7 Deadly Sins of Landing Page Design
With the holiday seasons coming up I hope everyone has their campaigns in order but one of the most overlooked portion of a lot of campaigns I see is the landing page. Tim Ash presented a Google Website Optimizer Webinar (which they’ve now posted on their YouTube Channel here) which talked about the ‘Seven Deadly Sins of Landing Page Design’. Overall the video was really well done but pretty long, over an hour, so I took out the 7 sins and Tim’s recommended fixes and posted them below. I also included links to the direct time in the video where he talks about each one.
Seven Deadly Sins:
-Unclear Call to Actions – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#7m36s
-should be clear and draw the eye
-placement of CTA should be above the fold
-de-emphasize competing CTAs
-Too Many Choices – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#14m20s
-don’t present detail too early in the process
-group choice into small number of categories
-visual shortcuts to reduce reading
-Asking for too much Information – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#17m10s
-ask only for absolutely-requred information
-collect the rest at a later date
-Too Much Text – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#21m28s
-Use clear headlines and headings
-put important stuff first – “inverted pyramid” style
-do not write in complete sentences
-Edit and shorten text
-Not Keeping Your Promises – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#25m05s
– Repeat the ad-test or keywords on your page
-Provide clear access to information from the ad
-Visual Distractions “Make It More Boring” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#29m40s
-Don’t compete with the call-to-action
-Remove colorful page elements and animation/motion
-Replace generic photos with specific relevant images
-Lack of Credibility & Trust – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erdEZvOq6wo#34m14s
-Feature well-known trust symbols prominently
-Use client logos/brands/media coverages as badges on the site
-Remove anxiety with generous policies & guarantees
