Why Landing Page Optimization is so Important

For the next three days I am attending the MarketingSherpa and MarketingExperiments Optimization Summit in Atlanta.  According to their 2011 Landing Page Optimization report, only 21% of landing page design is determined by data. The goal of a landing page is to get a conversion, but it’s really to build relationships by instilling trust and credibility with your audience.

Value Proposition

Every landing page must have a value proposition. Think of the value proposition as the “what’s in it for me” language on the page. According to their report, the value proposition should be, “Why should my ideal prospect buy from me instead of a competitor.” Your value proposition should a single sentence that is generated from a need for something. Use your value proposition in your headline and reinforce the statement in your sub headers and subsequent sentences. Then use bullet points to expand upon the value proposition.

You need to continually be refining your landing page’s value proposition. You should include elements on the page to support the value proposition such as testimonials, certifications, and terms of the offer, images, or a privacy policy. The value proposition is there to build credibility and should be aligned with your sales cycle.

Friction

Decreasing friction on your landing pages is essential to increasing your landing page conversion rate.  Your landing page should have one offer. If you have more than one offer than you're introducing friction and it will lower the conversion rate of the page. Focus on that one offer and test what will increase conversions for that offer.

Friction can be in the form of:

• Length of page
• Number of forms fields
• Form field layout
• Number of required fields

Repetition

State your value proposition more than once on the page. State your value proposition in landing page headlines, sub headers, content, form button and images.  Always be thinking about simplicity and consistency when optimizing your landing pages. Put yourself in the thought sequence your audience will have to go through when they’re on their and reduce the amount of noise and friction on your landing pages.

Landing page optimization can help your business generate more leads, customers, revenue, and build conversations and relationships with your audience.

Do you think your landing pages have too much friction? Do they state the value proposition clearly?