How many times have you visited a landing page, studied it intently, and then exited the page without submitting any details?
Here's my routine.
I click on an ad/email/website button after I find it interesting
I visit the landing page that follows
I read the headline and make a 'know-it-all' smug smile
I appreciate the graphics, illustrations, videos, and color schemes on the landing page
I look at the form on the page with all the fields like email address, etc.
I think to myself, 'Naah,' and close the tab!
Does your routine sound similar to this? It does to most people.
That explains why the average landing page conversion rate across all industries is just 9.7%.
Landing pages are used as conversion tools for targeted campaigns with just one goal in mind - lead generation.
Generating leads from landing pages continues to be the most common challenge for marketers. And it keeps getting worse as more and more people become reluctant to share their information and intent.
And while landing pages are not the only strategy for digital marketers to capture leads, they are an essential strategy nonetheless.
So how do you make more prospects turn into leads using landing pages?
Simply put, you go the extra mile and optimize your landing pages beyond the basic standards to improve conversions.
In this article, we explore six market-tested strategies that will help you optimize your landing pages for more leads.
Use these six simple yet actionable tips to optimize your landing pages and generate more leads.
This is a repetitive suggestion across most articles that share tips on landing page optimization.
A/B testing is not new to marketers running digital campaigns. We run A/B tests in email marketing, ad campaigns, and content marketing.
A fun fact, you can even A/B test non-digital content. For example, send two different print ads to the same or similar audience and watch to see which offer performs the best.
Landing pages are different. Most tools that offer A/B tests for landing pages are not free, leading to most marketers not using A/B testing for their landing pages.
But A/B testing offers the opportunity to test almost every element of a landing page and figure out what favors the most conversions:
Headline
Copy
Call-to-action
Images
Illustrations
Videos
Form fields
Pretty much everything else
But if you don't have subscriptions to tools such as Crazyegg, Hotjar, or Optimizely, you can always use the free options Google Analytics offers.
It is a more complex way of running the test when it comes to creating and competing for two landing pages against each other. But it gets the job done and is worth all the extra effort.
Personalized landing pages are one of the most effective ways to increase conversions. But for personalization, you need to have a segmentation strategy that will give you an idea of how to personalize the content for each segment.
And for that, you need some preliminary information about your visitors.
There are a few ways to collect information and personalize landing page content for optimization. Let's look at those by the source channel of the visitor:
If the source of your landing page visitors is email, you presumably have some information about them, such as their name, company, email address, etc.
Use this information to segment your visitors based on their purpose, intent, demographics, and behaviors. And voila, you have your base to start personalizing your content.
If the source of your visitors is digital ads, there is a slim chance of having information about them. In this case, you rely on google analytics and keyword research tools to understand the intent and demographics of such visitors. This data will help you personalize your content for your landing page visitors.
Visitors coming from social media are still in the awareness stage, coming to your landing page for more information. Based on this assumption, you have an even more challenging job of creating a more compelling copy, design, and layout. Customize your landing page for these visitors to push them further down the funnel.
This assumption is, of course, not valid if the source is a social media advertisement.
The only goal of a landing page is to convert - not inform, not educate, not entertain, but convert. These are goals for websites, blogs, and other kinds of web pages.
So when you build a landing page, you must focus on the prize while creating your copy. Put your efforts into removing all the distractions from your landing page that might encourage your visitors to take any other action than a form submission.
For example, if your landing page has 'blogs' under the menu, the visitor might be tempted to visit the page instead of taking further action on your landing page. Thus, you must remove such distractions, so the visitors have only two ways to escape - submit the form or exit the page. The hope is that the former is more likely than the latter!
Here are some fantastic examples of landing pages where you will find no distractions whatsoever:
Notice how some of them don't even scroll beyond two folds? That's the ultimate non-distraction strategy!
Most visitors, who are partly convinced of signing up through your landing page, take a step back because of the fear of commitment.
For example, you are almost convinced of requesting a demo on a landing page. But you are worried that you will be forced to take immediate next steps once you do. You are concerned that it is too soon to commit.
The best way to avoid such visitor bounces is to assure them that filling in their details does not mean a long-term commitment. Here are some common examples:
For a demo form, add a note that the demo does not lead to a subscription
For webinar registration, assure the visitor that they are not signing up for anything else other than the educational content
For a free subscription sign-up, assure the visitors that they are free to unsubscribe whenever they wish too
FOMO (Fear of missing out) is a card you must play if you haven't already!
It is not that complex, really; it is just stating the truth. Here are some examples of how you can use this simple yet ferociously effective tool at your disposal:
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Recognized amongst the top 10 solution providers across the globe
Awarded the 'Most trustworthy brand' across America
1.2 M followers on Instagram
130k subscribers to Podcast
Serving 70000+ happy customers across the globe
Don't underestimate the trust that social proof helps build with your visitors; it might just land you your next lead.
Before committing to your brand by sharing personal details, your visitors might have some common questions or doubts.
To ensure these questions or doubts don't cost you a lead, take a step forward and answer those questions proactively.
Based on your understanding and assumptions, list the top 5 - 7 questions that might bother your visitors. Provide answers to these questions and helpful links if the visitor needs more information.
As we move to the post-pandemic era where businesses start to flourish again, competition will not make it easy for you to generate leads. Introduce the six changes to your landing page strategy and optimize your landing page for more conversions right away!
If you need a little help, request an introduction call with our team. No commitment is necessary.