What is a Landing Page? The Complete Guide - Instapage

Your post-click landing page is a virtual elevator pitch. It's a one-page summary of your offer that provides visitors all they need to know to ... keyboard_arrow_left Backtoallguides Login TryInstapage Backtoallguides Login TryInstapage Learnthetruedefinitionofalandingpage,andwhatmostmarketersgetwrongaboutthatkillstheirconversionrates. Findouthowalandingpagecanboosttheconversionrateofnearlyeverycampaignyourun. Uncoverthesecretstoahighconvertinglandingpagebyseeinghowtheworld’sleadingbrandscreatetheirpages. Educateyourselfoneachelementthatgoesintocreatingapersuasivelandingpage. Discoverthenumeroustypesoflandingpagesyoucanusetoguaranteesuccessofdifferentcampaigns. Sortthroughreal-lifecasestudiesthatshowcasethestrategiesindustry’sleadingtestersanddesignersuse. LastupdatedonMay11,2021 WhatisaLandingPage? WhyEveryPromotionNeedsItsOwnLandingPage CampaignsThatBenefitFromTargetedLandingPages TheAnatomyofaLandingPageThatConverts HowExpertsArrangeLandingPagesThatConvert HowtoPicktheBestTypeofLandingPageforYourCampaign Recap WhatisaLandingPage? Manymarketerswouldhaveyoubelieveapost-clicklandingpageissimplyanypageavisitorlandsonafterclickingthroughanadvertisementorpromotionallink.That’sincorrect. Whilecountlesscampaignsuseavarietyofwebsiteresources(likehomepages,“About”pages,or“ContactUs”pages)aspost-clicklandingpages,thatdoesnotmakethempost-clicklandingpages. Thinkofitthisway:Youcoulduseabaseballglovetoretrieveahotdishfromtheoven,butthatdoesn’tmakeyourbaseballgloveanovenmitt. Similarly,directingvisitorstoyourhomepageor“ContactUs”pagedoesn’tmakethosepagespost-clicklandingpages.Apost-clicklandingpageisastandalonewebpage,disconnectedfromawebsite’snavigation,createdforthesolepurposeofconvincingavisitortoact(tosignup,buy,download,etc.).Thisisgenerallypoweredbyarobustlandingpageoptimizationplatform: Asbusinessesbecomemoredata-driven,post-clicklandingpagesbecomemorepopularfortheirabilitytodeliverhighROI.Researchhasshownthatcompaniesusing40ormorepost-clicklandingpagesgenerate120%moreleadsthanthoseusinglessthan5. Theinterpretationofthatdataissimple:Ifyouwantmoreconversions,youneedmorepost-clicklandingpages.Andtherearetwomajorreasonswhy… Whypost-clicklandingpagesconvertbetterthanotherwebpages post-clicklandingpagesaredifferentfrommostotherwebpagesintwomajorways.Proceedtochapter2tolearnwhypost-clicklandingpagesweremadetoconvert,andwhyyou’rewastingyourmarketingbudgetbydirectingvisitorstoahomepage(oranyotherwebpage). WhyEveryPromotionNeedsItsOwnLandingPage Therearetwomajorreasonseverypromotionneedsitsownpost-clicklandingpage.Bothhighlightwhyit’sabadideatodirectvisitorstoyourhomepage,oragenericpageonyourwebsitelike“About”or“Contactus.”Theyalsohighlighthowpost-clicklandingpagescangeneratemoreconversionsforanybusiness.Herearethosereasons: Userexpectationsneedtobemetwithmessagematch Whenaprospectclicksthroughyouradvertisementorpromotionallink,they’llhavecertainexpectationsforthepost-clicklandingpage.It’syourjobtomeetthoseexpectationswithsomethingcalled“messagematch.” Thefollowingareafewexamplestoillustrate.First,alookatbadmessagematch:Thislinkadvertisesa40%discounton“DeepDive”courses… Butwhenyouclickthe“UpgradeNow”button,thepost-clicklandingpagefeaturesonlyavaguementionofdiscounts;there’sno“40%off”offerinsight: Instead,thisMen’sHealthcampaigniswhatyoushouldaimfor.First,thepaidsearchad: Then,thepost-clicklandingpage,whichfeaturesgreatmessagematch: Theheadlinematchestheexactheadlineofthead. Thecopyreading“15trainingguides”matchesthecopyofthead. TheimageofMen’sHealthMagazineidentifiesthemagazinewithavisualrepresentationoftheoffer. Whenvisitorsarrivehere,theirexpectationsaremet.There’snoquestionaboutwhetherthispost-clicklandingpageiswherethey’resupposedtobe,orwhetherthey’llbeabletoclaimtheofferthatwaspresentedinthead. Ontheotherhand,withoutthementionofa40%discountonthefirstpost-clicklandingpage,visitorsmayquestionwhetherthey’reabletoclaimtheofferadvertisedinthelink.Preventsimilarconfusiononyourpost-clicklandingpagebymakingsure: Yourbrandlogoisonthepost-clicklandingpage. Youusethesameimagesonthepost-clicklandingpageasyoudointhead. Yourpost-clicklandingpageheadlineandcopymatchesthecorrespondingadheadline. Withoutstrongmessagematch,yourpost-clicklandingpagevisitorswon’ttrustyou.Andiftheydon’ttrustyou,they’llbouncebeforetheyconvert. Prospectsareeasilydistractedwithanimbalancedconversionratio Theterm“conversionratio”referstotheamountofoutboundlinksonapagecomparedtoconversiongoals.Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,thatratioshouldbe1:1—meaning,thereshouldbeonlyoneoutboundlinkandoneconversiongoal. Yourconversiongoal Thisisthesingularactyouwantvisitorstotake.Ifyou’vecreatedareportpost-clicklandingpage,yourconversiongoalisdownloads.Ifyou’vebuiltafreetrialpost-clicklandingpage,yourconversiongoalissignups. Eachpost-clicklandingpageshouldonlyhaveonegoal.Ifyourpost-clicklandingpageisbuiltforthepurposeofgettingprospectstosignupforafreetrialofyourservice,itshouldn’talsoattempttoconvincethemtodownloadareport.TwoCTAsof“Download”and“Signup”willstealconversionsfromeachother.Instead,it’sbettertobuildaseparatepageforeach. Thispracticeisbasedonresearchthatshowswhathappenswhenpeoplearepresentedwithtoomanychoices. Inoneexperimentspecifically,SheenaIyengarandhercolleagueMarkLeppersetupadisplaytableatalocalgrocerystore,offeringjarsofjamat$1off.Onthefirstday,theypresentedshopperswith24typesofjamtochoosefrom,andonthesecondday,theyputoutonly6. Attheendofthestudy,thebiggerdisplaydrewmoreattention,butitalsogenerated10xlesssales. AdditionalresearchfromIyengarshowsthat,whenofferedmoreoptions,people… Delaychoosing(aphenomenonknownasHick’sLaw),evenwhenitgoesagainsttheirself-interest. Theychoosethingsthatareworseforthem. Theyarelesssatisfiedwiththeirchoice,eveniftheyperformobjectivelybetterwithit. Everyadditionaloptionpresentedonyourpost-clicklandingpage,whetherthatbeasecondofferorseveraloutboundlinkstootherwebpages(whichyou’lllearnaboutbelow),canpotentiallydecreaseprospectsatisfactionanddetractfromyourconversionrate. Outboundlinks Theseareanylinksthatdriveusersoffyourpost-clicklandingpage.Thereshouldbenooutboundlinksinyourlogo,inthebodyofyourpage,oranylinksinanavigationmenu(becauseyournavigationmenushouldbenon-existent…moreonthatlater). Theonlylinkthatshoulddrivevisitorsoffthepageistheoneinyourcall-to-actionbutton.Whentheyclickit,yourvisitorsshouldbedirectedtothenextstepintheconversionprocess—whetherthat’sanotherpost-clicklandingpageora“thankyou”page.Anyotheroutboundlinkdetractsfromyourconversions. Here’sapagefromActiveCampaigndesignedtoeliminatedistractionswithaconversionratioof1:1: Onityou’llseetwoCTAbuttons,butbothaccomplishthesamegoalbyguidingvisitorstowardsigningupforafreetrial. Thispost-clicklandingpage,however,hasaconversionratioofmorethan10to1becauseofsocialiconsandlinksinthefooter: Here’sanotherpagewithaconversionratioofmorethan5to1: Remember:Eachoutboundlinkthat’snotinyourcall-to-actiondirectsvisitorsoffthepage,whichmakesitlesslikelytheyreturntoconvert.Whenthathappens,youroverallcampaignsuffers. CampaignsThatBenefitFromTargetedLandingPages Anymarketingcampaigncanbenefitfromthehelpofatargetedpost-clicklandingpage,butit’spaidpromotionsthatabsolutelyshouldnotberunwithoutone.Whenyou’respendingvaluablechunksofyourbudgettogeneratetraffic,outboundlinksandlackofmessagematchcantranslatetolostdollars.Thefollowingarecampaigntypesthatshouldnot,underanycircumstances,berunwithoutapost-clicklandingpage… Paidsearchcampaigns