thought.
The key to avoiding this slippery slope? Our five best practices can help make sure your next landing page is a well-oiled lead gen machine.
Above the Fold
Congratulations! Your prospect took the first step in your campaign funnel and clicked through to reach your landing page. But now that you’ve captured their attention you need to fulfill any previous promises. How did you get the prospect to click? Was it a promise of free content or additional information? Whatever your previous message was, you’ll want to ensure your prospect sees the reward immediately otherwise they might feel cheated.
Placing ads above the fold is a smart way to generate visibility. .A recent Google study showed that ads appearing above the fold had a 73% visibility, where as those below it had just 44%.
So where is the fold? Well it depends how your prospect is viewing your page. Mobile phones render much differently than laptops, so be sure to test your landing page on multiple platforms before launching. If majority of your traffic comes from social sites or email campaigns, you’ll want the landing page to be best optimized for mobile rather than desktop.
One Purpose Per Page
It’s easy to overshare when you’re introducing your company for the first time but remember- one purpose per page. Keeping a clear call-to-action (CTA) allows your campaign to focus on one goal and doesn’t distract the prospect with unnecessary information. According to Unbounce, landing pages with a single link/CTA have a higher average conversion rate (13.5%) than pages with two or three links/CTAs (11.9% and 10.5%, respectively).
Though the CTA is streamlined, be sure to publicize it in multiple places on your page. A good rule of thumb is to have one conversion point or CTA within view as the screen scrolls. So include your CTA in the header, within the body, and in closing remarks.
Keep It Clean
Minimalism maximizes revenue – at least this is true with landing pages. Studies show that business landing pages with fewer than 100 words convert 50% better than those with more than 500 words. Your message should include all the necessary information for the viewer to make a decision or take the next step in your call to action.Use imagery and icons to convey your message and simplify the landing page design.
The same can be said when collecting lead information. Your landing page should only require the minimum amount of data needed to move your prospect into the next stage of your conversion funnel. Too many data fields will prompt the prospect to move on, especially mobile users.
Always keep your prospect in mind. If you find your landing page to be a bit cluttered, have an unbiased third-party review the content and share what information was critical in helping them make a decision to move forward. Additional information can be provided to the viewer in a follow-up email or later in the conversion funnel.
Stay Searchable
Consider a simplistic and easy-to-remember URL when creating your landing page. Using subdomains (ex: help.mosaic.buzz or ask.mosaic.buzz) or subdirectories (ex: mosaic.buzz/help or mosaic.buzz/ask) increases your searchability score and also makes it easy for users to type or remember the URL from print marketing channels.
Be Dynamic
The work doesn’t stop once you’ve launched your landing page. Double check your site analytics to see where you can optimize performance. Did you know changing a button color or font style can increase your conversion rate? That’s why it’s always best to A/B test. Here are a few areas to test throughout your landing page:
- Font style and size
- Imagery
- CTA button color and copy
- Form requirements
Across industries, the average landing page conversion rate was 2.35%, yet the top 25% are converting at 5.31% or higher (WordStream). Aim for a 6% conversion rate and your campaign is a success!
Remember that marketing is a science of testing theories. Rather than setting and forgetting your lead capture page, build and adjust your marketing engine to best fit your audience. Need an extra set of eyes to review your next campaign? Reach out to our team of experts to find out how we can help you develop a strategy for your next campaign utilizing landing pages.