6 Landing Page Optimization Strategies You Can’t Afford To Miss

So, you’ve created some landing pages and invested a lot into the content and development process. After spending all that time and money, you deserve the best results. However, sometimes, your landing pages fail to attract visitors or convert visitors into leads and sales. If this is the case, something can be wrong or missing from your overall landing page optimization efforts. 

You probably run several digital marketing campaigns: Google Ads, social media, email, SEO, etc. All of these channels drive traffic back to your website. While you invest heavily into these campaigns, you don’t want to end up receiving traffic to poorly converting landing pages.  The good thing about digital marketing is that it gives you all the data you need to optimize your campaigns: pageviews, click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, conversion rate, impressions, and so on. 

On top of that, there are plenty of amazing tools out there that are helping marketers and business managers with almost every aspect of their marketing from creating landing pages to running email and search marketing campaigns. 

In this post, we’re going to give you 6 strategies for optimizing your landing pages to dramatically increase your conversion rate. 

Why Your Landing Pages Are Failing You 

Before we go ahead and talk about landing page optimization strategies, let’s take a quick look at why your landing pages are not converting in the first place.

So, your landing pages are not converting. Here are 9 things you could be doing wrong: 

• You’re targeting the wrong people 

If the people who see your ads aren’t interested in your products or services, they’re not going to click through. 

• You think your landing page is your homepage 

A landing page is supposed to be a specific, campaign-based page that serves one single purpose, unlike a homepage. 

• Your landing pages are distracting & cluttered 

Multiple different CTAs, in-line links, a navigation bar, too many offers, and other irrelevant elements can make a landing page cluttered and hard to navigate. 

• You’re asking for too much 

Imagine a user lands on your landing page and they have to fill out a 20-field form. If you’re asking for too much before you establish a relationship with the clients, you could be pushing visitors away. 

• Your pages are long, boring, or contain too much content 

This can vary from industry to industry, but as a general rule, today’s consumer is used to and wants quick, easy solutions. It would be a mistake to populate your landing page with too many boring, hard-to-read details. 

• Your offer sucks 

Let’s say your landing pages are great from a user experience standpoint. What if your audience doesn’t find your offer attractive? Try changing the way you frame your product, the pricing, or the way you present your benefits!

• The design isn’t up to the mark 

You want to cover a lot of information on your landing page, and in the process, you may end up creating a page that looks visually poor and cluttered. 

• Your offers don’t sound trustworthy 

People think twice before sharing their personal information with businesses they don’t trust. It would be a mistake not to focus on building trust first.

• Your landing pages are slow 

A landing page that takes ages to load will only frustrate your potential visitors: they’re likely to bounce even before looking at your page. 

So, these are some major reasons why landing pages fail to produce the intended results. However, making small optimizations can make a big difference. 

6+ Landing Page Optimization Strategies You Shouldn’t Ignore 

1. Know Who You’re Talking To

As we mentioned earlier, a landing page is a page that talks specifically about a product or service and revolves around a CTA. If you’re not sure about your target audience, you’re likely to produce no significant impact. Therefore, be sure to answer the following questions before you start creating a landing page: 

• Who are your customers and what they’re looking for? 
• What age group does your target audience fall into?
• What are their interests and hobbies?
• What kind of devices do they use to buy online?
• What languages do they use?

By answering these questions, you can gain insights into the type of imagery and messaging that will resonate with your audience. For instance, if your target audience is primarily composed of young adults, then you may want to use more contemporary and edgy graphics to appeal to them. Alternatively, if your audience is more conservative, you may want to use more traditional imagery and language to build trust and credibility.

Ultimately, the goal is to create a landing page that reflects your target audience’s needs and preferences, while also conveying your brand’s message and value proposition. This can help increase the chances of visitors taking action and converting into customers.

Therefore, identify the right people as a key part of your landing page optimization efforts. 

