How to Optimize your Landing Page to increase your Click through rates
Having a compelling – call to action – landing page is absolutely crucial if you want to convert your website visitors into customers and ultimately increase your Return on Investment (ROI).
Businesses often invest in Search Engine Optimization or in Search Engine Friendly Website Design and while they get a lot of traffic they are still unable to convert that traffic into customers and eventually in sales.
If you fall into this category you should consider setting some goals for what actions you want your visitors to take once they reach your web page such as:
- Request more information
- Email or call you
- Fill out a form
- Sign up for services
- Or purchase your products online
Once you clarify what your online goals are, you then need to create powerful action statements or a – call to action – to encourage your website visitors to take the desired action.
Creating a compelling call to action landing page is crucial if you want to increase your conversion rate, get more customers and increase your sales!
Start with an Offer Your Customers Can’t Resist
As a business you must have a “unique selling proposition.” This is what sets you apart from all of your competition and what should compel your target market to buy from you.
It makes sense to design your compelling offer or proposition so that it responds to a problem your target market is dealing with.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. When they sit down at their computer and search for a term such as, “buy portable air humidifier unit” what do they want to see when they click on your website? On the other hand, if the customer sits down and searches for “tips for installing a humidifier unit” they will expect to find something very different.
- When designing the offer, answer these three questions:
- Who is your target market?
- What problem do they want to solve?
- How do you offer the best solution to their problem?
These questions probably guide most of your business decisions. Your website is no different. Keep your answers to these three questions in mind throughout the entire process of writing Call to Actions for your website.
Six Tips to Create Effective Call to Action Landing Pages:
1. Focus on Your Target Audience
You would speak very differently to a Business Lawyer than to a Tradesman such as an Electrician. As such, you need to match your action statements to your audience. Focus on your audience’s needs and focus on using an appropriate tone.
2. Stay Focused on the Next Step
The purpose of a “call to action” is to help visitors take the next step. Your landing page should include one primary call to action, which leads the viewer deeper into your site. Any secondary call to action should not be in competition with your primary call to action. Overwhelming visitors with too much choice can leave them paralyzed instead of moving forward. It is your goal to help the visitor take the next step.
3. The KISS Principle
Keep it shot and simple! Be clear. Be specific. Be simple. Your home page is more than just an entry portal. It is your opportunity to let people know what makes you unique. Position your value statement above the fold and make it stand out from surrounding content using font size and color. Write the statement so that a 10 year old can understand and act upon it.
4. Establish a Context for the Response
In any real world situation, without context to a command, most people are unwilling to respond. For example, you wouldn’t donate $500 dollars just because a non-profit organization called you but you would probably consider it if they offered “Donate $500 to the Children’s Hospital and your company website will be listed as sponsors on their site”. In some instances you need to provide grounding for the call to action and in others you need to help the visitors realize their need before they will consider taking the next step. In the example of a Humidifier, you may need to provide a web page outlining the benefits of having a humidifier unit in the winter in order to convince the visitor to download your catalog.
5. Add Value
It is human nature to carry a – what’s in it for me – mentality where it may take additional persuasion to convince them to act. In essence, your – call to action – will state, “Do this so that you can get that.” Always try to connect the action with a direct benefit in order to show value.
6. Create a Sense of Urgency
In our human nature we tend to procrastinate and put things off. To overcome this tendency add urgency to your call to action. Create a deadline so that the offer expires or only lasts for a short time. If the visitor doesn’t act upon the statement immediately chances are they will not come back to your site to do it later.