What causes low opt-in rate on landing pages?

22 replies
It's everyone's dream to build a list so that you can monetize them as often as you want. However, people often get disappointed when so much effort has been put into designing a landing page with high expectations of building your list, and nothing happens or at the least, not as you expected.

What could be the possible cause of low conversions of landing or opt-in pages?

1. Page design? Does it have anything to do with colours, fonts or other distracting elements on the page?

2. Quality of traffic? Is it the type of traffic sent that causes low conversion?

3. Slow page load? Could this be a problem for low conversions on your landing/opt-in pages

4. Not enough information on the page? Does it mean that you have not given enough information about the giveaway that will make someone to give you his/her email?

5. Quality of the giveaway? Does it mean that what you are giving away does not have enough value to convert visitors to subscribers?
#landing #low #optin #pages #rate
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  • Profile picture of the author Jamell
    It could be the offer being promoted
    The copy
    Colors because they have a psychological affect on people
    Page load speed could do it too.

    For anyone experience this issue my suggestion is that they should test and tweak to see what formula works best
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  • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
    There are too many variables to pick one and everyone in here will have a different opinion on each one. When that is the case, the most efficient way to get the only answer that matters is to test and come back and tell us what worked and what didn't.

    For some demographics, color and design will mean more than others. In certain niches, the giveaway will be more important than in others. Quality of traffic is vital for everyone, but is it the biggest factor in getting high conversions? Test.

    You could get a lot of differing opinions here. There are many threads asking for that one trick, the main reason, the biggest factor etc etc. The best answer anyone can give you is to test, test and test some more.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    It's everyone's dream to build a list so that you can monetize them as often as you want. However, people often get disappointed when so much effort has been put into designing a landing page with high expectations of building your list, and nothing happens or at the least, not as you expected.

    What could be the possible cause of low conversions of landing or opt-in pages?

    1. Page design? Does it have anything to do with colours, fonts or other distracting elements on the page?

    2. Quality of traffic? Is it the type of traffic sent that causes low conversion?

    3. Slow page load? Could this be a problem for low conversions on your landing/opt-in pages

    4. Not enough information on the page? Does it mean that you have not given enough information about the giveaway that will make someone to give you his/her email?

    5. Quality of the giveaway? Does it mean that what you are giving away does not have enough value to convert visitors to subscribers?
    Match of message to market.

    WHO is coming to that page? Most of the time with people on this forum it's random traffic. The message on the page is not relevant to most visitors, so they leave.

    After that, the assumption by the marketer that what THEY value is what the PROSPECT values. I've been a copywriter for over 20 years, interviewed by Dan Kennedy's firm, and can tell you what I value is nothing like what other people value. Every time I have walked into a situation thinking I knew what people thought was important about the offer, I was wrong.

    This leads to eager product creators rushing to the technical brilliance of their solution...without ever screening for if the visitor even has the problem--or has heard of that problem.

    I recently did a consultation on a medical opt-in page. The offer creators were so enraptured with their solution they went straight into it as their headline copy... they started the conversation way down at Step 32 instead of Step 2 (the first step being the FB ad traffic came in from.) It was no surprise to me that people were leaving the page.

    What does the target market value? They don't value your solution yet. They don't know what's important from that angle.

    This stuff is far more impactful than colors, layout etc. Get the message right and it'll over come any design issues.
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    After that, the assumption by the marketer that what THEY value is what the PROSPECT values.
    You are not your target market.
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  • Profile picture of the author sendizo
    I could think of,

    - Page Loading Speed.
    - Page Not Mobile Friendly.
    - Page is confusing. (No straight CTA, or too many CTA..)
    - Maybe SSL!?

    - Traffic is not targeted enough.
    - A bad traffic quality (Bot Clicks)

    You can optimize your opt-in funnel by designing different Landing Pages for each Targeted Audience.

    Optimize page load speed, you can test your page here: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

    Track your marketing campaigns cross different channels to see where good traffic is going from.

