Once you've figured out how to create a landing page, it's time to figure out how to increase your conversions. In other words, you must learn the art of conversion rate optimization (CRO).
CRO is the process of increasing traffic to your website or blog, and making these users take action - whether it is signing up for a free trial, filling out a form, or becoming customers.
Hundreds of articles have been written about CRO and its relationship with A/B testing. That is, comparing the conversion rate of two or more landing page configurations. While A/B testing does work, some strategies don't fall squarely within the scope of A/B testing.
And these strategies have actually been proven to work.
What are these strategies, and how much work is required to pull them off? Not much. These strategies might seem simple enough, but we bet you'll be asking yourself, 'why didn't I think of that?' by the time you're done reading this article.
Employ these strategies and see your landing page conversions rise!
Address The User’s Intent
Most studies on CRO seem to overlook the role of the user when it comes to shaping strategy. In contrast, SEO has been consistent in the way it considers user intent as an integral part of content optimization.
It all starts by using the right keywords. However, for many real-life searches, the results actually make very little sense. For example, the first search result when you run a Google search for" buy a Hermes handbag" might turn out to be a link to a Hyundai dealership.
This means that landing pages that sell handbags aren't optimized for the right keywords. Or they might appear on in results, but only on the third or fourth page.
If your landing page doesn't get the visitors, how are you going to convert?
Let's look at Wix. If you are curious about getting a paid plan, you would search for "Wix pricing" on Google.
However, the first search result does not point to the Wix website. Instead, you get a Shopify page. The official Wix pricing link doesn’t appear until after you scroll down. This isn’t surprising since pricing information does not appear on the Wix landing page.
Instead, if you click on “Subscriptions”, you are shown a list of premium plans. This is a clear case of an excellent product being undermined by poor CRO.
The key thing to remember when writing copy and tags for your landing page is to think like your target customer. Find a way to include the most probable search terms on your landing page.
The easiest way to do this is by using Keyword Planner to find terms with the highest search volume.
Let People Feel The Pain -- And Offer A Way Out Of It
As morbid as it may seem, pain is actually one of our greatest motivators. We feel the pain of something that could happen in the future. We are currently feeling the pain of something that's happening now. And there's the pain of losing something.
It doesn't have to be literal pain - you're obviously not going to stick a needle in anyone's eye.
How do you harness pain to drive up conversions on your landing page? Remind or warn visitors about something painful, then offer your service or product as something that will relieve the pain.
Let’s look at the landing page for an actual painkiller - Advil. The landing page boasts about unbeatable strength to fight tough pain, followed by the promise of a fresh new way of looking at the world through pain-free eyes.
Then the call to action tells you to “get the Advil that’s right for you”.
Another good example of using unpleasant experiences to drive up conversions is the Clickfunnels landing page. The service offers a way for businesses to create business funnels, without the hassle of having to hire or rely on an IT team.
One Clickfunnels review emphasizes the ability to create professional-looking pages in practically no time.
The sales funnel capability is something that would have required extra effort in the past. Clickfunnels makes the sales experience as painless as possible by making the funnel the core of the business, instead of treating it as an afterthought.
Again, pain is a fact of life. People are willing to do anything to avoid pain. Use it to your advantage.
Combine Two CTAs Into One Action
The call to action is the single most powerful element in any landing page. Unfortunately, many site owners fail to realize the power that it possesses. They settle for weak copy that doesn’t give any reason for page visitors to click on the CTA.
On the other hand, a well-written CTA results in conversions. What else could you do to increase your conversion rate further?
Combining two CTAs into one action is one way of doubling conversion. One well-known example is that of a gym chain. The old CTA said, “Get your membership”. After the landing page was fixed, the CTA read “Find your gym & get membership”.
Adding just a couple of words resulted in a more than 200% increase in click-throughs. How does that happen?
When people are asked to choose between two activities that require the same amount of time and effort, they will tend to pick the activity that gives more benefits.
In other words, people will always try to hit two birds with one stone.
The example above is an excellent example of that tendency. Whereas the old call to action gave the user the power to get a gym membership, the new call to action also gives them the power to find a gym in their area.
This eliminates the need to sign up for a membership, then go to the site directory and look for a gym within a convenient distance.
One button, two actions -- you don’t often see that combination, but if you use it correctly, prepare for an influx of business inquiries.
“Get” It
Two words wield a lot of power in the world of CTA’s. The first word, “free”, has been discussed so many times. And you should really use it, too.
The second, though, deserves the same amount of attention.
“Get”. A three-letter, one-syllable word that packs a lot of punch.
Just how powerful is “get”? One example compares two CTA’s. One says “Order now”, the other says “Get now”. When subjected to an A/B test, “Get now” received almost twice as many clicks as “Order now”.
There are a few explanations for the effectiveness of “get” as an action word. Something like “order” connotes passivity; that is, the act of ordering something and waiting for it. “Get”, on the other hand, is a lot more active.
It projects value, profit, benefit, and achievement.
And unlike “order”, “get” has an added connotation of urgency. It puts power in the hands of the person clicking the button.
You always hear “get up”, “get going”, “get smart”, “get real”. “Get” is such a versatile word that doesn't just allow you to take things; it also lets you take control and action.
This is why companies like Spotify use “get” instead of “download”. When you get Spotify, you not only download it. You own it. You control it. You make your own playlists and choose what you want to hear.
Increasing Your Landing Page Conversions
You can use landing pages for affiliate marketing, email optins, and to generate sales. Landing pages are the first place a hole might appear in your funnel. When not optimized correctly, users can leave your landing pages, and all of your time and money will be wasted - especially if you use landing pages in as part of a PPC campaign.
The above strategies are taken from the real world. You can be certain that they already work for major brands. Implementing them will greatly increase the conversion rates of your landing pages.
These can be combined with the essential elements of a landing page.
While these strategies are tried and tested, what worked a couple years ago is not guaranteed to work five years from now. “Get” may fall out of favor, people may get tired of multiple CTAs in single buttons, and SEO might become obsolete or change beyond recognition.
But you should always remember to keep comparing your click-throughs with other sites. Feel free to try new things when it comes to writing copy for your landing pages to boost CTR and conversion rates.
