How to Use Landing Pages to Increase Conversions

You’re in good shape if your website features static pages that describe your company, and give an overview of your products and services. Landing pages, however, put a marketing campaign into overdrive, and get consumers to respond with a specific action. Businesses use landing pages primarily to increase conversions, using a call to action, clear message and testing to coax consumers to give up an email address, for example, in exchange for something of value.

In fact, Unbounce reports that the use of landing pages reduces cost per acquisition (CPA). Compared to a campaign without landing pages with a $50 CPA, a campaign with landing pages shows a 25 percent increase in conversion rates, at $44.44 CPA. Taking that concept a step further, a campaign with landing pages and testing/optimization strategies drives an even better return, boosting conversion by 50 percent, at $41.67 CPA.

Do those numbers pique your interest? They should. If you want to use landing pages but don’t know how to go about it, here’s a guide for beginners:

• Don’t use apples to sell oranges. As with any marketing campaign, the message for the campaign that incorporates the landing page needs to be congruent. Every touch point in the campaign should promote a singular message/theme to the consumer, and the landing page should only serve to further that message.
• Test before you launch. Resolve failure to launch problems before you begin with testing. Try out the landing page on different web browsers, mobile devices and so forth to ensure that the font is readable and the most important information appears “above the fold.”
• Use a singular focus. If the landing page is designed to offer consumers a free report in exchange for an email address, don’t use the sidebar to promote another product you sell. Mixed messages will decrease conversions, because the secondary “call to action” will drive consumers away from the page, and fail to capture their email before they abandon the page.
• Start with a call to action and build from there. While your landing page should promote a singular focus, it should also employ an effective call to action (C2A) to get consumers to “act” how you want them to. Clear directions, a C2A button or an eye-catching graphic should immediately catch the consumer’s eye within just a few seconds of landing on the page. The singular focus (the value you’re offering in a free report, for instance) should pique interest, but the call to action should let consumers know how to respond (by giving up their email address).
• Keep it short and precise. On a landing page, getting wordy is a surefire way to prompt users to abandon the page. Respect their time, and give consumers a quick, clear message.

Creating a landing page takes a different skill set than developing copy for a web page or brochure. By keeping it simple, focused and direct, with a consistent message throughout the campaign, your landing pages will drive your company to the top, leaving your competition to wonder how you did it.