landing page best practices

Landing Page Best PracticesJames Hipkin415-505-0632

LP Best Practices Why it’s important?

• In addition to depressing response the following also diminishes goodwill:

✓ Hiding info I want

✓ Punishing me for not doing things your way

✓ Asking me for info you don’t really need

✓ Shucking and jiving me

✓ Putting sizzle in my way

✓ Looking amateurish

LP Best Practices Why it’s important?

• In addition to improving response the following also improves goodwill:

✓ Know what people want to do and make it obvious and easy

✓ Tell me what I want to know

✓ Save me steps whenever you can

✓ Put effort into it

✓ Know what questions I’m likely to have, and answer them

LP Best Practices

• ONE purpose — persuade visitors to take a particular action or have a particular POV

✓ A Landing Page is not a web site

LP Best Practices

• The best landing pages answer three questions, in less than 5 seconds:

✓ What are you offering?

✓ Why would I care?

✓ What do I need to do?

Don’t make it hard

• Communicate instantly that they have arrived at the correct destination

• Use landscape efficiently

• Be clear and to the point

Don’t make it hard

• The exception — make it hard to leave

✓ Minimize / de-emphasize exit points

Am I in the right place?

Goes to this

Am I in the right place?

Not this

Use landscape efficiently

Eye-tracking research by Eyetools, Inc. and the Poynter Institute defines the relative zones of

onscreen attention. (Dark = most)

Use landscape efficiently

• Use best practices template as a guide

• Beware of visual noise

• Not everyone has broadband yet — LP must look good, and load quickly

Primary area

Secondary area

CTA

Tertiary area

Use landscape efficiently

• The number of columns in your landing page will effect conversion rates

Clear and to the point

• The headline — the most valuable asset on your page

✓ At the top

✓ Clear, sharp and easily scanned

✓ Instantly communicates the purpose of the page

✓ Grabs their attention, and

✓ Encourages viewers to stay

Clear and to the point

• Keep text uncluttered — makes the page easy to scan

✓ Lots of heads, sub-heads and bullets

✓ Space, preferably white space, around text

✓ Stick to simple, easy to read fonts

- Avoid light grey/purple/brown/red (anything but black and blue) fonts

- Avoid white type on black backgrounds

✓ Use a larger font — especially if the target is over 40

Clear and to the point

• Tell visitors, in the first sentence, what they want to know

✓ Content takes the reader to the next stage

✓ Focused on the site’s primary objective

✓ All major points above the fold

✓ Don't say too much or bounce around

✓ Make link destinations clear in the first few words

Clear and to the point

• Primary CTA toward the top of the page

• Tell them what to do

✓ "Sign up" "Call now" "Order Now!"

• Multiple CTAs throughout the landing page — above and below the fold

Buttons are your friends

• Buttons guide consumers to a desired action on a landing page

Not This This

Dodge’s LP confuses consumers with multiple CTAs and too many visual cues

Live Nation has just as many CTAs as Dodge, but consumers know what to do, and how to do it

From Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Guide

Final thought

• All this and $4 will get you a cup of coffee in San Francisco

✓ Assume nothing, test everything

✓ Small changes can have a big impact on conversion

19

Just the images required to support the campaign

No animation

Multiple CTAs—what should they do

Clear headlineWhat is the offer

Text is short and to the point

Sample Site*

* Not my work

20

Just the images required to support the campaign

Multiple CTAs—what should they do

Clear headline

What is the offer

Text is short and to the point

Sample Sites*

* Not my work

Conclusion

• Focus on the primary objective — everyone will benefit

• Assess every element on its ability to impact the primary objective

• Don’t make them work — you have 5 seconds

• Test everything