Landing pages have one job: compel a visitor to take a desired action. Whether it's making a purchase through a website, registering for a webinar, downloading an eBook, or signing-up for a newsletter, landing pages are all about conversion.
There are just as many things a landing page should do as it should not do to increase conversions. Ignoring the many nuances of the user experience can send a visitor away from the page almost immediately and cost you business.
Avoid these 10 landing page usability mistakes to build pages that convert:
1. A long form process: Make your forms easy-to-use and as short as possible. Give as much as you can, and ask for as little as possible in return. The general rule is to ask for information that is absolutely necessary to complete the current transaction. Nothing makes a visitor want to leave your landing page more than having to fill out a lengthy contact form that captures information that seems unnecessary. While this information may be invaluable to you, asking for too much personal information in your first encounter can cause a visitor to click-away to a competitor.
2. Pop-ups: Landing page usability testing has proven that people do not like pop-ups (or unwelcome surprises) of any kind. Even if it's not an advertising pop-up, the majority of visitors have a knee-jerk reaction to close a pop-up as quickly as possible. This immediate annoyance and the perception of your site as spammy and cheesy can cause visitors to have a negative reaction to your offer, even if it's a product or service they want to buy.
3. Flash: Flash intros are often visually compelling, but they keep visitors from immediately viewing your offer. They grab all of the visitor's attention and waste their time. If given the chance, most visitors will choose the "skip intro" button. Although not as annoying as pop-ups, flash intros force visitors to take another step before accessing what may be a product or service that they can't live without. Don't lose them with flash when you've already succeeded at driving them to your landing page.
4. Ineffective headlines: Considering the fact that prospects will spend only two to three seconds on a landing page, benefit-driven headlines are critical to make them want to read on to learn more about the offer. Lose them on the headline, and you may just lose their business forever.
5. Content that competes for visitors' attention: Another landing page usability mistake is placing multiple offers on one page. This essentially makes you compete with yourself and it disorients visitors. Be clear about your business priorities and have a single dominant conversion goal (all others should be clearly secondary in terms of their visibility and prominence). Short attention spans will compel prospects to click-away from a page that seems too complicated.
6. The same design as your main website: Your main site has navigation links that could distract a visitor from the specific offer on your landing page. If visitors can click on your "About Us" page, they may get lost in the rest of your site and then be gone forever. Create a landing page that includes your branding but also focuses visitors on the task at hand. A micro-site is often a good compromise if you must include deeper supporting information, but at least keep the navigation limited to a single level.
7. Ignoring basic aesthetics: Gaudy landing pages that misuse colors, fonts, clip art, and even highlighted copy are immediate turn-offs. Regardless of the content, a clean design will at least keep a visitor wanting to learn more about your offer. Don't be tacky.
8. Text content that is difficult to scan: Visitors have short attention spans so your landing page usability strategy should include subheads and bullets to break up the copy and highlight the benefits of your offer. Important information should go first since the rest will probably not be read anyway.
9. Bad stock photography: Although industry-specific stock photographs can be visually appealing, overused or poor stock photography can turn off visitors if they perceive your business to be just like everybody else's. It's fine to use high-quality images that are specific to your business, but don't just decorate your page with generic images.
10. Not having a strong call-to-action: In addition to the headline, the call to action is one of the most important pieces of copy that impacts landing page usability. It's what ultimately makes a visitor click-through to your offer, so it should always include a benefit statement. If there is more than one call-to-action, the first one must be prominent and above the fold to help visitors prioritize.
Avoid these common mistakes and start making your cash register ring more often.
Learn more about improving your landing page usability by contacting the conversation rate optimization experts at 619.223.8020 or by visiting http://www.SiteTuners.com.
Casey Murphy is SiteTuners' director of marketing. She has more than twenty years of experience in both agency and client-side communications. She thrives on developing and implementing successful marketing communications plans that blend traditional and digital media approaches. Her responsibilities at SiteTuners include content syndication, brand development, and all online and offline marketing initiatives for the company. Learn more about SiteTuners by visiting http://www.sitetuners.com/ or calling 619.223.8020.