Why Your Landing Page Is Losing You Sales, And How To Fix It

A landing page has one purpose - to convert. It is not there to educate the visitor about who you are or what you do, and it doesn't exist to present a list of features or describe a product. It is about conversions - lead generation and sales. If it is not achieving this, then it's failing.

What makes a landing page fail, you ask? Below, we look at what a successful landing page has and does not have, along with six additional essential tips. Before going into that though, there is one big mistake that applies to many failing landing pages. It has to be talked about first.

The Biggest Mistake

The biggest mistake that is made on non-converting landing pages is that it doesn't deliver what it promises. The user will have arrived at your landing page by clicking somewhere. They will only have clicked because you promised them something. The actual offer that appears on the landing page must fully deliver on the promise you made. This is the first thing you should check and, if necessary, fix.

What Your Landing Page Should Have

A landing page is technically one of the simplest pages on your website, both in terms of design and technical features. It is also one of the most difficult to create because of its objective. Here is what yours should have in order to give it the best possible chance of maximizing conversions.

• Headline - the headline should speak directly to the visitor, it should give them a solution to what they're looking for, and it should be compelling. The headline should also mirror the call to action. For example, if the call to action says "Get the free eBook now" your headline should also include the words "free eBook". On landing pages that don't convert, users usually don't get past the headline. In other words, it is critically important to get the attention of the user in the headline. Here's a good example from Sprout Social.

• Sub-headline - this is your chance to expand on the headline by telling the user how they will benefit from what you're offering. It can be about twice the length of a headline, but doesn't have to be.

• Description - this should be short, well written, and primarily focus on the value proposition. The best approach is to think about the visitor and what they're looking for - show them how your solution can deliver. You have to do this in two or three short paragraphs, like this landing page example from Moz.

• Image - include a relevant, high quality, and attractive image. Smiling faces always work well on split tests, such as this example from Ranking Coach.

• Social proof - include short testimonials or endorsements from people to whom the visitor can relate. For example, if you're offering a beginner workout routine, include a testimonial from a person with normal fitness levels, not an athlete or a professional personal trainer. This example is from 1and1 on a landing page for its website builder.

• Form - this should start with a call to action. It should also be quick and simple to fill out, and should have a button at the end to complete the action. Don't use the word "Submit" on the button, though. Instead, it should be "Download the white paper", "Send me the course", "Get the free eBook" etc. The form is the last chance you have of getting the conversion, and the button presents an opportunity, so use it wisely.

What Your Landing Page Should Not Have

Essentially, your landing page should be stripped of just about everything else. This includes:

• Navigation - you don't want people clicking away from the landing page to look at something else. Instead, they should be presented with a binary choice - take the offer or leave.

• Sidebars - again, this is a distraction and gives the person somewhere else to go. They should be removed.

• Too many images - this is all about distractions again. One image will be enough.

• More than one option - seriously, the choice should be binary. If you say take A, B, C or leave, you are increasing the chances of a leave because the proposition is complicated. Instead, it should be a much more simple choice: take it or leave it.

• Lots of content - keep your landing page extremely simple and as short as possible, while still presenting the value proposition in a compelling way. Simply tell the user what they are going to get and how that is going to make them better, e.g., save them time, improve their skills, make them money, etc.

• Multiple form fields - restrict your form to only the information you absolutely need. Ideally just ask for a name and email address.

Other Tips

• White space is okay - you don't need to fill every pixel on the page
• Above the fold - crucial information should be viewable without the user scrolling. This includes the headline, benefits, call to action, and form.
• Oversell - don't do this. Promise only what you can deliver.
• Make it personal - talk directly to the user. One way to do this is to use the word "you" in your headline, sub-headline, and description.
• Mobile friendly - in fact, you should probably design your landing page for mobile first.
• The form is particularly important; is it easy for clunky fingers to fill out?
• Test and improve - test, measure and improve everything. This includes the text on the page, the call to action, the image you use, how the benefits are presented (paragraphs or lists, for example), and the text on the button. Even the color of the button can have an impact, so test what works best.

One final thing about landing pages is that there is no "one size fits all" solution. Of course, there are good practices and principles that you can use, and they are outlined above. You can never create one landing page and use it for every offer or promotion that you run. The exact details of what will work depend on the audience, what you're offering, what you want to achieve, and what you regard as a successful outcome.