Vijay Ayyar and Matt Zaheen cover landing page best practices for increasing conversion rates on your website. These slides were presented at the "GoMeasure with Google Analytics" events held in Singapore (Sep 6 2011) and Kuala Lumpur (Sep 8 2011).
7. Landing Pages That Work: Big 8
1234
Confirmation Speed
First
Impression Design
56 7 8
Visuals &
Text
Call-to-
action
Value
Proposition
Persuasion
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8. 1
Pre-Click Relevance. Post-Click
Confirmation
Relevance.
Question to ask.
Does your landing page confirm what was in the Ad? (e.g.
Product from the Ad, Number of offers, Price, Discounts,
Free Delivery, Top Rated site).
Why is it important?
- Visitors click on your ad because they saw something they
liked.
- If what they liked is not present or not confirmed on the landing
page they are more likely to leave your site right away.
What you should do.
- Keep the promises from your ads: if you are advertising with
free delivery, a specific product price or a discount, these
should be confirmed on your landing page.
- Ensure you have a clear path from the ad (text or banner) to
your final end goal for the user.
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10. 2
Speed Speed
Question to ask.
Does your landing page load fast? The answer to this question is no if you
felt like you were waiting more than 3 or 4 seconds for the page to load using a
normal broadband connection (Tip: use webpagetest.org to check landing page
load times for different locations and browsers).
Why is it important?
- Load time is a ranking factor in the organic Google results and affect your
AdWords LPQ score.
- Around 50% of visitors will leave your site if it does not load within 3
seconds (sources: PhocusWright, Forrester Consulting).
What you should do.
- Regularly monitor site performance using Page Speed, YSlow, WebPagetest
and other tools.
- Make use of the Site Performance tool in Google Webmaster Tools that
shows the speed of your website as experienced by users around the world.
- Visit Let's Make The Web Faster to find more information on how to make
your site faster.
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11. 3 First
Impression
First Impression Of Your Site
Question to ask.
Does the page make a good first impression? Without looking any further, is
this a site you would buy something from?
Why is it important?
- Various studies show that it only takes a fraction of a second for visitors to
That first 5-8
get a first impression of your site
seconds is crucial in
giving a positive - It is extremely hard to change the first impression of a visitor. A negative first
and meaningful impression will stick to their mind and reduce the chance they will convert
impression
- Research shows that indications of sincerity and competence are key in
building visitors initial trust
What you should do.
- Use a limited number of mostly natural colors and make sure the contrast
between page background and your text is strong.
- Limit the number of advertisements and banners on your page.
- Remove any elements that look outdated - visitors will respond positively to
a page that looks modern and up-to-date.
- Make sure there are no errors on your landing pages for all major browsers.
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13. Example Of Great First Impression
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14. 4
Design
Design
Question to ask.
Is the design of the landing page clean and does it focus your attention on
the actual offer(s) on the page?
Why is it important?
- Distracting visitors from the actual offers they came looking for will have a
negative impact on your conversion rate.
- Overwhelming visitors with options, offers, specials and call-to-action
buttons will make them indecisive, confused and less likely to convert.
What you should do.
- Remove as many elements as possible from your landing pages that can
draw the attention of your visitors away from your offers.
- Show your key offers above the fold.
- Keep your page clean and uncluttered.
- Make use of whitespace.
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15. 5
Visuals &
Text
Visuals & Text
Question to ask.
Are high quality graphics / images / videos used that support the offer(s)
on the landing page? Is the text used on the landing page tailored to the
target audience and is it easy to scan and skim the text?
Why is it important?
- Visuals can be used to show off your products from all possible
angles, build trust, create the right emotions or make your landing
page just a bit more personal
- Most visitors do not take the time to read everything on your landing
page but quickly scan it to see if it is what they were looking for.
What you should do.
- Make sure that the visuals you show are of high quality.
- Don t auto-play videos upon page load.
- Let visitors zoom in to the very details of your products if you are
selling products with a high touch factor.
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
- Make use of bullet points to list important features and benefits.
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16. Good Visuals & Text
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17. 6
Call-to-
action
Call To Action
Question to ask.
Is a call-to-action text or button provided above the fold, and is it immediately
clear where to click to continue to the next step in the process?
Why is it important?
- Call-to-action buttons provide guidance to visitors coming to your page.
Read this text - A clear call to action will grab the attention of your visitor and with the
right wording can improve the conversion rate of your page.
What you should do.
- Use wording that describes what will happen next, e.g. Download our
free Guide book or Book Now.
- Make sure your call-to-action appears above the fold and keep a
considerable amount of space between call-to-action and the rest of your
content.
- Use a color that lets your call-to-action stand out from the rest of your
page.
- Try and limit the amount of call-to-actions on your page.
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18. Good Calls To Action
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19. 7 Value
Proposition
Value Proposition
Question to ask.
Does the landing page do a good job in explaining why to buy here,
instead of somewhere else?
Why is it important?
- Consumers often compare the offers on multiple sites and make their
final decision based not only on price but also on the additional value
provided.
- For many products, your value proposition is what distinguishes you
from your competitors.
What you should do.
- Summarize your Value Proposition on your landing page.
- Phrase your Value Proposition in a way that it that it shows the benefit
to your potential customer.
- Keep it short and simple (e.g. Delivery in less than 24 hours ).
- If you offer a wide range of payment methods, consider showing these
as well.
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20. 8
Persuasion
Persuasion
Question to ask.
Is the landing page doing a good job persuading visitors to make a
purchase or complete the action on your site?
Why is it important?
- Improving the usability of your site is just one part of the
equation - the other part is to get visitors to want what you are
offering.
What you should do.
- Reveal Scarcity: If visitors understand a product is running out
they will feel more inclined to buy it (now) instead of running the
risk that they will be too late. Additionally, something that is
running out must be a good buy, right?
- Show Authority: If your landing page appears to be credible and
authoritative, visitors will be more likely to convert. Show
testimonials, trust, security certificates and awards.
- Use Framing: If your landing page has multiple products or
service options, help your visitor make a decision by listing one
offer that is clearly the best or show one that visually stands out
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from the rest.
21. Conveying Value & Persuasion: Agoda
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23. Next Steps
4 Next Steps
Check out your competition.
Design companies, online marketplaces.
Sign up for Google Website Optimizer.
Precise & simple exit surveys.
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