A very common dilemma clients have, when creating a marketing budget for their website, is figuring out how much to spend on online marketing campaigns. Clients do not want to waste money if online conversion rates do not result in increased sales. For businesses both large and small, online marketing strategies are designed to boost sales, and if implemented correctly will do so.
E-commerce solutions, such as search engine optimization (SEO), are extremely multi-faceted. So much so, oversight of many key optimization elements is unfortunately common practice. One key element of SEO is landing page design. A landing page is any page on a website where traffic is driven to stimulate a particular action, or result from the user. Landing pages are commonly found when clicking on banner ads or affiliate program links.
For a landing page to be effective, whether it was created to obtain a signature on an online petition, or to pitch a product or service, it should be well thought out and designed to achieve a particular action. It should not be overly sophisticated nor overly simplified. Common pitfalls of many landing pages include no real incentives, being outdated, lacking information or not visually enticing.
Landing pages are often thought of as being expensive and very complicated to design. However, if designed correctly, landing pages end up being a small percentage of the overall marketing budget and can be developed, tested and implemented quickly.
Below, are 5 rules for designing the best landing pages:
- Offer an incentive for visitors to read past the headline. (Focus on solving the user’s problem or ask the user a question to provoke a particular thought or action.)
- Provide customer testimonials and reviews.
- Don’t ask for too much information. (Focus on what’s important and gather more information on a subsequent page.)
- Give the landing page one solitary purpose to keep the visitor’s attention helping them focus on the main point of the page.
- Pay attention to the color, the shape, and the size of buttons. (A visually pleasing landing page will engage a visitor quickly and effectively.)
Effective online marketing campaigns need to provide a substantial return on investment. Mystic Media is a leader in designing effective landing pages, and other online marketing strategies, to boost sales and visibility. Click here to learn more.