    I'm not sure about SSL, but I bet it would look nice on a landing page -> You could get a Free SSL from LetsEncrypt.
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    The OP I would suggest is an example of failing text. ( Not saying this maliciously - just making a point ) Is the intent of the post to ask if these are issues, or is it a list of facts that YES these variables could cause an issue. YES it is true that asking questions pschologically triggers the need to read further to find the answer... but question after question after question to find out there are no answers becomes a bit of a let down increasing friction and placing doubt in the readers mind.


    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    1. Page design? Does it have anything to do with colours, fonts or other distracting elements on the page?
    Page design plays a very key part in the ability for the page to convert. The text should be easy to read. Generally speaking you want a plain and simple white background ( Yes, I know those of you that use say "Leadpages" use images as a background. This CAN work if the image is related in context to the offer or what the end result would be )

    Color can work for you or against you. The amount of money spent to determine the best text color or the best color for a CTA button is literally through the roof. Paypal when they first started spent $10,000,000 to come up with the paypal button we know today. Google spends Millions of dollars to determine the best color blue for its links as examples.

    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    2. Quality of traffic? Is it the type of traffic sent that causes low conversion?
    Yes, quality of traffic more so than any other variable can create issues with an offer. The flip side of this is the message on the landing page not matching the message in the "Bait" or Ad.

    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    3. Slow page load? Could this be a problem for low conversions on your landing/opt-in pages
    It is suggested that a page that loads in more than 2 seconds will be a loser. Every second after can cost you 20% of your traffic. You can use Googles "Test my Site" ( https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/testmysite/ ) to et an idea of its load time and calculated loss.

    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    4. Not enough information on the page? Does it mean that you have not given enough information about the giveaway that will make someone to give you his/her email?
    This one can go both ways.. there can be to much or not enough. its a matter of finding what is right. The most common mistakes I see are giving "Features" and not "Benefits". My example below is actually a "Feature" ( 25 pages ) but suggesting Tip #3 tells you how to easily boost your metabolism - becomes a benefit.

    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post

    5. Quality of the giveaway? Does it mean that what you are giving away does not have enough value to convert visitors to subscribers?
    When creating a freebie... a simple "5 ways to lose weight" may not be enough but saying: In the 25 page report "5 ways to lose weight" blah blah blah you are creating value.

    Aside from these 5 I think the most important aspect of a successful squeeze page was missed. Matching the Text of the Ad ( bait ) with the headline of the Ad. More often than not I see this kinda golden rule broken. the title of the lander usually is something to do with the freebie. In the example above, ad text of "Lose weight in 30 days" would more often than not be followed with "5 ways to lose weight" and there becomes an instant disconnect.

    "Lose weight in 30 days" should be met with "Lose weight in 30 days". If you have reached the point in your marketing that you realize that you need to be more specific with your ad text: "Lose weight 30 days before your wedding" THIS ad text needs to be met with "Lose weight 30 days before your wedding" and not "Lose weight in 30 days". I suggest for every Ad you have, there should be a specific lander created for that.

    If for example you are using Google Adwords. What I am suggesting is every keyword set you target, there should be a separate lander page to match. #1 As I am suggesting this HELPS with your overall conversion, and #2 It actually helps you easily / better identify which keywords are performing well and which ones are not ( without getting into Google Analytics - and getting lost in the data )
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  • Profile picture of the author nshep
    That sounds like something A/B testing could answer...
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeremusic
    From my experience and learning from some top marketers there are a number of factors to consider.
    1. Is your traffic sufficiently targeted to the offer? If you're sending junk generic traffic to any given offer your opt-ins will be low. Example, you have an offer aimed at women aged 30 to 40, but in a 1000 'general people' you'll have perhaps 20 in that range. But if you targeted "women aged 30 to 40" in your ad demographics you'd get hopefully 95% or better viewing your relevant offer, so higher opt-in. The key is "relevant to your targeted audience."

    2. does your opt-in page have ONLY one thing to do: Fill in the e-mail and click submit. If you have ANY other route you'll lose opt-ins. Remember to use an exit-popover too, the little window that say's "Hey, don't leave just yet I have a better deal for you..."

