The Art of the Landing Page: 7 Tips For Increasing Conversions

By Tim Ash, Search Engine Watch, Aug 19, 2009

Landing page optimization and testing can have a dramatic impact on your online marketing profitability. But even without testing you can quickly eliminate several common mistakes that can instantly skyrocket conversion rates.

These approaches work across a surprisingly wide variety of circumstances and industries:

1. Remove Choices

You should be very clear about your desired conversion action (whether it's a sale, download, form-fill, or simply a click-through to another page). All other clickable links or choices on the page should be eliminated, or at least visually de-emphasized.

2. Keep Your Promises

Your visitors arrived from somewhere, and an expectation was set before they even landed on your page. This could have been in your PPC ad, a third-party blog posting, or a comparison shopping engine. Make sure that you understand the context from which they arrived. It's critical to align the content of your landing page with their intent and expectations.

3. Don't Be Loud

Minimize visual distractions as much as possible. Don't use a wide variety of font styles, colors, and sizes on your page. Remove images and interactive rich-media content unless it directly supports your conversion goal and is a clearly superior way of conveying important information. Bland landing pages are often the best-converting ones.

4. Reduce Anxiety

Unless you work for an internationally recognized company, you have no brand-strength or credibility with your online audience. Do everything possible to reduce anxiety on your page by using safe shopping seals and other indicators of your trustworthiness. The logos of trade associations, acceptable payment methods, and money-back guarantee seals can all be powerful ways to make your visitors feel safer.

5. Enhance Affinity

People want to feel an affinity for your product or service. Transferring recognition or goodwill from other sources can help you reinforce their desire to act. Liberally use logos of well-recognized client brands. Add the badges of media sources that have covered or mentioned your company. Prominently display glowing testimonials from existing customers.

6. Have a Clear Call to Action

Make sure that you spell out exactly what will happen if someone fills out the form or clicks on the desired link. Don't clutter the area around the call to action -- let it stand out by its isolation on the page.

7. Cut Down Your Text

People don't read on the Web. Study after study has shown that less content on a landing page leads to higher conversion rates. Ruthlessly edit your text down to simple headlines and short, bulleted lists. Cut out the self-promoting marketing speak that people won't read anyway. You can link to detailed information on supporting pages.

Follow these best practices and your cash register will be ringing more often.