Eliminate 7 Common Mistakes to Increase Landing Page Conversions

We’ve all been there before.

A new or renewed effort to drive email signups, prospects, or lead nurturing becomes a priority.

The ideal landing page should do the trick nicely, of course (provided all other content components are in place).

A few clicks later and you’re all set.

Sadly, your landing page performance never hits its performance threshold goal.

Your last check revealed few, if any, form conversions.

How could this happen?

Where were the landing page mistakes?

You’re not building landing pages on a whim. Why then would you treat them like disposable afterthoughts?

Time and time again, the same mistakes show up across volumes of new landing pages added to websites. Unfortunately those mistakes deliver fewer form completions, and don’t achieve your conversion goals.

Improve your conversion rate optimization (CRO)

Here are seven mistakes you want to avoid to optimize your page for best results.

Mistake #1:

Write long-winded headline copy

Your copy should be simple and direct, especially when it comes to the headline. Ask yourself:

- Does my copy confirm why the visitor is on the page?

- Does my copy clearly state what this landing page is for?

- What can I eliminate to make this tighter/shorter/more direct?

The unfortunate habit of writing long-winded copy takes us to the next mistake: writing self-indulgent body copy.

Mistake #2:

Write self-indulgent body copy

How often have we seen the pitfall of self-indulgent paragraphs spouting brand, brand, brand before getting to the point of the landing page? When someone expresses interest, don’t scare them away with endless details about your company. You can share that later in the funnel cycle.

Right now they want information.

Get out of their way and give it to them.

Mistake #3:

Use clashing colors, busy background images, and crazy fonts

The visual elements of your landing page should be easy on the eyes. That means no clashing colors, no visually challenging background images, and no creative font use (Comic Sans or Curlz anyone?).

If you have a graphics resource, your best bet is to lean on them for design. Or at the very least, feedback and editing from them.

Questions to ask yourself:

- Can I easily read my landing page copy with that background image (if you used one)?

- Would my page look better without a background image (if you used one)?

- Is the page branded with correct colors, fonts, and in the correct places (such as your CTA button)?

- Is there enough white space for visual breathing room?

- Is the form easy to see and fill out?

Mistake #4:

Write confusing CTAs

Gone are the days of only using “Submit.” While that option is still viable in some instances, current trends have thankfully gravitated toward being direct about what exactly the audience is submitting.

Take a good look at your call to action (CTA). Does it clearly define what the action is? Examples would be “Download” or “Sign Up” or “Request Information.” Your CTA should confirm the action to your audience. That means they’ll spend less time trying to 1) Figure things out, and 2) Feel more confident that their click is the right way to go.

One more thing: Keep those CTAs short. Long CTAs not only take more time to read, but they also make that CTA button look all sorts of wrong.

Mistake #5:

Design a slow loading page

A slow loading page is painful. It’s like watching grass grow. And seriously, no one has the patience to wait.

47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less.

A 1 second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions

You need a fast-loading page to serve up what your audience wants without allowing their attention to wander.

Keep your page speedy by avoiding use of large image or video files. Downsize those files to allow for good quality while still being able to load within a few seconds.

Learn more about How Loading Time Affects Your Bottom Line in this article and infographic.

Mistake #6:

Distract your audience with the navigation bar

An effective landing page should lead your audience right to your offer. Why would you encourage them to click on something else (or even worse, leave the landing page)?

Including navigation opportunities is a mistake that lures your audience away from your objective. Don’t dangle that click temptation. Focus instead on directing them to your CTA where they can convert.

Mistake #7:

Use more than seven form fields in your form

I wrote about this recently in Overcoming Form Paralysis With A/B Testing and Best Practices.

Conversion rates drop when there are more than 7 form fields presented on a landing page form.

There are a few reasons for this.

One of them is that many form fields seem like too much work to your audience. They see that list of questions and bounce right out of your page.

A second reason Is that you’re asking for too much personal information. Your audience will mentally weigh the transaction: Is it worth offering all those personal details just for one white paper (or freebie, or whatever it is)? Inevitably the decision is likely a no.

Do yourself a favor and cut back on the form fields to include only the strictly necessary.

Improving your landing page conversions is worth the effort

If you viewed your landing pages as a simple marketing effort in the past, I hope you now understand that they are a critical workhorse in your toolkit. They are worth your efforts to improve.

Avoiding these seven landing page mistakes can increase your conversion rate and drive the results you need. And don’t forget to measure, test, and repeat. It’s the only way to truly understand how your audience is interacting with your landing pages.

Do you have more suggestions on landing page CRO? Share them in the comments below!

Looking for more on this topic? Read 5 Ways to Grow Your Email Marketing Lists.