IfyouuseGoogleAdsorBingAdstodrivetraffic,yourcampaignwon’treachitspotentialwithoutapost-clicklandingpage.Googlehasmadeitclearinitsadvertisingguidelinesthatpost-clicklandingpageexperiencehasagiantimpactonQualityScore. Withoutadedicatedpost-clicklandingpagerelevanttoyourvisitors’search,yourcampaignwillbepenalized,whichwillresultinloweradvisibilityandultimatelylesstraffictoyourwebsite.AccordingtoGoogle: post-clicklandingpageexperienceisGoogleAds’measureofhowwellyourwebsitegivespeoplewhoclickyouradsexactlywhatthey’relookingfor—quicklyandeffortlessly.Yourpost-clicklandingpageistheURLpeoplearriveataftertheyclickyourad,andtheexperienceyouofferaffectsyourAdRankandthereforeyourCPCandpositionintheadauction.Youradsmayshowlessoften(ornotatall)iftheypointtowebsitesthatofferapooruserexperience. Thosearen’temptywords,andhere’sproof:WhenJacobBaadsgaardofDisruptiveAdvertisingbegandrivingaclient’spaidsearchtraffictodedicatedpost-clicklandingpages,hesawtheircostperleaddropbymorethanhalf: Paidsocialmediaadvertisingcampaigns Paidsocialmediaadvertisinghasgottenmuchmorepowerfulinthelastseveralyearswiththefine-tuningofpinpointtargeting(andretargeting)capabilities.Butthosetargetingcapabilitiesarewastedifyousendtraffictoawebpagewithgeneralandscatteredinformation(likeahomepageoran“ourservices”or“products”page,forexample). Highlytargetedadsneedhighlytargetedpost-clicklandingpageswithmessagematchtogeneratemaximumROI.Ifyouknowenoughaboutyouruserstoreachthemwithlaser-targetedadvertisingparameters,youknowenoughaboutthemtodeliverahighlyrelevantpost-clicklandingpageexperience. Thosewhoclickyouraddosobecausethey’vecaughtthescentofinformationthatcouldhelpthemsolveaproblem.That’swhyit’simportantyoudeliverexactlywhatyoupromisedinyourad. Retargetingcampaigns TheaverageGoogleAdsconversionrateonthesearchnetworkis2.7%.Onthedisplaynetwork,it’sjust0.89%.Thatmeansit’slikelyanywherebetween97%and99%ofyourtrafficisgoingtoneedtobedrawnbacktoyourpost-clicklandingpage. Withpersonalizedretargetingcampaignsthatdeliveradsbasedonprospects’behavior,youcandothat.ToolsliketheFacebookPixelandcompanieslikeAdRollallowyoutosendadstovisitorsbasedontheirbehavioronyourwebsite. AndaccordingtoMarketo,thetechniquecanboostconversionrateby2-3xonyourpost-clicklandingpage: Emailmarketingcampaigns Emailisstillmarketers’mostvaluablechannel,delivering$44inROIforevery$1spent.Whencombinedwithtargetedpost-clicklandingpages,thatrevenuepotentialgetsevenhigher. IntheirStateofEmailMarketingReport,GetResponsenamespost-clicklandingpagesasoneofthe8“criticalfactors”ofemailmarketingsuccess.That’snosurprise,consideringstudiesshowthatpersonalizedemailsgeneratesixtimesmoretransactions,andeverypersonalizedemailrequiresapersonalizedpost-clicklandingpagetomatch.InanarticleontheCampaignMonitorblogtitled,“Howemailmarketing+post-clicklandingpagesworktogethertogetawesomeresults,”SalPartoviexplainswhy: Whenasubscriberclicksonanofferinanemailandistakentoapost-clicklandingpage,heorsheisfocusedononetaskandonetaskalone.Thatincreasesthelikelihoodofasubscriberfollowingthroughwiththeaction. Whathappensifthereisn’taspecificpost-clicklandingpageforanemailoffer?Mostlikelythesubscriberistakentothehomepage,oraproductpageandhastofigureouthowtotakeaction. Ofcourse,yourhomepageisalsofullofadozenotherlinks,tab,andimages.Allofthesethingscanbedistractingtothisparticularsubscriberwhojustwantstofollowthroughwiththeactionoutlinedintheemail.That’swhypost-clicklandingpagesaresoeffective.Theycutthroughtheclutter.Asubscriberislesslikelytogetsidetracked,orconfusedbecauseheorshearrivesonapagethatfocusesontheofferfromtheemailandallowshimorhertotakeaction. Customizingyourpost-clicklandingpagetoyourcampaign Byfar,thetwobiggestbenefitsthatpost-clicklandingpagesprovidetoyourvisitorsarepersonalizationandfocus.Butwhatkindofdesigndoesittaketoprovidethem?Learnmoreinthenextchapter… TheAnatomyofaLandingPageThatConverts Convertingavisitortakesthecooperationofmanydesignelements.Together,theynotonlyneedtoformapersuasiveargument,butausablepost-clicklandingpageaswell.Atthebareminimum,here’swhatyou’llneedtoincludeonyourpost-clicklandingpagetocompelprospectstoact: Non-existentnavigation Inmostcases,navigationlinksarehelpfultowebsitevisitorswhowanttolearnmoreaboutyourbusinessviadifferentpageslike“About”or“Services.”Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,though,theyshouldn’tbeneeded.Here’swhy… Yourpost-clicklandingpageisavirtualelevatorpitch.It’saone-pagesummaryofyourofferthatprovidesvisitorsalltheyneedtoknowtodecidewhetherornottoconvert.Ifit’snotrelevanttotheoffer,itshouldn’tbeincludedinyourdesign. Thatmeansmostoftheinformationonyour“About”page—likethestoryofhowyourcompanystarted—probablyisn’tnecessary.Yourblogcontentisn’teither. Everytimeyouoffervisitorsalinktoanotherpageonyourwebsite,youofferthemanescaperonesoute.Andbydoingthat,you’rekillingyourconversionrate.Herearetwocasestudiesthatproveit… HubSpottestedtwoversionsofapost-clicklandingpage—onewithnavigationlinks,andonewithout: Hereweretheresults: Everystatisticallysignificanttestshowedthatpost-clicklandingpageswithoutnavigationconvertedmorevisitorsthanoneswithnavigation.Inonecase,removingnavigationboostedconversionratesbynearly30%. AnothercasestudyfromYuppiechefandVWOshowedsomethingsimilar,butevenmoreimpressive.Here’stheoriginal: Andhere’sthevariation,withoutnavigation: Thisoneboostedtheconversionrateby100%! Andwhilethesetestsfocusonnavigationlinksintheheaderofyourpost-clicklandingpage,thereshouldbenonavigationlinksanywhereinyourdesign.Theyshouldn’tbeinyoursubheads,bodycopy,orevenyourfooter.It’sbeenmentionedmultipletimesbutit’sworthrepeating:Navigationlinkskillconversionrates. Analluringheadline Withoutacall-to-action,noonewillbeabletoconvertonyourpage;withoutbenefit-orientedcopy,theywon’tknowwhytheyshould.Butwithoutanalluringheadline,yourvisitorswon’tstickaroundlongenoughtoseeanyoftheotherelementsonyourpost-clicklandingpage. Thatmakesyourheadline,inaway,yourmostimportantdesignelement.Here’showtomakethemostofit: Howtocreateaneffectiveheadline Youmaynotrealizeitnow,butthesubheadingabovethistextcontainsapowerfullypersuasivephrase.It’slikelybeenusedinmoreheadlinesthananyotherstringofwordssincethedawnofmodernadvertising—andforareason:Itworks. Thatphraseis“Howto.” Andthereasonitworksisbecauseitplaystovisitors’self-interest.Whentheyseeaheadlinebeginningwiththewords“Howto,”theyknowthey’lllearn,orimprovebyclaimingandusingthecontent.Hereareafewexamplesfromcurrentcampaigns: SEMrushTeam:HowtoGetCustomerstoYourLocalBusinesswithFacebookAds SocialMediaExaminer:HowToUseFacebookStoriesForMarketing ContentMarketingInstitute:(NewWebinar)HowtoBuildYourEmailList EricSui:HowtoAnalyzeYourCompetitioninLessThan10Minutes Ofallstrategies,thisisthesafesttouse.Youcan’tgowrongwithaheadlinethatstartswith“Howto.” Ontopoftheneedtoimprove,thereareotherinnateneedsweallpossessthatskilledcopywriterscantakeadvantageof… Theneedtosatisfycuriosity Whenwereadheadlineslike“TheOneSkillThatWillTakeYourWritingFromGoodToGreat,”wecan’thelpbutclickthroughthem.Thereasonissomethingcalledthe“curiositygap.” AccordingtoJoannaWiebeofCopyhackers,whousedthecuriositygaptoboostclicksonapricingpageby927%,thecuriositygapisdefinedas: “Thespacebetweenwhatweknowandwhatwewantorevenneedtoknow.” Here’sanexample,fromtheA/Btestsheconducted… First,variationoneofthepricingpage: Second,variation2ofthepricingpage: Theresultsofthetestwereasfollows: Clickstothegoldplaninvariationonewereboostedby927%.Acloserlookrevealswhy: You’llnoticethat,onthefirstvariation,thegoldplanisn’tlistedinthepricinginfographic.Instead,it’sjustbelowit.Thetextreads: “Gotabiglist?Choosethegoldplanforupto350,000contacts,3.5millionemailspermonth,and4xthespeed.” Theonethingitwasmissing:price.Becauseuserswantedtoknowhowmuchthegoldplancost,andbecauseitwasn’tlistedonthepageliketheotherplanswere,theyhadtoclickthroughtofindout.Hencetheboostinclicks. Somecuriosityheadlineexamples: eMarketerFYI:(NewReport)UncoverEmail’sHiddenMetrics NextDraft:ThisIsWhatDrivesUs EricSiu:Swipethistogrowyourcompany Becarefulwhencreatingthiskindofheadline,though.Relyingoncuriosityalonetogetyourcontentreadisdangerous.Ifthecuriositygapistoolarge,visitorsmaynotbetemptedtoreadtherestofyourpost-clicklandingpageatall. Forinstance,intheexamplesabove,“ThisIsWhatDrivesUs”isaheadlinethatcreatestoolargeofagap.Readerswilllikelywonder,“Whatdoesthatevenmean,andwhyshouldIcare?” Thebestcuriosityheadlinesincludeanelementofself-interest.Visitorsshouldneverhavetoaskthemselves“WhyshouldIcare?” Abetterexampleisthe“Swipethistogrowyourcompany.”Theelementofcuriosityisthere,andclaimingwhatever“this”iswillhelpreadersgrowtheirbusiness. Theneedtosolveourproblemsquickly Auniversaltruthabouthumansisthatwe’reallinherentlylazyandgreedy.Somesayit’sevolutionarilyembeddedwithinus:Weonlyexerteffortwhenwehavetoasawaytoconserveourenergyforsurvival-relatedtasks. Thatmeanswewantthemostreturnfortheleastamountofwork—always—whichiswhy“quickandeasy”headlinesworksowell.Theypositionyourofferasaneffortlesssolutiontoprospects’problems. Here’sanexamplefromAWAI: Thewords“fastest”and“easiest”drawthereaderin,asdoesthephrase“just10exhilaratingandhighly-productivehours.”Mostpeoplewouldjumpatthechancetolearnskillstheycanturnintoasix-figurecareerinsuchashortamountoftime. Thiscanworkfornearlyanyproductorservice.Askyourself:Whatdoesmyofferturnpeopleinto? Softwarecancreateagilemarketers;coursescancreatemasterstorytellers.Determinehowyourproductorservicetransformsyourvisitors,andletthemknowinyourheadline. Theneedtostayup-to-datewithknowledge Astheworldadvancesatafranticpace,weallhaveaneedtokeepupwiththenewesttoolsandknowledgetosolveourproblems. Ifyourofferisanewarrivalthatcanimproveyourprospects’livesinawaythey’renotfamiliarwithyet,it’simportanttoletthemknowliketheseheadlinesdo: IntroducingLinkedInLeadGenForms Attentionsophisticatedmarketersandearlyadopters:Beamongthefirsttotryself-serviceSponsoredInMail 2016EmailMarketingMetricsBenchmarkStudy NEWDATA:DoesSocialSharingImpactOrganicRanking&CostPerClick? Asisthecasewithquick&easyheadlinesandcuriosityheadlines,newsheadlinesworkbestwhencombinedwithself-interest.Withoutareasontoclickthrough,visitorswon’t. Acompellingcall-to-actionbutton Designinganeffectivecall-to-actionbuttonismorecomplicatedthanyou’dthink.Ittakesmorethansimplythrowingwordsonashapethat’shyperlinkedtoyour“thankyou”page.Carefully,youneedtopicktherightcopy,size,shape,location,andcolor. 1.Copy Thetraditionalcall-to-actionmakeslittlesense.Upuntilnow,marketershavefocusedonemphasizingwhatreadershavetodotoclaimanoffer,usingwordslike“Download”and“Request.”ButusabilityexpertDBnonnTennantthinksCTAsshouldbewrittenadifferentway: Afterspendinghoursonfunnelsandobjectives,sequencesandtimings,it’sonlynaturalwestartthinkingintermsofwhatourprospectsmustdototriggertheeventswehaveplanned. That’swhywetalkaboutthecalltoaction—weareaskingourprospectstodosomething. Thetroubleis,that’sbackward.Prospectswanttoknowwhattheyget,notwhattheyhavetodo.Ratherthancallingourprospectstoaction,weshouldbegivingthemthepayoffwe’vepromised.Weshouldbeemphasizingwhatyouwilldoforthem,notwhattheymustdotogetit. Forexample,ImpactBranding&DesignusedtheideatooptimizeaCTAbuttononanebookpost-clicklandingpage.Theoriginalbuttonread“FreeDownload:” Thevariation,though,emphasizedthebenefitofclaimingthedownloadwiththecopy“ShowMeHowToAttractMoreCustomers”: Thenewbuttonimprovedconversionsbynearly80%: Takeanotherexample,thistimefromEmpireFlippers,whochangedtheirCTAfrom“JoinUs”to“MakeMoneyFlippingWebsites.”Theresultwasa33.1%boostinconversions: Here’sonelastexampletodrivethepointhome,thistimefromRoaderStudios.First,theCTAbefore: Then,theadjustment,whichbroughtan8.39%increaseinconversionrate: Thenexttimeyoucreateapost-clicklandingpageoffer,don’tmakeyourvisitorsworktoclaimit.Instead,getthemexcitedtoclaimitbyemphasizingthebenefitofdoingsoonyourbutton(exception:ifyou’recreatingasalespage.Inthiscase,it’sbesttobeclearwithaCTAlike“Buy”or“Purchase”or“Donate,”soprospectsknowtheircardwillbechargedwhentheyclickthebutton.) Beyondcopy,therearethreethingsyouneedtokeepinmindwhendesigningyourCTAbutton: 2.Size Ifyourbuttonistoosmall,itwon’tjustbehardertonotice;it’llbehardertoclicktoo.Mostpeopleaccesstheinternetviamobiledevicesnow,whichmeansyourbuttonhastobeabigenoughtargetforyourprospects’fingerpad. AnMITstudyshowsthattheaveragetouchpadisbetween10and14mm,whichmakes10x10mmagoodminimumbuttonsize: Anysmallerthanthat,researchindicates,andyourbuttonwillbetoolittleofatarget.Visitorswillfrustratethemselvestryingtopushit: 3.Shape Ifyoumakeyourbuttonintheshapeofastar,chancesarevisitorswon’tknowit’sabutton.That’sbecausetheyhaveapreconceivedideaofwhatabuttonlookslikebasedonencountersinreallifeandonline. Thekeysontheirkeyboardsarebuttonsthey’reusedtopressing,soareonesonlinethatlooklikethis: Here’sanexampleofabuttontheywon’trecognize: Theamorphousblobinthelower-rightcornerdoesn’tresembleabuttonatall.Whendesignersalteredittolookmorelikeatraditionalbutton,conversionspredictablyincreased: Withatraditionalrectangularshape,andtextualclueslike“AddToCart”inblocklettering,thenewbuttonindicateditsclickability. Othereffects,likeshadowing,canmakeabuttonmoreeasilyidentifiablebycreatinga3Dappearance. Thetechniquefallsunderaconceptknownas“skeuomorphicdesign,”whichrevolvesaroundcreatingidenticaldigitalversionsofreal-lifeobjects.Here’sanexampleofacalculatorcreatedwithskeuomorphicmethods: Buttonscreatedwitheffectslikethesearebestusedonaudienceswhoaren’tasinternet-savvy.Forseasonedusersthough,flatdesigntechniquesmayworkjustaswell.Here’sthecalculatoragain,thistimecreatedusingflatdesign: Noticethatthereareno3Deffectsused,likedropshadowsorexcessiveshading.Ifbuyerpersonaresearchindicatesthatyourtargetaudienceismadeupofveteranwebusers,thisstylebuttoncanworkwelltoo. Forahappymedium,consider“Flat2.0.”Thedesignstylestrikesabalancebetweentheoverlyformattedskeuomorphicbuttonandtheminimalisticflatbutton.Itusesshadowsandshadingtoindicatepressability,butitdoessosubtly.Here’saFlat2.0button: Ultimately,theeffectsyouaddtotheshapeofyourbuttonwilldependonwhoyouexpecttoclickit.Theshapeitself,however,shouldremainrectangular.Takealookatthese100post-clicklandingpageexamples.You’llfindnoround,square,oroctagonalbuttons. ThereasoncomesbacktoJakobNielsen’sLawoftheWebUserExperience,whichstatessomethingobviousbutvaluabletoyourpagedesign:Internetusersspendmostoftheirtimeonotherwebsites—notyours.Thatmeanstheydeveloptheirexpectationsofhowthewebworksonthoseotherwebsites. So,ifeveryotherpost-clicklandingpagefeaturesarectangularbutton,yoursshouldtoo.Sacrificingusabilityforuniqueness(likeintheRIPTApparelexampleabove)cangetyourpageabandoned. Incopywriting,it’simportanttoseparateyourselffromyourcompetition.Butwhenitcomestodesignandusability,deviatingfromthenormcanconfuseandfrustratevisitorsintoleavingyourpost-clicklandingpage. 