Oli Gardner is one of the most well-known experts at conversion optimization, which is changing elements on your landing page in order to reach a better level of conversion. He mentioned his A/B Testing, but focused in this session mostly on seven proven techniques that he uses over and over again as he assesses over 1,000 landing pages per week.
1. Attention
Attention Ratio = The number of things you could do compared the number of things you should do.
This ratio is critically important, because in internet marketing, there is only one thing that they should do. That's our goal, and our conversion. We need to eliminate the distractions and the links. In essence, we need to take out all the fluff.
In some pages, the ratio is as high as 180:1! That's terrible.
Even just changing a landing page from a 10:1 ratio to 1:1, can easily make a 36 percent difference, as demonstrated by Oli through an A/B Test.
Hobson’s Plus One Choice Effect says that people like to make successful choices. So... If we give them two choices (one they like and one they don’t), theoretically they should feel good about themselves when they choose the successful choice, right? Wrong! Even adding just one more unnecessary link dropped conversion by 14 percent!
Keep these elements of design in mind next time you're making a landing page.
- Proximity - Elements close together are perceived as being related
- Anomoly - Difference/uniqueness indicates importance
- Dominance - Greater size = greater importance
- Consistency - Makes order out of chaos (similar elements look the same)
- Continuation - Use lines and arrows to guide people through the page
- Direction - Point to important things
- Contrast - Make the important elements stand out and contrast with the page
2. Context - Inbound channels change expectations. Post-click success is determined by how well you deliver on pre-click promises.
In Pay-Per Click (PPC) advertising, message match is key.
- Message match failure happens when the message on the ad doesn't match the heading on your website. (e.g. Your ad says "Online Master's Degree", but your site says, "Study Anywhere - Reach Your Goals Online."
- Make the ad match your landing page heading exactly! Don't make viewers think. Tell them, "Yes, you're in the right place."
In Facebook and Display Advertising, Design and message match are key.
- Design match failure happens when the visuals on the ad don't match the visuals on your landing page.
- Make them the exact same! If there is a man drinking a soda on the ad, then show the same man drinking soda on your landing page. We need to carry the design before the click, through the click into the landing page.
Email Marketing should include the same elements, as the two above, but also including the brand.
- When you advertise a specific product, make sure the consumer is taken to the landing page for THAT product. Don't make them search any further.
3. Clarity - Communicating the value proposition to your page properly.
When people look at our page, our goal is that they understand it, without having to think very hard. A great tool to measure this is UsabilityHub.com.
This shows different people your landing page for about five seconds and then asks them questions like:
- What do you think this page is about?
- What do you expect to happen when you click on the CTA link?
- Do you think this page looks trustworthy?
When creating a page, always keep in mind that "Copy informs design, not the other way around"
Don't find a template and try to fill it with your copy. Each page should be designed after the copy is written. It will flow much better that way.
We should make sure our design has a clear flow. 1, 2, 3… Where do people look first? Is that where we want them to look?
- Strive for linear design (it’s alright if people skip left and right when the content is the same…)
4. Congruence - Aligning every element on the page with your campaign goal.
Form-first design - design the form as if it were the only thing on the page. So many landing pages have forms that say things like, "Download", "Sign-up", etc. What am I downloading or signing up for? Designing your form first, gets rid of this problem. It forces you to be specific.
Here are some tips to help you with your form:
- Form Headline - What?
- Subhead - Why?
- Benefit Bullets *optional - Why?
- Form - How?
- CTA - How?
- Closer - Important details to get people to click.
Scorecard - Take a site and look at the copy only. Identify the headline, subhead, and so on and score it with how it is aligned with the campaign goal.
5. Credibility
People may ask, "What if I don’t have testimonials? How do I have social proof?"
Here are your options:
- Be okay with no testimonials
- Give your product/service to a select few (influencers) for free in order to get a testimonial
- Support the concept instead… Instead of searching for testimonials about your product, find what people have already said about the category your product fits in to.
- Ask bloggers to reviewer your product
6. Closing - Applying positive click triggers and removing negative distractions
Look around the CTA. Is there anything that's scary or would keep them from clicking? If so, remove it. The closing could be a line that encourages them to act and removes any fear they may have.
7. Continuance - Always ask for something else after the conversion
The order we do this in is critical. We don't want to confuse those who just bought our product. Make the hierarchy clear by first thanking them for purchase, and then prompting them to do something else.
This is a great example!
1. Thanks
2. Try LemonStand Free
When you are designing your next landing pages, keep these tips in mind. Remember... This is the recipe to increase your conversion!
Thanks Oli!
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