They say you only have a few seconds to make a good impression. The same applies to landing pages which need to be optimized, well designed and engaging to encourage conversions, retain visitors and result in a low bounce rate (users leaving a site after visiting the original page of entry).
Here are 10 ways to optimizing landing pages on your website and boost your conversion rate and return on investment.
Less is more: Keyword selection and density is always something you need to consider. Keywords should be used in the title tags, meta description tags, headings as well in the body of the text but ensure they are used naturally within the text and used within context. When creating landing pages, consider using popular keywords such as ‘gym’ and long tail keywords such as `women’s gym eastern suburbs Sydney’.
Don’t over promise and under deliver: If you do not deliver what was promised on the Search Engine display, your visitors will either bounce of the page or have to search through other pages on your website to find what they are looking for. You only have a few seconds to keep their attention and cannot risk losing your customer’s focus by forcing them to search for the information they need from your landing page.
Keep it simple: Keep the SEO copywriting clear and simple for readers. Your goal is to obtain traffic and conversions through on page copy optimization:
- Provide bullet points so people can quickly scan through information.
- Use level 2 headings using keywords to break up the text.
- Short paragraphs (ideally one idea per paragraph).
- Research shows that web users tend to read through web pages in an F-shaped manner, so keep important images flushed left.
- Provide internal links so people can click through to other pages to get more detailed information if required.
Content is king but usability is queen: Content is very important for SEO purposes and to convert visitors but there needs to be a trade off between content and usability (the design). Elements of your design should include:
- Call to action button or link should be clearly defined and above the fold (how much the user can see without needing to scroll down)
- Providing multiple calls to action such as filling out an online inquiry form, providing a telephone number or email address as different people have different tipping points in the sales process
- Make phone numbers very easy to find and in larger font than the copy text
- If a form is included, make it easy to populate with the cursor automatically hopping from box to box, allowing tabbing, using checkboxes or auto-filling form data set up are all excellent ideas for landing page optimization.
- Limited navigation (don’t bombard visitors with too many choices or alternative navigation routes)
Get on the same page: As much as possible try and avoid sending visitors off-page and keep all necessary information on the page so they don’t need to search for it. With external links, use new browser windows when needed for new pages or supplemental decision information. Define the purpose of the page and stick with it, using as few outbound links as possible.
Picture this: Not every picture is worth a thousand words. Images are right on the money when they are used thoughtfully, are high quality and include alt text. Remember that a Search Engine cannot read images so while images are important, there needs to be a good balance of content as well.
Offer a clear call to action: The end goal is to make the conversion as easy on the customer as possible and have a seamless, effortless path to conversion whether that be filling out an online book, booking a hotel room or downloading a sales form. The less time users must spend on your conversion activity, the less time they have to change their mind.
Don’t ask too much of your visitors: Make it very clear for your readers by offering a clear value proposition which answers the customer’s question of why they want to do business with you. It helps build trust and successful companies are able to transcend their value proposition in the copy, the on page optimization and the overall design of their landing page.
Promote linkability: Search Engines see incoming links to your website as validation of the integrity of your site (almost like votes for your website) and ranks your website favorably. A good SEO strategy is important to achieve a strong and balanced link profile. Ways to generate external incoming links to your landing page are:
- Google Local Business Center Listing (GLBC) – make sure it is complete, current and up to date with address, registration, reviews etc
- Links from suppliers
- Links from customers
- Links from blogs
- Links from reviews
Read more about other link building strategies to build your link profile on Search Engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing and improve your Search Engine ranking.
Test, test and test again: Testing of landing pages is a very important step of optimizing landing pages and should not be forgotten. There are cool tools available to test landing pages such as the Google Web Optimizer Tool where you can test alternative landing pages to see what pages your visitors prefer. With Google Analytics, you also set up Goals and Funnels and monitor your landing pages.
Optimizing landing pages are not a “set it and forget it” Internet marketing tactic. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the testing and fine-tuning of your landing pages to maximize campaign results. Your investment and efforts in optimizing your landing pages will pay big dividends in the form of higher profits and revenues.
Contact us to find out how we can help you create landing pages that retain customers, improve your conversion rates and maximize return on investment.
