Once you’ve gotten traffic flowing towards your site, you now need to make sure the landing pages they arrive on can keep your visitor’s attention and convert views into sales.
It should come as no surprise to learn that most readers don’t take in every word you provide them on their screens. They scroll through and skim, looking for what catches their attention, and if nothing does, they leave quickly.
Today we are going to discuss a few ways that you can make your landing pages grab (and keep) their attention.
Writing For One
Approach writing your copy as if you were talking to one person. Start by making a list of questions about what they might need, what problems they are dealing with that led them to your site, and what solutions your product can provide. Focus on the benefits that will come from purchasing your merchandise or services.
Start by isolating what you want each page to focus on and how it relates to your potential customers’ needs or wants. Your headline should be short and concise, ideally 10 to 15 words or less in a bold, eye-catching font and style. Start right away, highlighting how this page is the answer to a problem they have or how it can provide them with something they need or want.
Pain Points
Customers are looking on your pages for something that will help them fulfill a need. Perhaps it is transactional, they are looking to buy, or maybe they need information, and a search engine or link sent them to you.
Identify what business objective you want your landing page to accomplish; product sales, informational, or a gateway to other pages. Then create a page that focuses on that one objective and how it will alleviate their need.
Less Is More
There is a great temptation when writing content to use buzzwords and key phrases that stuff your post full of words but end up offering little overall value. Try not to overthink the concept you are trying to convey. Keep the sentences short and to the point.
Excess clutter on your landing page can cause confusion. Each page should focus on one thing; one product, one service, and one solution. Studies have shown that having too many options can turn customers away. The longer it takes to make a decision, the more frustrating it becomes, prompting them to give up.
The Human Touch
Technical jargon or industry-speak can be off-putting, remember to try and write as if you are talking to a friend. Use natural speech patterns and familiar words that can be understood by the majority of the population. Grammar is always essential but the rules can be bent a little if it still sounds like something you would say in a conversation. Use short, concise, and clear sentences.
Many of our professional copywriters & content writers have a rule of thumb when it comes to writing landing page copy where they use single-syllable words as often as possible because they can be read easily, remembered quickly, and don’t sound contrived or unduly formal.
The most successful salesmen have always relied on the personal touch, approaching each person as just the one they were looking for to show them this unique product. They identified the person’s problem and then offered the ideal solution. Customers can now research anything and everything online. They can compare the reviews left by prior customers in a matter of moments and no longer need a salesman to give them a list of the features and options. What the salesman has to offer now is emotional understanding and validation. Show them how their lives will improve by listing the benefits, not just your products’ specifications.
Linking
If your customers follow a link to your landing page, make sure the texts match each other. If the ad they clicked on is for a sale on particular items, make sure the page they land on is part of that sale. Keep your wording consistent between the two. The ad and the landing page should be offering the same thing, a link in an ad that takes them to the home page or an unrelated section of your site is an easy way to cause someone to give up on the process.
People abandon shopping carts frequently online due to difficulties in maneuvering around the site. For example, they might click on “Add to Cart” and are then taken to another page that shows what’s in their cart. If there is no obvious way to get back to the product pages they were looking at, they will now have to maneuver through a menu and start searching your site, which many find to be a hassle.
Call To Action
A call to action (CTA) is a button, link, form, or clickable image that prompts your customer into engaging directly with the site. They can be the buttons for adding items to their cart or links to a related article. Anything that prompts interaction will help keep their focus on your page, and the easier it is for them to understand the CTA’s purpose, the better. Clearly label all buttons and use text for links instead of web addresses.
Many readers don’t make it past the first 60% of the page before deciding if they are interested or not, so try to put your CTA’s towards the top half of the page. Remember, nearly all sites have their menu buttons, account logins, and shopping cart icons at the top of the page, making them easy to locate.
In A Nutshell…
The ideal landing page is easy to navigate, uses clear and concise wording, and tells a cohesive story using images, headlines, and text.
By using some of the tips and techniques we’ve discussed today, you’ll hopefully be on the path to better conversion rates, and ultimately, a better ROI.
