Building Better Landing Pages by Ivaylo Tsvetkov

Building Better Landing Pages Get More Conversions, See More Results

Building Better Landing Pages |

Happy Landings Landing pages are the foundation that supports successful inbound marketing campaigns. Once you’ve done all the work of attracting visitors to your site, they’re the key to making the connection – and getting the conversion. Most of us use landing pages as conversion tools, and they’re among the most potent ones we have. The copy around the link makes a promise (such as “Learn how to…”), and the landing page pays that off by offering something of value (an eBook, video, podcast, or any kind of content your ideal buyer will appreciate). Here’s the catch: Your visitor has to want the content enough to trade their contact information for it. They get valuable information in return – and the better it is, the more it fulfills the promise and the better you look to that potential buyer. You get at least the name and email of someone who’s motivated to investigate your product, service, or industry. That’s a nice start to a mutually beneficial relationship. Like everything else in marketing, landing pages are a blend of art and science. The investment you make in time and talent means that you need these pages to pay you back with leads that convert, and useful information about those leads. Let’s take a look at the building blocks of a good landing page and learn six best practices for creating pages that get great results.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Anatomy of a Landing Page Landing pages usually consist of a few common elements. These include the offer, copy, the form, and the design of the page itself. When creating landing pages, think of these elements and guidelines as your building blocks.

1. A compelling offer

4. A strong call to action

The offer is the content your prospects trade their information for. It should be closely tied to your brand’s value proposition so you can attract people who want what your company sells. Test different offers.

Make it easy for people to understand what to do next. Your call to action, whether it is text, a button, or an image, should clearly indicate the action and the reward. This is another thing that’s important to test, so you’ll know whether “Download now” or “Get the eBook” is going to deliver more conversions.

AN EYE CATCHING HEADLINE

2. Fine-tuned copy

Your headline should be simple and specific. It should offer a benefit, not a feature, and ideally be so strong that the motivated reader will fill out the form right then and there. Your body copy should describe the offer and the benefits that it will deliver to your prospects.

5. A streamlined design

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With an offer, copy, and form specified, you can design your page. It’s important to design the page so that the visitor’s attention is centered on the form. Don’t let your page get cluttered with too many images or too much text.

Company

3. A simple landing page form The form has fields that allow you to collect information about your prospects. You should ask for a name and email address at a minimum. What else you ask for depends on all kinds of factors, including your industry, what you sell, how long your sales cycle is, and so on.

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6. A design that is optimized for mobile Make sure your landing page looks good on mobile devices. In fact, if you aren’t yet using responsive design, you might want to design with mobile in mind. Use bigger text and make sure the buttons are large enough to tap with a finger.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Creating Great Copy There are four key components of effective landing page copy. The header copy (this may also include sub-header copy), an introductory paragraph, benefit statements, and a call to action. Let’s look at each of these in detail.

1. Strong Headline Copy The headline needs to describe the offer and benefit in plain language. A visitor needs to understand what you’re offering in three seconds or less by glancing at the headline. Make sure that any offer or promotion you make wherever the reader finds your link (in social media, on a web page, in an ad) connects with what’s in the headline. Any shift in tone or specifics will create uncertainty. If your copy addresses several different points, consider sub-headers to help the reader understand your messaging at a glance. Like your headline, your sub-headers need to be clear and concise. Humor is fine – as long as it doesn’t impede clarity and is in line with your brand’s character.

2. Introductory Paragraph The introductory paragraph is used to introduce the product, service, or offer in more detail. It is used to create the “story” for the reader and to give more information about the details of the offer or promotion. For example, if your offer is an eBook, you would use the introductory paragraph to tell the reader about the content of the eBook and give reasons why they would want to read it. “Looking to save time? Learn the 6 shortcuts to excellence…”

3. Benefit Statements Acme H20

Feature Benefit Liquid Quenches thirst No nutrients Diet-friendly Freezes at 32°F Great for drinking

Benefits are very important in helping the reader understand how your product, service, or offer will help them. The most common mistake is listing features instead of benefits. The reader is interested in how you can make their life better, not in how many buttons your widget has. The benefit statements should tell the reader how you’ll solve their problems, not about the specific features of the product or service. You don’t want to leave your reader trying to figure out for themselves how your product or service can benefit them. “So what?” is not the response you’re trying to evoke. When creating your benefit statements, consider using bulleted lists. This adds white space, makes it easier for visitors to read and digest your copy. Keep bullets short and succinct. Long, complex bullet points defeat the purpose of using bullets in the first place — which to make your benefits crisp and clear, and to keep your reader moving through your copy.

