The Power of Effective Landing Page Design

With the insurgence of Inbound Marketing, the landing page, or the page a visitor arrives at after clicking on a link, has literally taken on a life of its own.  As it turns out, the content and layout of your landing page design is likely to be just as important to lead conversion as the offer that initially generated the click-through response.

According to a Marketing Sherpa study, it’s estimated that up to 50 percent of visitors to a landing page will bail within the first eight seconds.  While that may seem like a lot of time to some, to a marketer it’s next to nothing.  With that in mind, here are some tips for helping to ensure your landing page design gets the job done…quickly.

• Reinforce the Call-to Action in the Headline.  Keeping the call-to-action the same as the offer copy assures a visitor they’re at the right spot.  
• Keep Text to a Minimum. Use short copy that is easy to read and relevant to the call-to-action.  
• Include a Supporting Image.  Selective use of images helps engage the visitor and grab their attention.  
• Limit Scrolling.  Make sure all content (including the lead capture form) appears above the fold of your landing page design.
• Minimize Distractions. Too much information or too many navigation links can cause a visitor to lose focus.
• Keep it Straight and Simple.  On the lead capture form, request the minimum amount of personal information you need to keep in touch.  
• Use a More Positive Button than “Submit”. “Click Here” or ‘Go” are oftentimes perceived as being less committal and therefore more positive than Submit, Download or Register.

Finally, testing the landing page design shouldn’t be overlooked.  It’s a sure-fire way to uncover whether the page is optimized for the best possible conversion rates and ROI.