Your website’s landing pages may be some of the most important pages on your site. When design and functionality are executed correctly, it will convert visitors into leads and collect their contact information for future marketing efforts.
However, there are a handful of things too many business owners do with their landing pages that make them a wasted effort. Take a look at these common mistakes people make with their landing pages and how you can avoid them.
Including the Navigation
The sole focus of a landing page is to encourage users to participate in your main call-to-action (CTA), which is to fill out the form. There should be no clickable elements except for the form for users to submit their information and possibly one additional element to help encourage users to take that step (such as a play button for a video).
By not hiding the navigation on your landing page, you’re giving visitors a chance to leave your landing page without taking the next step. Remember to hide your website’s navigation on all your landing pages, so the action they need to take is clear.
Too Much Content
One other common mistake people make with their landing page is writing too much content. Website content is usually scanned more than read, and when you include heavy blocks of content on your landing pages, they will feel overwhelmed, uncertain of the next step you want them to take, and leave the landing page altogether.
We understand that you want to include all information possible on these pages, but less is more in this situation. Include action-driven content that highlights the key benefits users will receive once they complete your main CTA (more on this in our next point), and explain how easy it is to take part in these benefits. Lastly, make sure this content is scannable and broken up with headers, bullets and other text treatments.
Unclear Value Statement
On average, you have three seconds or less to convince your visitors your web page is worth staying on. This is why crafting a clear value statement is imperative for your landing pages, and it should consist of words that demonstrate your page’s value.
When writing the copy on your landing pages, ask yourself if they have:
- Compelling headlines that stand out and showcase the benefits of your business, product, service, or whatever you’re offering on the landing page
- Subheads that go into more detail
- Action-driven CTAs that are hard to miss (more on this later)
Slow Loading Time
As mentioned in the last section, you have seconds to keep your visitors intrigued with your website. Not only does this apply to your content, but it especially applies to your page load time too. Think about it: when was the last time you waited more than five seconds for a web page to load? Unless it was for an order confirmation, or you have the patience of a saint, you probably couldn’t think of the last time.
The more users who leave your landing page early, the higher your website bounce rate will be, which could impact your SEO. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to tune up your site’s speed to ensure this isn’t a factor for your website.
Not Including Trust/Reputation Pieces
Sometimes, the missing piece between losing a lead to converting them comes down to proving your authority and reputation. It’s important to include a trust-building piece on your landing pages to show these users that you practice what you preach, and you live up to your offering.
Examples of these reputation pieces include:
- Logos of other businesses who you’ve worked with
- Testimonials (written or video) from both customers and industry leaders
- Screenshots of real customer social media posts praising your company, service or product
- Business credentials or certifications
- Links to positive press coverage or review websites like Yelp
Call-to-Action is Hard to Find
If your calls-to-action are difficult to find on your landing page, this needs to be the first thing fixed. Any button that’s encouraging users to take action with you need to be in a bright, hard-to-miss color that stands out from your color palette. There needs to be a clear statement of what you want users to do once they’re on your landing page, and if this blends in with the rest of your page, you’re missing out on a lot of conversions. Bottom line: make your CTAs clear and visible.
By keeping these “worst” practices in mind with your current and upcoming landing pages, you should see more success from your landing page efforts. To learn more about landing pages and best practices, contact GreenMellen today!
