Driving Conversions: Test These Five Elements First

Do you often wonder what really drives your web visitors to convert, or how you can increase your landing page conversions? There’s not a simple one-size fits all answer to this, but there is a way to figure out what works best for your brand: landing page testing.

It’s important to test everything. But when you are first getting started, there are five key page elements where you can focus your efforts first.

1. Headline – The headline is extremely important for your landing page because this is the first element the visitor will see when then hit your page. Make sure that it makes a connection with the visitor and how they got there, whether it was a direct mail piece, a display ad, online search, etc. If the headline differs from what they came for, they will immediately abandon the page. The landing page must confirm to the visitor that they are in the right place.

2. Friendly Forms – Consumers like things to be simple and the more simple your landing page is, the more likely they will be to convert or segment rather than leaving. If visitors are exposed to a form immediately upon landing on your page, make sure it is simple and not too long. The longer a form is, the visitor is more likely to abandon the page and you lose the chance of a converting them on that visit.

3. Call to Action – The call to action on your landing page is a very important piece of the puzzle, so it needs to be distinct. You want your visitors to notice your call to action and act on it. Make sure is clear what you want them to do.

4. Credibility – Trust and security is important to consumers. It is important that the consumer feels this from the first step to the very last step of your landing page experience. The consumer wants to know that they can trust your company with their personal information. Trust will help build the consumer’s confidence. You can build trust with logos or emblems such as the Better Business Bureau or VeriSign as examples. It’s important to make sure these are included above the fold so it is easily visible to the consumer. Testimonials are another good way to build trust on your landing page, and don’t forget to include a link to your privacy policy as well.

5. Above the Fold – Many of your visitors won’t bother scrolling, so it’s important to keep all key elements that will drive a visitor towards a conversion above the fold. Note that the disclaimer and other items that must be on the page can always be below the fold of the landing page.

Although all of these elements are important in developing a successful landing page, none of them are more important than another. It’s about finding the right combination of page elements that speak to your web visitors.

There’s a great quote from ion interactive Co-Founder and Vice-President, Anna Talerico, that I think explains it best:

I don’t think there is any particular element that is the highest impact. I think layout is important—where the call to action is on the page, how it is positioned relative to the content, the words we use around the call to action. This can be important. But so can a headline or a form. What works well for one company might not work well for another.

Use these five points as a starting place for your testing efforts, but don’t stop there. The more you test and tweak your landing pages, the more you’ll see your conversion rate increase and the more you’ll learn about your customers and what drives them to convert. Happy testing!

This is a guest post from our very own ionian, Shana Borwegen, one of our LiveBall producers who works closely with our customer support and account teams to help customers bring their visions to life in LiveBall. Shana’s launched a lot of landing page tests in her time, and she shares some thoughts to help you get started.