8 Tips for Maximizing Landing Page Conversions

During my “down” time over the holiday season, I was able to catch up on lots of my white paper and research reading… and have gathered a succinct set of tips for those marketers seeking to optimize landing page conversions. I could spend a lot of time lecturing on landing page strategies, but most people reading this want me to just cut to the chase…


1. Click This… Right Here… Right Now: When you invite someone to do something (in an email or via direct mail or web banner) and you take them to your destination page, keep the information on that page clear, concise, visually clean and with directions so simple your 4-year old would understand. You want your target to sign up for a newsletter? Then ONLY offer that sign up option on your page. You want your target to download something? Then that’s the FOCUS of your page. Don’t clutter it up with navigation bars to the rest of your site (it will only distract the user from the assigned task). Don’t offer other options (after all, they arrived at the site because of one of your clever copy points; don’t muck it up now!). And DO NOT introduce a new offer/option. Distractions will only serve to dilute your desired result. If you want to add those options AFTER they take the desired action, then design a “thank you” page with additional offers/options/navigation tools.

2. Watch Your Language: Every little word offers a subtle nuance that can be misinterpreted and prevent the user from completing the desired task. Words like “Required fields” sounds harsh. How about turning that around and using “Optional” for those fields not required? You’ll be surprised how many people supply you with the optional information anyway.

3. Looks Count: Clean and uncluttered works best; WHITE or lightly colored backgrounds are far preferred over reverse type out of a dark color. If you want to include an image, people like looking at images of people. Smiling people… good looking people. Not a box shot or, a picture of the product – unless it’s being used by smiling, good looking people who are being more productive in their lives as a result.

4. Forget the Small Print: Don’t try and trick your user. Make sure they know exactly what they’re signing up for and reiterate the benefits of doing so. Trickery only makes people angry… and then they opt out at the first opportunity.

5. Don’t Ask if You Don’t Need To Know: If you have no plans to create a direct mail campaign, then why gather a mailing address at first contact? If you’re never going to call me, why ask for my phone number? And really, is my birthdate, marital status, eye color, or shoe size relevant to how you’re going to market to me? If so, then by all means ask away! But if not, why not try dating me first before asking for my vital statistics.

6. Forms Designed by Real Users: When designing forms, make sure users can jump to the next field by clicking on the “tab” key; ask for a phone number with 3 different boxes (the first box is for a 3-digit area code and, once completed with three keystrokes, it should jump the cursor to the next box automatically). I personally HATE having to input a phone number only to be told I didn’t follow the correct format for YOUR site (who had time to read your instructions??).

7. Confirm Our Relationship: Either create a pop up window (“Thanks for registering!”) and/or send me an email confirmation. Otherwise, I’m not sure you ever got my registration form. So I’m not sure if we’re dating… or not. Or if I need to fill out the form again. Confusion is NOT the way I should end our meeting.

8. Keep Those Divorce Papers Handy: Once registered, you have to nurture our relationship. Don’t keep knocking on my door every day (unless I agreed to your daily visits); the first time you email me after I register should be part of the “wow!” factor. Relevant to me and the information I just shared about me. Best offer. Best foot forward. It’s like arriving at my doorstep for our first post-meeting date and forgetting to put on a clean shirt.