Tips for identifying your audience 

• Consider collecting first-party data using tactics like lead generation forms, surveys, email list-building, etc.  
• Segment your audience into different groups based on their buying history, demographics, or any other data point. 
• Look at your competitors’ social media and websites to find out who they’re selling to. 
• Speak to your customers directly to gain more insight into their needs and challenges. 
• Create buyer personas using your customer data. 

It’s time to stop shooting in the dark. Let data help you understand your customers. If you study successful brands, one thing is common in them: they know exactly who their target customers are. They strive to cater to specific and strategic customer needs. 

They focus on the most important customers of their business, and sometimes even refocus on a more lucrative target market. 

2. Simplify Your Landing Page Design

As the great philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” and this couldn’t be more true when it comes to creating engaging online experiences for your customers.

As potential customers browse through your landing page, make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for. While flashy CSS animations, intricate illustrations, and other bells and whistles may look impressive, the real key is simplicity. 

Your landing page should effectively convey your message to the customer, answering their questions in a clear and concise manner that doesn’t distract or confuse them. Remember, keeping it simple and straightforward is the best way to make a lasting impression on your customers.

While it may seem counterintuitive, a simple landing page can actually be more effective than one cluttered with visual distractions. So, try to eliminate unnecessary elements to direct your website visitors’ attention toward your call to action and increase the chances of conversion. 

Want to take a look at a simple yet highly powerful landing page? You can get some inspiration from companies like Uber, Dropbox, and Airbnb!

Those are some examples of brands that understand the power of simplicity. Their landing pages are visually clean and uncluttered, yet still, manage to communicate a wealth of information in a concise and effective manner. Follow these examples of clarity and simplicity to create well-optimized landing pages that deliver a powerful message and drive results.

Here are some tips to help you turn simplicity into better conversion rates: 

• Focus on the essential elements that support your call to action (CTA)
• Remove unnecessary images, graphics, and animations
• Minimize the amount of text and use short and concise headlines
• Use a clear and legible font style and size
• Avoid excessive use of colors and keep your color scheme simple and consistent
• Eliminate any extra links or navigation menus that could distract from your CTA
• Use plenty of white space to create a clean and uncluttered layout
• Optimize your page for fast loading times by reducing the size of images and other media
• Keep your CTA prominent and make it easy for visitors to take action.

Don’t hesitate to use the right tools as they allow you to build clean, clutter-free landing pages. For example, ActiveCampaign is one of the tools that let you drag and drop and create stunning landing pages with ease, and incorporate them quickly 

3. Optimize Your Call To Action 

You can’t overlook the significance of a good CTA when it comes to landing page optimization. To increase your conversion rate, you need to master the art of the call-to-action (CTA). Without a clear and compelling CTA, your landing page is incomplete and won’t deliver the results you desire. 

Your landing page’s ultimate goal is to convert visitors, and every element on the page should be leading up to that desired outcome. That’s why you should start with the end goal in mind, and craft your copy around that goal.

By creating a CTA that is specific to the page offer and using language that is compelling and action-oriented, you can improve the chances of visitors taking the desired action. 

Quick suggestion: avoid using generic CTAs like “Submit” or “Download,” as they are less effective than CTAs that clearly communicate the value proposition of the offer and create a sense of urgency for the visitor to take action.

One common mistake businesses make is that they use one CTA in different places: social media, landing pages, product pages, blogs, etc. Don’t hesitate to try different CTAs on different platforms. 

Writing effective CTA button copy is just as crucial as the rest of your page’s copy. People read and respond to CTAs, so it’s important to make sure your CTA copy is concise, clear, and compelling. 

A small tweak in your wording can make a huge difference in your conversion rate. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with different CTA variations until you find the one that resonates best with your audience.

Tips For Creating Converting CTAs

• Start with the end goal in mind – your CTA button should reflect the action you want your visitor to take. 
• Keep your CTA relevant to the ad or listing your prospects are going to click and land on your landing page. 
• Keep your CTA button copy concise and clear.
• Make sure your CTA button stands out visually on your landing page.
• Use contrasting colors for your CTA button to make it pop.
• Place your CTA button in a prominent location on your landing page, such as above the fold or at the end of your copy.
• Test different variations of your CTA button copy and design to see which works best for your audience.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different CTA button shapes, sizes, and placements to find what works best for your landing page.
• You can incorporate the CTA multiple times throughout the landing page. 
• A/B testing will help you find what works best for your audience.