    3. Is your opt-in page TOO complicated? Many marketers use complex full video, scrolling backgrounds, auto play and such, but a plain old simple text on white background can get over 50% opt-ins!

    4. Is your page secured with https? Most modern browsers show an 'not secure' warning on any non https page which puts off your visitors from entering any details. Get a certificate for your hosting to have your pages https.

    5. Is your opt-in page CONGRUENT completely with the link that got them there? Colours, fonts but above all "message" MUST be congruent (relate to) the advert or e-mail used to send the visitor to the page. Example ad "Get fit in 21 days" , opt-in page says "order your free e-book "How to get fit in 21 days" = congruent.

    Those are my top 5.
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    • Profile picture of the author kgibest2
      Originally Posted by Jeremusic View Post

      From my experience and learning from some top marketers there are a number of factors to consider.
      1. Is your traffic sufficiently targeted to the offer? If you're sending junk generic traffic to any given offer your opt-ins will be low. Example, you have an offer aimed at women aged 30 to 40, but in a 1000 'general people' you'll have perhaps 20 in that range. But if you targeted "women aged 30 to 40" in your ad demographics you'd get hopefully 95% or better viewing your relevant offer, so higher opt-in. The key is "relevant to your targeted audience."

      2. does your opt-in page have ONLY one thing to do: Fill in the e-mail and click submit. If you have ANY other route you'll lose opt-ins. Remember to use an exit-popover too, the little window that say's "Hey, don't leave just yet I have a better deal for you..."

      3. Is your opt-in page TOO complicated? Many marketers use complex full video, scrolling backgrounds, auto play and such, but a plain old simple text on white background can get over 50% opt-ins!

      4. Is your page secured with https? Most modern browsers show an 'not secure' warning on any non https page which puts off your visitors from entering any details. Get a certificate for your hosting to have your pages https.

      5. Is your opt-in page CONGRUENT completely with the link that got them there? Colours, fonts but above all "message" MUST be congruent (relate to) the advert or e-mail used to send the visitor to the page. Example ad "Get fit in 21 days" , opt-in page says "order your free e-book "How to get fit in 21 days" = congruent.

      Those are my top 5.
      You fifth point made a lot of sense to me
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  • Profile picture of the author IGotMine
    The opt-in rate is meaningless. All that matters is how many subscribers convert to buyers.

    I hear solo ad buyers all the time talking about opt-in rates like the higher the better. I'd rather have low opt-ins and a high ratio of conversions than 100% opt-ins and low conversion rates.
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    • Profile picture of the author kgibest2
      Originally Posted by IGotMine View Post

      The opt-in rate is meaningless. All that matters is how many subscribers convert to buyers.

      I hear solo ad buyers all the time talking about opt-in rates like the higher the better. I'd rather have low opt-ins and a high ratio of conversions than 100% opt-ins and low conversion rates.
      Now, that's a totally different game all together. Some people believe in blasting the hell out of their new subscribers because they heard the money is in the list.
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    • Originally Posted by IGotMine View Post

      The opt-in rate is meaningless. All that matters is how many subscribers convert to buyers.

      I hear solo ad buyers all the time talking about opt-in rates like the higher the better. I'd rather have low opt-ins and a high ratio of conversions than 100% opt-ins and low conversion rates.

      Very true.

      Never take advice from a solo ad vendor on how to build email lists.
      Their business is centered around building low quality lists.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      I get a lot of people trying to sell me online ads. They keep asking them what type of conversions I will get, they keep wanting me to consider impressions.


      I ask them if they have clients like me who are happy... Yes, but they cannot tell me anything, it's confidential. I got one, once, to do it. 40k impressions/month. Her happy client was getting 100 of those impressions into phone calls (only method to contact them). Of which one became a buyer (avg sale $4,500). So, paying $350/month, in this case made sense.