Building Better Landing Pages |

4. Clear Call to Action What do you want visitors to do on this page? Download your eBook? Register for a webinar? View a video? Purchase an item? Whatever your objective, the call to action must clearly point out the action you want the visitors to take and make it easy for them to take it.

Header copy

Your call to action should... Your call to action should...

Sub-header copy

Include action verbs:

Intro paragraph

Call to action

Benefit statements

Download Reply Try Sign up Join Start Order Learn Call Get Act

Create a sense of urgency or scarcity: Now Today Limited Hurry Instant Only Right away

Call to action

Pro Tip: Write Landing Page Copy with SEO in Mind If you’re developing landing pages for specific search terms, try to incorporate the keyword prominently in both the page copy and headline. Make sure the overall message reflects what searchers are looking for when they type in that query. However: Do not stuff a keyword into the page where it doesn’t sound natural. Don’t forget that you are writing for people, not search engines. Plus, search engines are getting better at using semantics to find and return results, so synonyms and words that naturally co-occur with your keyword are helpful as well.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Provide Irresistible Offers Your offer should be compelling enough to make the visitor want to take the action you desire once they view your landing page. This action (or conversion) could be submitting a form, purchasing a product, signing up for a trial, calling a sales person, etc. Again, understanding what action you want the visitor to take is a key component of a successful landing page. Offers that convert share two characteristics. First, they provide something that the prospect wants. Second, the offer is valuable enough for the prospect to take action.

Types of Offers There are many types of offers that you can develop and test on your landing pages. Here are popular ones you might explore:

• Content: eBooks, videos, webinars, white papers

• Subscriptions: Newsletters, blogs, promotional emails

• Pricing-related offers: Discounts, sales, close-outs, coupons

• Trials: Limited product trials, product samples

• Tools: Calculators, online evaluations, audits Remember that the offer is often the key determinant of whether the page will have a good conversion rate, so make sure you understand what your audience finds valuable. There are several ways to evaluate your offers. One is to test them out. Another is to look at your historical results. You can also ask or survey your best customers (the ones you want more of) to find what they find valuable.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Map the Offer to the Purchasing Process Offers can have different jobs to do. Some target buyers who are at the beginning of the buying cycle. A prospect who is early in the funnel may be doing preliminary research, and just looking for a promising white paper to download. Other offers sit deeper in the funnel and are designed to help the buyer compare solutions, or push the buyer to a final purchasing decision. Late-funnel offers could be a product trial or a pricing calculator. Understanding where your buyer is in the purchasing process will help you create the right offer for that audience, and also help with deciding which channel to use. As an example, social media is a good tool for brand awareness, so you might choose it for an early-funnel offer. If you have a long sales cycle, you might make a laterstage offer in the closing steps of an email nurturing program.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Landing Page Case Study Now let’s take a look at a real-world landing page makeover — in this case, an Act-On survey landing page offering a chance to win a MacBook Pro. This landing page demonstrates five best practices for forms. Applying them resulted in significant improvement in our conversion rates. Keep these in mind when you are designing your own landing pages.

• Form fields: Test different types of forms. We tested using a drop-down list instead of check boxes. This made the form much smaller and less overwhelming to the viewer. The drop-down list was also much easier to submit on a mobile device.

• Pre-filled information: If you have any information on the submitter, pre-fill it in for them to minimize the amount of information they have to input themselves. This saves them time (always appreciated) and also subtly reminds them that you already have a relationship. Include only the fields required by your sales team or CRM.

• Responsive landing page: Having a responsive landing page makes it much easier for mobile viewers to read your landing page and submit forms. If you don’t have a responsive landing page, design with mobile in mind. Test across different devices and screen sizes, so you understand what the page is going to look like when viewed on a mobile device.

• Call-to-action button: Test various calls to action. After all, “Enter to Win” sounds like more fun than “Submit”!

• Design elements: Try adding animation or some interactive element to your landing page to catch the viewer’s attention. We added an animated GIF to the landing page to add movement and reinforce the copy. Just make sure it doesn’t distract from the form, but rather supports the call to action.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Testing: The Next Level Once you’ve built a new landing page, fine-tuned the copy, crafted a compelling offer, and created the perfect form, you’re ready to watch the leads roll in, right? Wrong. Now it’s time to test. Testing and optimizing your landing page should be a regular part of your campaign process. You’ll be surprised once in a while, and as you test you’ll understand incrementally more about your audience and what they respond to. More important, even small improvements can mean exponential change when we’re talking about conversions. To get started, let’s talk a little bit about how you should perform the tests. Then, we’ll discuss different elements to test on your landing page. We’ll also include a few landing page examples along the way.

A/B Testing This approach tests one landing page against another landing page. The only difference between the two pages is one single element, such as the color of a download button. This test shows conclusively whether changing that sole element impacts your conversion rate.