Related: 10 Best Practices For CTA Buttons

4. Test Different Headlines And Copy 

An average user spends 52 seconds on a page. You probably have less than 52 seconds to get your message across. It’s not the most exciting news you’ll hear today, but it needs to be said: people do not read your landing pages meticulously. They just scan and skim through it, letting their eyes dance across the page without reading every word.

Keep this behavior in mind when doing landing page optimization. Adapt to your audience and craft copy that will entice them to convert, even if they’re only skimming. To achieve this, pay attention to what your customers are focusing on:

• The headline
• The subheadline (sometimes)
• The images
• The CTA buttons

After these elements, customers may or may not read the following:

• Major section headings
• Bullet points
• Short paragraphs
• Image captions

Knowing this, focus on these key areas when writing your landing page copy. Start by creating a big, bold, and clear headline that captures your audience’s attention. Make sure your subheadline is compelling and highlights the benefits of your product. 

Use strong, eye-catching images that showcase your product’s advantages and reinforce your message. Craft persuasive copy for your CTA and break your copy into sections with large headlines.

When highlighting the benefits of your product, use short bullet points instead of long ones. Keep your paragraphs short and sweet, with no more than five lines each. Also, add captions to your images and keep your writing simple.

As we said before, simplicity is the key to great conversion copy. Even if you or your writers are as skilled a writer as Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, your literary prowess is not as valuable in conversion copy as your ability to communicate clearly and succinctly. 

To make things easier, use platforms like Instapage that not only help you build great landing pages but also allow you to experiment and create personalized, relevant experiences. 

5. Don’t Forget To Add Testimonials 

Positive customer reviews are a powerful tool for building trust and increasing conversions. Research has shown that 72% of customers are more likely to trust a brand with positive reviews. 

Also, 84% of people trust recommendations from strangers just as much as recommendations from friends. This highlights the importance of customer testimonials in shaping consumer perceptions. It wouldn’t be wise to miss this incredible landing page optimization opportunity. 

However, it’s not enough to simply have testimonials. It’s important to use them in a strategic and effective way to encourage the desired actions from your audience.

Using impactful testimonials is not just about a brief statement that praises your capabilities. They must be relevant to your audience or people who could potentially benefit from your services in the future. This is why effective testimonials include a narrative that inspires and motivates readers.

So, you should add relevant testimonials to landing pages to showcase how others have benefited from your offerings, making it a valuable tool to establish credibility and encourage prospective customers to take action. 

In the world of conversion copy, there’s no technique more powerful than leveraging happy customers to write your copy for you. As much as we may try, it’s impossible to match the authenticity and credibility that comes from a satisfied customer’s words.

What makes customer testimonials so compelling is that they offer a glimpse into the actual experience of using your product or service. This is something that no amount of fancy copywriting can replicate.

Take, for example, HighriseHQ’s landing pages. By prominently featuring customer testimonials with accompanying photos, they create a strong sense of social proof that resonates with potential customers.

So if you want to improve your conversion rates, don’t rely solely on your own writing prowess. Instead, let your happy customers speak for themselves. Their voices and stories can be a powerful addition to your marketing strategy.

Tips For Adding Testimonials To A Landing Page

• Always use real testimonials from real customers. Fake or made-up testimonials can harm your credibility and reputation.
• Make sure the testimonials are relevant to your landing page’s message and the product/service you are offering.
• Include the customer’s name and photo, if possible. This helps to humanize the testimonial and makes it more believable.
• Highlight the most compelling parts of the testimonial, such as a specific result the customer achieved or a problem your product/service solved for them.
• Use formatting (such as bold text or quotation marks) to make the testimonial stand out from the rest of the content on the page.
• Spread testimonials throughout the page to keep visitors engaged and reinforce the benefits of your product/service.
• Provide context for each testimonial, such as how long the customer has been using your product/service or what specific features they found most helpful.
• Consider using video testimonials, as they can be even more engaging and authentic than written testimonials.
• Test different placements and formats of testimonials to see what works best for your audience and product/service

6. Create A Sense Of Urgency, Scarcity 

We often see phrases like “limited time” and “limited quantities” commonly used online to make consumers take action quickly. Scarcity creates a sense of urgency among your visitors. This motivates them to take action immediately because they don’t want to miss out on the opportunity.

