Intro
Landing pages are designed for conversions. And they can take on many forms on your website. Even very basic websites have landing pages because they are so effective at converting. Landing pages, although often led from marketing emails and social media ads, can also be found through organic search. SEO is important for getting traffic to your landing pages. But, if you only want sales qualified leads converting, then you can hide your landing page from being found through organic search. So then how do you optimize your landing page? By creating a landing page that leads users to take only one action. The entire page is designed to push the lead to click the CTA button.
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a single webpage on your company’s website designed for users to take one particular action. Think of your call to actions. When a lead clicks on the CTA button, this is where that button should take them. Having landing pages is important because it clearly directs the user to where they need to go. A CTA that leads a user to a general webpage on your website may be confusing if there are more than one action they could take, such as a contact us page.
Optimizing your landing page is not the same as optimizing a regular website page for increased traffic. You may not necessarily want people to directly find a landing page through a browser search, also known as “organic traffic.” Rather, you want leads to land on the landing page in order to take a specified action. So, think less about search engine optimization, and more about improving the UX, or user experience of your landing pages. In this blog I will give you the best tips for having fast, informative landing pages that will increase the amount of conversions.
The best way to know if your landing pages are successful is by tracking the traffic to them, and seeing where they clicked on the landing page link, whether it is through an email they received from you or from another part of your website. HubSpot Marketing Hub provides site and link tracking so that you can easily see where your leads are coming from, and even how much time they spend on your landing page. This allows you to pick out prospects who show elevated interest in your product or service.
Understanding Landing Page Conversion Optimization
To understand landing pages, we need to understand conversions. Getting conversions is basically the only reason why landing pages exist. And while any landing page can get conversions, optimizing your landing page will get you more conversions, and higher quality conversions. Conversions can be a wide range of actions: a newsletter sign up, a demo request, a content download, or a meeting request.
CRO means conversion rate optimization. By making your landing pages optimized you will also be optimizing your conversion rates. This is a great thing because, while not every conversion will lead to a sale, conversions give your seriously powerful data on your customer base. The more conversions there are, the more interested people are in your business providing value to them.
As discussed before, the relationship between design (user experience and user interface) and conversions is a close one. When a user can intuitively tell what the purpose of your landing page is, and can easily navigate the page, the more likely they are to convert. Your page should remind them of why they clicked on the call to action and should let them know the value it is going to add to their lives if they complete the desired action.
For instance, for a newsletter sign up: The landing page should have the form embedded. On the left side, provide a brief description of the newsletter and remind them of what they get when they sign up.
This is a very brief and vague description, but keeping user experience and user interface in mind, it can make your website one that is easier to convert on
You might be wondering how you can create optimized landing pages if you’re not a web designer with a team of UX and UI designers. CMS software such as HubSpot allows you to host your website and landing pages. And, they provide hundreds of templates for your ease of use.
Conducting Pre-Optimization Analysis
Before you begin designing your new landing pages, it is best practice to analyze your old and current landing pages. You will need to use tools such as Google Analytics or a CRM such as HubSpot to analyze the performance of your landing pages. Metrics such as conversion and bounce rate are obvious ones. But, some of the not so obvious ones may be landing page loading speed: if your webpage can’t load quickly, leads may bounce before they have even seen the page.
Using the metrics you can get from HubSpot or other analytic software that you are using for analysis, determine the user journey. This is the path of the typical user who lands on your landing page. Using the data, find out, where do they click first? Where do they seem to get lost or confused? Are they looking for a piece of information that is not readily apparent? This can be revealed through metrics like bounce rate, click rate, form submission rate.
Next, organize your data. You will need to determine what are the high performing parts of your landing page, and what could use some help. Perhaps your form is too long, and users are bouncing after filling out a few fields. But, they are easily navigating the webpage because they can immediately find the embedded form. There could be many things that your landing page needs improvement on. But, find the high performing areas and build on those instead of trying to fix a million lower performing elements. Find out: what do users love about your web page?
Defining Clear Objectives
Write down, in one sentence, what the objective for your landing page is. This should be a simple and straightforward answer. Now, see if that answer is easily reflected back in the landing page. If you do not see it, your leads will definitely not see it. Even if the majority of the traffico of the page is coming from an email in which you explain the purpose of the landing page, it still needs to be explained on the page, through a brief blurb and by its design. While using the internet people often get distracted. If they reopen the tab that the landing page is on, you should be able to tell what the landing page is for and what it is connected to.
Implementing A/B Testing
A/B testing is an important part of website building. A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a crucial technique for optimizing your landing page and increasing its conversion rates. By comparing two versions of your landing page (A and B) and measuring their performance, you can identify which elements are most effective in driving conversions. Here's how to implement A/B testing effectively:
A/B testing involves creating two variations of your landing page with only one key difference between them. The goal is to see which version performs better in achieving your conversion objectives. The process allows you to make data-driven decisions, leading to continuous improvement and higher conversion rates.
Here are some practical things you can compare:
- Wording with web page titles and blurbs
- Font sizes
- Images and graphics
- Form length, number of required fields
- Web page flow
Optimizing your landing page for conversions is not just an optional strategy; it's a necessity in today's competitive digital landscape. Your landing page often serves as the gateway to your brand, where first impressions are formed, and actions are taken. Through this journey, we've explored the essential techniques and best practices for creating high-converting landing pages that resonate with your audience and drive results.
By understanding the importance of conversion rate optimization (CRO) and conducting pre-optimization analysis, you can lay the foundation for success. Crafting a compelling headline, designing engaging call-to-action (CTA) buttons, and writing persuasive copy are crucial elements that can make or break your landing page's performance.
Through the power of A/B testing, you gain valuable insights into what works best for your target audience. By experimenting with various elements, you can fine-tune your landing page and unlock its full potential. Remember, it's essential to remain data-driven and to let the numbers guide your decisions.
