Anyone can throw ads up online. But, running ads that actually motivate people to take immediate action -- beyond a simple click -- is not easy. A critical component of any successful online ad is the landing page, the page that appears when a potential customer clicks on an advertisement or a search-engine result link. So, how can you optimize a landing page to convert ad viewers into product buyers, leads, new-member signups, and video viewers?
The landing page has only one purpose: turn interest into action. Convincing people interested enough to click on an ad to act now starts with an optimized landing page and compelling offer.
There are quite a few landing page checklists floating around, and many of them are quite useful. Running more than 1,000 campaigns at any given time across a mix of advertisers, ranging from Anthem Blue Cross to Hotwire, we at Hydra have developed a proven set of guidelines for creating landing pages that effectively convert browsing into action. Applying these best practices to optimize landing pages, we've often succeeded in increasing conversions by 100 percent or more for advertisers.
The creative:
- Use a people picture: People are drawn to people. And photos are more effective and trustworthy than clipart. Crop in tight on the face, as we humans are instinctively drawn to engage. Ideally this shot should display the product if possible. If not, you can place the product shot over the "people picture" to make a single, dominating graphic element.
- Make the product/offer the star: Make sure to show what it is you are selling!
- Big, big headline: A big, bright colorful headline should dominate. Don't make the common mistake of competing headlines.
- Lead the eye to the conversion button: People read left to right, so place the main photo on the upper left, the headline just to the right of that, and place the form lower on the right starting above the fold.
- Use photo captions: After the headline, they're the most-read copy element.
- Use copy that addresses the reader: Use "you" and "your," not "we" and "our."
- Make text easy to read: Long copy blocks should be on white (it's easier to read), at least 12 pts in size, flush left, and not more than 50-60 characters across. Use bullets instead of paragraphs.
- Highlighted text should track: Subheads or other highlighted text should convey the essence of the message since some people will only read those.
The action:
- Quick to load (even by dial-up)
- Easy to understand and follow: Understanding should be effortless because people do not, will not, and should not have to struggle to complete the desired action. So be sure:
- There's a natural and rational flow.
- The form is easy to find -- visible the moment they land on the page.
- Offer assistance (live phone help or live chat) for complicated purchases.
- A clean and simple layout.
- No way out: Eliminate all unnecessary links. We're not inviting people to go surfing and shopping. They should be directed to act now on the offer they responded to -- not be distracted by numerous navigation options.
- Critical info above the fold (upper 300 pixels at 800x600 resolution): Whatever people see when they first land needs to be convincing and motivating enough to make them want to scroll down for the rest.
- Key offer promise/benefits/value above the fold.
- Form starts above the fold; make sure it's impossible to miss.
- All-in-one page: The more pages there are to go through, the more opportunity there is for buyers to fall out of the funnel. Push for everything on a single page whenever possible.
- Easy to complete form: Ordering, paying, signing up -- whatever action we want taken needs to be as effortless as possible. And it takes a form to do it. So:
- Make signup forms as short as possible with few fields.
- Use either check boxes or radial buttons as much as possible -- but not both.
- Save info so if they accidentally go back, they don't have to start from scratch.
- Pre-populate fields whenever possible.
- The submit button should be impossible to miss; using red or orange has been proven to improve conversion.
- Use a more creative or inviting word than "submit" for the submit button; tie it into the offer.
- Use the thank you page: A thank you isn't just good manners, it confirms the order went through -- and provides advertisers the opportunity to upsell or promote other products, or direct respondents to their main websites. Advise them to take advantage of the opportunity.
- It's all about the offer: Not following the rules can kill a good offer. But nothing can save a bad offer. So make sure the offer is a great one.
And test, test, test, test!
Following best practices will increase the chances that your landing page converts, but it is no guarantee. The only way to ensure conversions is to test it with consumers, under real marketplace conditions. If you want to get fancy about it, you can employ multivariate testing to mix and match various combinations of landing page elements to see which generates the highest response -- but you need a relatively high volume of traffic to take advantage of it. If you have a long-standing offer or ecommerce site, it's worth looking into.
Mason Wiley is senior vice president of marketing for Hydra Network.
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