• Pros: This is the easiest test to perform and requires fewer resources. It allows you to get insight on how your audience responds to a specific element on your page. In the example shown, you would be able to determine if changing the color of your download button increases conversions.

• Cons: Since you are testing only one element, A/B testing will not reveal any information about interaction between variables on a single page.

Version A

Version B

Building Better Landing Pages |

Multivariate Testing This method is much more complex than A/B testing. It involves testing multiple elements on a landing page in various combinations.

â&#x20AC;˘ Pros:

Version A

Version C

Version B

Version D

It can reveal more about how the various elements interact with each other on a landing page. By testing multiple variations, you can determine the best combination of elements on a landing page. In the example shown, you would be able to determine which combination of button color and form type creates the best conversion.

â&#x20AC;˘ Cons: These tests take more resources, as you have to build as many landing page combinations as you want to test. In addition, it requires a larger sample size in order to get enough conversions to determine the outcome.

Building Better Landing Pages |

What to Test Here’s where the fun begins. You can test almost any element on a page. Here are just a few ideas to start with:

Design Elements • Buttons: There are several changes you can make to your current button. Test size, shape, color, and placement on the landing page.

• Images: Try testing different types of photos. Does your audience respond better to photos or illustrations? People or product photos? Animated images or static images? Black and white or color? Test a landing page with and without an image. Test video vs. a photo. Test an animated vs. a static GIF.

• Page layout: Move the different elements on the page around to determine if specific layouts create better conversions. Is a form placed on the left or right-hand side better? Should the CTA button be at the top or bottom of the page? Or both?

Testing Tools You’ll need a testing tool to carry out your landing page tests. Here’s a list of the criteria you should be looking for when choosing a testing tool. The right technology should allow you to:

• Easily set up control (A) and alternative (B) landing pages • Choose your method of testing • Define testing periods • Show results and report them

Building Better Landing Pages |

Copy Elements • Headline: Test different headline copy. Try changing the font size or color. Test using personalization in the headline.

• Body copy: You can test body copy length (in-depth vs. concise) and tone (fun/friendly vs. business/expert.) You can also test different benefit statements to determine which benefits your audience finds valuable.

• Call to Action: Test different types of CTAs. Get creative! Instead of “Download Now”, how about trying “Get Your eBook”? “Watch Video” vs. “Take a Tour.” “Free Trial” vs. “Try Me Now.” “Access Toolkit” vs. “Download Toolkit.” Add an exclamation point, or take one away. There are many variations that might generate more conversions. So take a look and see what alternatives you could test.

Building Better Landing Pages |

Forms • Number of fields: Test different numbers of submission fields to determine the right amount of fields you need for your forms. The perfect amount will help you reduce friction but still allow you to get enough data for your sales team.

• Type of form: There are many different form types and some may convert better than others. Try testing forms with a drop down list instead of check boxes. Multiple choice vs. fill-in forms. Radio buttons vs. check boxes. We’ve found that drop down lists are much easier to submit on mobile, so if your audience is mostly mobile try this type of form.

Checkbox

Drop down list

Offers Since the offer is often the key determinant of whether the page will convert, this is a prime variable you should test. Testing offers will allow you to determine what your audience finds valuable. If your offer is for a content piece, test to see if your audience prefers eBooks or white papers. If it’s a pricing offer, test whether a percentage discount performs better than a free shipping offer.

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Building Better Landing Pages |

Ready, Set, Go! We’ve covered the main components of a successful landing page and you’ve learned how to write great copy, create compelling offers, and test your landing pages. Now it’s time to have some fun. Remember, creating, testing and then optimizing your landing page should be an ongoing process. So … get your landing pages ready, and watch your sales take off.

Resources • If you want to learn more about testing both email and landing pages, check out this webinar: The ABCs of A/B Testing. • Find out how to deliver the right offer for the right stage in the buyer’s journey. Check out this infographic: The New Buyer’s Funnel. • Act-On Landing Page Composer: Our solutions make creating landing pages a snap. With minimal clicks you can create, test, and launch these vital pages and drive real results.

• Don’t have time to create your own marketing assets? The Act-On professional services team can help. Get custom designed emails or landing pages created by our experts. Check out the gallery of custom design work.

Building Better Landing Pages |

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About Act-On Software Act-On Software is the leading provider of cloud-based integrated marketing automation software for small and mid-size businesses, helping 3,000+ companies to tie inbound, outbound, and lead nurturing programs together. Users can achieve superior return on marketing investment by leveraging behavioral data and website visitor activity to increase engagement throughout the customer lifecycle - from acquisition and retention, through expansion.

Building Better Landing Pages |