Even large retail chains like Target use scarcity marketing to persuade their customers to make a purchase. This instantly makes visitors want to rush to the store to purchase the product before it is sold out.

You can also use scarcity marketing on your landing pages as a sound landing page optimization tactic. How can you use it? By offering a limited-time discount or a unique lead magnet such as a live webinar that won’t be available again. You can also incorporate a countdown timer to visually communicate the urgency of the offer and encourage visitors to take action quickly. 

Psychology of Scarcity 

If you’re looking to increase conversions on your landing page, you have to understand the psychology of scarcity. Essentially, the more limited a product or offer is, the more valuable it becomes in the eyes of the consumer. 

If we talk about scarcity, it has several psychological effects on buyers, such as making a product more desirable and triggering the fear of missing out (FOMO). After all, FOMO is the key to good marketing. 

When buyers believe that a product is about to sell out or become unavailable, they are more likely to make a purchase quickly. Not to mention, scarcity reduces consumers’ concerns about pricing. When a product is in limited supply, people may be less likely to worry about the cost and more focused on securing the product before it’s gone.

However, try to avoid creating artificial scarcity to generate buzz. Being deceptive about the availability of a product or offer can quickly turn off potential customers and damage your brand reputation. Instead, focus on creating genuine scarcity by offering limited-time deals or exclusive offers to your customers.

ProTip: Use the Countdown Timer 

One of the most effective tools to trigger a sense of urgency is the countdown timer. By displaying a countdown timer on your page, you can let your visitors know exactly how much time they have left to take advantage of your offer, make a purchase, or sign up for a trial. 

Countdown timers work exceptionally well for limited-time offers, discounts, bonuses, or exclusive events. 

Related: How Brands Utilize the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) as an Advertising Tactic

Bonus Tip: Test Everything, Vigorously 

The best thing you can do to optimize your landing pages for conversion is extensive testing. The more you focus on A/B testing, the more precise your data becomes. So test everything from CTA and headline to images and colors. Make one change at a time to find out what difference it brings to your results. 

It is surely a time-consuming process to test every element on your landing page, but it’s worth your time and effort. 

Related: 15 of the Best A/B Testing Tools

4 Bonus Landing Page Optimization Tips 

So, we have discussed 6 ways you can optimize your landing pages for lead generation and conversion. What else can you do to further improve your landing pages? Let’s take a look at the following 3 landing page elements that you must also optimize: 

• Experiment With Form Length:

You probably have this question: how many fields are enough for landing page forms? This study suggests that reducing your form fields from 11 to 4 can lead to a 120% increase in conversion.  However, the best practice is typically between 3-5 fields, which may result in higher conversion rates

• Mention Your Contact Information

Some of your visitors might want to contact you for more information before buying your products or services. Make sure to facilitate them. 

There are various ways to display your contact information: you can display your phone number or email address on your landing page, or alternatively, you can use a contact form. Another option is to include links to your help center, just like Shopify and other companies do.

• Consider Using A Mix Of Media 

A balanced use of text, images, and videos will help you produce better results. Make sure to use videos within your landing page. Why? Videos break down complex information in an easy-to-digest manner. Video testimonials can lead to a dramatic increase in conversion. 

Wrapping Up 

If your landing pages aren’t converting, it’s time for you to try these landing page optimization strategies. Remember, there’s always room for improvement no matter how good you are at creating landing pages for your business. So, don’t hesitate to make changes to your existing strategy. Make small tweaks, experiment with different elements, and then test the impact of those changes. This is the only way to improve your online marketing results!