      Had another one who was offering 160k impressions, no happy customers to talk to, however, they were estimating that I would get 1% to visit my site. The disconnect: the site is for a local business; the impressions from all over the USA.


      The rest just kept restating the large number of impressions.


      And that despite the fact that I would have no control over the ads.



      Originally Posted by IGotMine View Post

      The opt-in rate is meaningless. All that matters is how many subscribers convert to buyers.

      I hear solo ad buyers all the time talking about opt-in rates like the higher the better. I'd rather have low opt-ins and a high ratio of conversions than 100% opt-ins and low conversion rates.
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  • Profile picture of the author cherac
    I believe it all comes down to the design of your landing pages, as someone who specialize in ecommerce shops setup , I am familiar with user interactions and user thought processors with websites, especially ecommerce sites . "Its all about the layout and aesthethics "

    Most landing pages look the same or have that old retro landing page feel, before the user visits the site he or she might have seen at least 3 similarly structured pages just like yours . You need your landing page to stand out and feel fresh , also very light , so an image and video heavy website with as little text as possible and also very fast loading .

    Most users associate retro web 2.0 looking websites as spam or dangerous so your best bet is to make the page look as fresh and clean as possible .

    Here are some very good tips
    Use beautifully setup popups to get the emails
    Avoid too much texts
    Use high quality images
    Try to make the website as sleek as possible but still lightweight ( Wix , Xpagefy.com , or even shopify )

    Summary: People are more likely to Opt-in to a modern and good looking website and clean popup with a (Good signup incentive , coupons , gifts , points etc ) than a retro web 2.0 looking website exuding a shady vibe ....

    If this works for eccommerce where they actually have to buy stuff, it would work wonders for a simple opt in landing page
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  • Profile picture of the author IM Mozie
    I think the 2 main aspect for better conversions with any optin form is this:

    1. Warm traffic - Your traffic needs to be very targeted and already have an interest in what you're offering, which is why solo ads and paid ads work so well. Cold traffic will convert much lower than warm traffic any day no matter how good your speed, design or lead magnet is.

    2. Your lead magnet must be AMAZING - even if your page looks bad or old, or your page is slow. If what you offering on your optin page is something you audience REALLY wants or NEEDS they will optin. And this is why warm traffic is best for conversions. Your lead magnet is your first impression with your new audience, it should be something they would normally have to pay for. so they feel they're getting huge value by giving you their email address.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    Originally Posted by kgibest2 View Post


    1. Page design? Does it have anything to do with colours, fonts or other distracting elements on the page?

    2. Quality of traffic? Is it the type of traffic sent that causes low conversion?

    3. Slow page load? Could this be a problem for low conversions on your landing/opt-in pages

    4. Not enough information on the page? Does it mean that you have not given enough information about the giveaway that will make someone to give you his/her email?

    5. Quality of the giveaway? Does it mean that what you are giving away does not have enough value to convert visitors to subscribers?
    All of the above. These are the main factors in my view.
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  • Profile picture of the author stiger
    Visitors can't understand your offer.

    Your calls to action aren't definite and optimized for conversions.

    The copy could be more striking.

    Your site delivers a poor user experience.

    The landing pages have unproductive elements.

    You do not have an exit pop-up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian
    From what I see, the more hype you put there the higher conversion.. but I do not use such squeeze pages

    Marian
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    • Profile picture of the author TobiMDD
      Originally Posted by Marian View Post

      From what I see, the more hype you put there the higher conversion.. but I do not use such squeeze pages

      Marian

      hmm thats unfortunately true nowadays..because too many people still believe or want to believe into the get rich quick stuff..
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  • Profile picture of the author martworld
    One of the most important factor is quality of offer and targeted traffic. Both these can lead to higher conversion rates.
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  • Profile picture of the author alanbenney
    There are so many reasons why this can happen but the biggest howler I have seen is there is too much information on the landing page. Keep it short and simple all you are trying to achieve it to get them to subscribe to your list leave the selling to your thankyou page.
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  • Profile picture of the author elfrost
    don't target people doing same than you
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