8 Landing Page Mistakes that Cost you in the Long Run
Do you believe in the saying “First impression is the last impression”?
I think it’s true to some extent. But let me tell you how it’s important for your marketing funnels. A typical funnel today starts with a Landing page.
That’s how you introduce someone to your business.
Now in the online world, you aren’t meeting people one on one, so you have to make do with web pages. And the one you are intended to land on should be pitch-perfect from start to bottom.
That’s what a Landing page is for. To mark that first impression.
After analyzing a ton of landing pages, I spotted some common mistakes.
- The mistakes that kill conversions.
- The ones that hinder your funnel even before it starts.
- These mistakes could be the reason why your products arent’ selling.
But that doesn’t mean your product is trash (hopefully). You’re just having a hard time catching attention online. The problem is,
You can’t tell anymore. You have to show.
Here are 8 reasons why your Landing Pages might not be converting:
1. Messaging & CTAs on your Landing Page
Most landing pages have messaging that does not define what their product or service is. It’s not just about jargon.
It’s also about how the USP isn’t highlighted well enough, and the CTAs are not clear.
In most cases, you’d need a single razor-sharp action you want prospects to take. Nothing more, nothing less.
Keep it simple.
2. Your Landing Page Design
You might think that a layman who does not know anything about design won’t care for it. That’s where you’re wrong.
The problem with design is almost anyone can notice if it’s bad. But when it’s really good people would think that’s how it should be.
A good design need not have advanced elements. It should just have a natural aesthetic that guides you through the entire page.
The more natural flow your page has, the better your chances to make people stay there longer.
3. There’s no social proof
While it’s good to talk about your product and how it can change people’s lives but all that’s just you.
As humans, we don’t trust very easily. Especially when someone is trying to sell us something. The best way to persuade them is with the opinion of people like them.
Think of customer ratings and reviews. Don’t you consume them before making a decision?
So how can you leave it out of your page?
You can do everything in your power and still not convert. Because people need to absorb the opinion of other people like them before they make that choice.
A landing page is the best place to show it. To proudly display what your customers are saying. It helps them trust you and eventually convert.
4. Asking for way too much
I get it. You want data because you want to pinpoint your marketing and not leave any stone unturned. But you need to think from the perspective of your potential customers too.
They did not come to your page to fill a long-ass survey form. The human tolerance level is literally depleting by the minute. And you don’t want to test it any way whatsoever. Certainly not at your funnel-starter.
For a proper data-centric landing page, I think the best is to keep it between 3–5 fields. No less and no more.
5. The Mobile Site looks like Trash
52 out of every 100 people are consuming your landing page on a tiny vertical screen. It’s no doubt why mobile optimization is of prime importance.
With the digital tolerance shrinking to less than 8 seconds, it’s not entirely their fault.
Now that I think about it, If I’d land on a page with,
1. Extremely small text and,
2. Swiping left and right on the entire website for navigation,
I’d probably leave it in less than 8 seconds too.
It’s not just because of the tolerance level. It also shows that you didn’t take the most basic effort for a good customer experience.
There goes the trust. So, note to self, create with empathy for the visitors.
6. Your Page loads Slower than the Turtle who won the Race
25% of people decide not to come back to your site ever again if it doesn’t load within 4 seconds. Page load speed becomes an important factor, especially for landing pages.
People coming to your landing page are already expecting something. And a higher page load speed is like killing their excitement.
Once it’s dead, it surely won’t come back for a long time.
High page loads speeds are usually a victim of:
1. Media- Photos & Videos
2. Server/Hosting provider
3. Caching
Keep it simple for everyone so that no one suffers.
7. Too many Distractions on your Landing Page
A good landing page would probably have a single and a clear goal. While that’s a good start, it’s not ideal to be pushy with your conversions.
If you’re wondering what pushy means, it looks like this:
- Pop-up forms
2. Extensive follow-up sequences
3. Too many motion graphics and hard-to-read fonts on the page
and so on.
While you’re trying to impress people with your landing page, it’s always better to keep it simple. The wow factors don’t lie in the elements anyway. It’s all about your product on offer.
8. There’s not a Good Offer on Display
No matter how crazy your product is, its perceived value should always be higher. You need to play with psychology, and there aren’t two ways about it.
Think of how people get more excited about the bonuses or freebies than the product itself.
Because they know what they’re paying for. It’s okay if they’re getting it. But when they feel they’re getting a steal deal, that’s when they can’t resist.
If it’s an offer they can refuse, you’re doing it wrong.
Conclusion
If you don’t want to make a bad first impression, now you know exactly what not to do. Landing pages are just too essential to be taken lightly.
Still, figuring out what ‘works’ for you is a long road. A hack would be to do the opposite of these eight things mentioned, but here’s a pro tip: Always A/B test your content.
There could possibly be a million more reasons why your landing page is/isn’t performing. But experimentation is the name of the game.
The more you test, the more you know. So get out there, stop making the obvious mistakes.
Discover new ones. Make them. Learn from them and finally craft that crispy new Landing Page that converts like crazy.
BONUS: Best Landing Page Examples to Get Inspired From
On that note, here’s a question
