What makes a landing page good and bad?
Making a good landing page isn’t all about having it look good. While it helps to have a page that doesn’t appear to be from 1997, it’s certainly not the most crucial factor.
A true landing page should be functional, yet enticing enough to force the visitor make the desired action.
Imagine hitting a page where the flow is so bad that you don’t even know what you’re supposed to do. I have seem forms up top while having another form near the bottom of the page, both asking for different info. This is a huge no-no. The last thing you want to do is confuse your user. How are they supposed to know which form to fill out? Tell them. Funnel them to make the desired action.
Here is an example of a landing page with a great flow, and call to action. The visitor is directed to the form, where they fill out their information:
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On the other hand, here is an example of a landing page that could certainly use some work. The desired action is not clear because the ‘apply now’ button is buried in the top right with all the other buttons. And, there is nothing enticing the user to call other than one phone number which does not stick out:
Of course there are hundreds, if not thousands of different designs or styles of pages you can come up with. Just remember, that no matter what the page looks like you need to have clear and defined call to actions for the visitor to follow. You could still accomplish your goals, whether that be more sales, more leads, more conversions, more signups, etc.
Why do people fail at making landing pages?
I think the majority of people tend to fail when they try to create their own pages. There are so many factors to consider such as your demographic, niche, competition, where the traffic is coming from, and several other things. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. You need to create a customized landing page which is targeted to your visitors.
Now don’t get me wrong. I know people who are very talented at making their own landing pages. But these are men and women who understand the process, software, and what goes into making a page that will convert. But this they aren’t your average users, and have many years of practice.
Another reason why people fail at landing pages is by adding too many, or not enough CTA’s (call to action’s). If you don’t have enough, the user could leave because there is nothing telling them what to do. If you have too many, you’re going to confuse the user. Give them a clear path and tell them what to do, or present the options clearly.
Does video help on my landing page?
I get asked this question a lot. And my answer is always the same:
There is really no way to say YES or NO when a landing page will or won’t do better with or without a video unless you test one. Some sites will do better with short video, long video, no video, auto-play video, animated video, doodle videos, etc. The list goes on. The only way to truly PROVE what works best for your page is to split test. Because at the end of the day, what you think or your friends think, does not matter. The data doesn’t lie. So just because you think its going to do better because its pretty, doesn’t mean anything unless the data says so.
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