Landing pages are one page elements meant to capture leads. They are often sales pages, opt-in email sign ups, or a blog subscription page. They may seem simple enough, but rest assured mistakes can be made. Without proper landing page design your visitors will bounce and the hope of any conversions will be killed. One thing to remember is that your landing page shouldn't be just about what you like, but it's about what your target audience will like.
Capture leads by avoiding these mistakes:
Too much copy
Remember this is a landing page, not your website. To much copy on a landing page can result in high bounce rates. The copy is too overwhelming and won't be absorbed buy visitors. Use copy that is short and to the point that includes the offer, value to the consumer, and the action they need to take to obtain the value.
Cluttering the page with irrelevant media
Unnecessary images will confuse the visitors thus killing conversions. Be sure to use relevant media that focuses on the proposition your campaign offers.
Ignoring basic website aesthetics
Your credibility will be crushed if you ignore the basics of web design. Great landing pages use the proper fonts, colors, and images that are tailored to the audience, enhancing their experience and boosting conversions! Make sure to improve the design of your existing landing pages to decrease bounce rates.
Driving visitors to your website homepage
Your websites homepage should never be considered a landing page. Create custom landing pages for each ad and cost per click campaign.
Using a generic headline
The success of a landing page can be summed up in its headline. Blow the headline and you'll ruin your chances of any conversions. The headline is your one chance to grab the attention of your visitors. A great headline will definitely boost the effectiveness of your landing page. A/B test different headlines to see which is more effective.
Providing too many options
Keep the users focus by only providing one option. The user will more likely perform a specific action of there is only one option given to them. A landing page should ask for one specific action and that's all. Often times the variety of choice ends with no choice at all.
Keeping the navigation
The navigation should be taken away especially if you are looking to increase leads. You don't want prospective customers steering away from your landing page.
Not tracking landing page performance
Be sure to track the performance of your landing pages so you can see which ones are doing better than the others.
No share links
What better way to get things to go viral than to share them on social media? Provide social sharing links on your landing pages so people can easily spread the word about the great offer your business is providing.
Aside from avoiding these mistakes, A/B testing is the best way you ensure complete optimization of your landing pages. Some factors to test are headlines, colors, call to actions, image positions and button sizes. Here are some do's and don'ts of A/B testing.
Further reading: How To Create a Landing Page: The Ultimate Guide.