4.Location You’veprobablyhearditamilliontimes:“Thecall-to-actionalwaysgoesabovethefold.” Usually,thoserecommendingthis“bestpractice”dosobecausethey’vereadthatpeopledon’tliketoscroll.Butthat’snotnecessarilytrue. MarketingExperimentsprovedthatCTAscouldworkbelowthefoldwhentheymovedonefromhere(abovethefold): …tohere(belowthefold): Theresultwasanincreaseinconversionrateby20%.Thecause,researcherssay,hastodowiththecontentpresentedbeforethecall-to-action: Ifyoujustrotelyputthecall-to-actionabovethefold,youmaybemaking“theask”beforeyourpotentialcustomerseesthevalueinwhytheyshouldact.Or,sometimes,beforetheyevenknowwhatyou’reasking.Along,uglypagewithacall-to-action“buried”belowthefoldcanoutperformthisso-called“bestpractice. That’swhy,manytimes,you’llseethecall-to-action“buried”muchfurtherbelowthefoldonsalespages.Beforetheycanbeconvincedtohitthe“buy”button,visitorstothesepagesneedtobepresentedwithfarmorepersuasiveinformationthantheywouldonapageofferingafreeebook. Whendecidingwheretopositionyours,consideryouroffer:Ifit’scomplicatedorexpensive,itmayrequiremoreelements—likecopy,testimonials,andmedia—toconvertthevisitor.AndthatwillinherentlypushtheCTAbuttonlower. Forinstance,onlongerpost-clicklandingpageslikethisone,aCTAbuttondoesn’tappearuntilthevisitorscrollsthroughthousandsofwordsofcopyandcountlesstestimonials. Ifyourofferissimpleorstraightforward,though,ashortpagewiththecall-to-actionplacedabovethefoldcanbeallittakestoconvertaprospect.Suchisthecaseonmostpost-clicklandingpagesthatofferfreeresourceslikeebooksorreports.Here’sanexamplefromSuperiorVisual: Butaboveorbelowthefoldisn’ttheonlyconsiderationyou’llneedtomakewhenpositioningyourcall-to-actionbutton… Considerthisexample,fromNatureAir,inwhichthecall-to-actionbuttonisplacedtothefarrightofthepage: Inthatlocation,itwasmostlymissedbyvisitors,whouponarrivingtothepagelikelyfollowedthispatternofpageconsumption: First,theynoticedthephotoofthesurfers. Next,theyweredrawntotheheadline“TamarindoFlights.” Finally,theycontinueddowntheremainderofthepagetoconsumetextandsubheadersuntiltheyreachedthebottom. Inthatentireprogression,readersmissedthecall-to-actionbecauseitdidn’tfitintotheirnaturalflowofconsumption.Sincetherightsidebartendstocontainlessrelevantinformationtothevisitor,likeadsandnavigationlinks,itusuallygetsnoticedlessthantheleftsideofthepage.Researchreinforcesthis: Whenthebuttonwasmovedtoaccommodatevisitors’readingstyle,conversionsboostedby591%: Toaccommodatethenaturalprogressionofthevisitor,youneedtounderstandhowtheyread.Thatwillbecoveredinthenextchapter. 5.Color Ifyou’renewtopost-clicklandingpagedesign,youprobablystayawayfromgreenbuttons.Intheirplace,youpreferredonesbecausetheygeneratemoreconversions.Amongothercasestudies, thisonefromHubSpotprovesit: Butacloserlookatthisstudyrevealsthatthetakeawayisn’t“redbeatsgreeninallcases.”Instead,it’sthatthebuttonwhichstandsoutmoreearnsmoreattention. Inthisinstance,redbeatsgreenbecauseitbettercontrastsotherpageelements.Green,thecoloroftheoriginalCTAbutton,isalreadyincludedonthepageinseveralplaces:thelogo,theimage,andaniconatthebottomofthepage. Whatitcomesdowntoisthis:Peopleneedtoknowwheretoclicktoconvert. High-performingCTAbuttonsdon’tattempttosubliminallyconvertprospectswithcolorpsychology.Green’srelationto“go”or“environment”andred’s“danger”connotationhavelittletodowiththeirabilitytoconvincepeopletoclick. Instead,it’scontrastandclaritythatmakesthemsoappealingtovisitors.Aredbuttonscreams“hereIam”tothevisitoruponarrival.Inthiscase,agreenbuttondoesn’t. Skimmable,benefit-centriccopy Writingforsomeonewhodoesn’twanttoreadisn’teasy.Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,that’swhatyou’llneedtodo,sincevisitorsaretherestrictlytoevaluateyouroffer.Theydon’twanttopleasureread. Whattheywanttoknowisifyourebookisworthdownloading,yourproductisworthpurchasing,oryourwebinarisworthattending—andtheywanttoknowquickly.Evenearlyresearchindicatesprospectsdecideinaninstantwhethertheyshouldreadyourcopy. Decadesago,Munich’sDirectMarketingAssociationranoneofthefirststudiesthataimedtodiscoverhowpeopleread.Withcameras,theywatchedsubjects’eyesintentlyastheyencounteredafreshlyprintedpageforthefirsttime.Theyfoundthat… People“entered”thepagethroughthe“biggestsplashofink”—thedominantheadlineorimage. Next,readersscanneddownthepage,lookingtocaptions,boldedwords,bulletedtext,andshortparagraphs. Lastly,theyreadregular,unformattedbodycopy. Toaccommodatethatstyleofreading,you’llneedtoemphasizeyouroffer’sbenefitsconcisely.Here’show… Legibility,readability,andcomprehension AccordingtofamedusabilityexpertJakobNielsen,towritecopypeopleread,youneedtooptimizeforthreethings: Legibility Here’anexampleofanillegibletypeface: Andhere’sanother: Tobelegible,yourpost-clicklandingpagecopy: Shouldn’tbetoosmall(DBnonnTennantsuggests16pxsinceit’swhatwe’reusedtoreadinginbooks). Shouldcontrastthepageit’swrittenon(darkfontonalightpage). Shouldbeclearenoughforvisitorstodiscernbetweencharacters.TryadministeringtheIl1test,usingsans-serifsforbodycopy,andstayingawayfromdecorativefontsatsmallsizes. Here’sanexamplefromRoyalDiscountandVWOthatshowsmakingafontmorelegiblecanresultinaconversionincrease.First,thecontrolpagewiththesmall“SalePrice”type: Thenthevariation,whichdrewmoreattentionwithalargerandmorelegible“SalePrice”type: Theresultwasanincreasein“Addtocart”conversionsbyover36%! Readability Readabilityhastodowithhoweasilylinesandblocksoftextcanbereadbyavisitor.Tomakecopyreadable,youhavetopayattentionto: Linelength:Theleftmarginisoureyes’homebasewhenreading.Ifalineoftextistoolong,itwilltesttheenduranceofourattention.Ifit’stooshort,however,itwillbreakourrhythmbyforcingustoreturnbacktothemargintoooften.Ahappymedium,expertssay,isalinelengthof50-75characters. Linespacing:Thespacingbetweenyourlinesoftexthasalottodowithwhetheryourvisitorscanreadyourpost-clicklandingpage.Ifit’stoosmall,yourcopywilllookcompressed—onelineblendingwiththelinebelowit.Ifit’stoolarge,itwillstrainprospects’eyeswhentheytrytobridgethegapbetweenlines.DesignerMatthewButterickclaimsthatreadabilityismaximizedwhenlinespacingis120%-140%ofthetypesize: Layout:Foryears,humanshavereadwiththehelpofagridsystem.Beforetheinternet,newspapercolumnsandbookpageshelpedguideoureyestowardthenextword,sentence,andline.Agoodpost-clicklandingpagedesignerwillrecreatethatgridsystemontheweb.Disregardit,studieshaveshown,andyou’llhurtthereadabilityofyourcontent.Inthiscase,traditionalworksbest. Blocktext:Blocktextshouldbenowhereonyourpost-clicklandingpage.Studieshaveshowncopyismuchmoreeasilyreadableassmallchunks—twotothree-sentenceparagraphsmaximum.Largeblocks,liketheonebelow,willonlyintimidateyourvisitorsintoabandoningthepagebeforetheybeginreading: Stockphrasesandunnecessaryadverbs:“Factofthematteris,”“thatbeingsaid”—they’rejusttwoexamplesofphrasesthatcontributetoyourwordcountwithoutaddingvalue.Cutthem,alongwithunnecessaryadverbsthatcouldbesubstitutedforsomethingclearerandlessverbose.Forexample,“Movequickly”becomes“dart.”“Absolutelyperfect”becomes“perfect.”Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,whereattentionislowandtimeisvaluable,it’simportanttomakeoneworddotheworkoftwo. Comprehension Thethirdandfinalnecessityforskimmablecopyiscomprehension,whichcentersontheissueofwhetheryourvisitorscanactuallyunderstandyouroffer.Tomaximizecomprehension: Usesmallwords.They’renotonlyeasierforvisitorstounderstand,butinaddition,researchhasshownthey’llmakeyouseemsmarter. Removejargon.Made-upwordslike“dipperability”meannothingtovisitors.Theydon’tcareaboutyouroffer’sfeatures.Avoidconfusingthemwithtradetermsoryourownlanguage.Speaktheirlanguage.Alawnmower’s“Platinumseries19HPBriggs&StrattonIntekOVEengine”ismeaninglessuntilyouexplainthatitextendsthelifeoftheproduct.Noticehoweverybulletpointonthispagepresentsafeature,thenspellsoutitsbenefitclearly. Cutambiguouscontent.Yourproductisn’t“premium”or“great.”It’sfast,orit’sdurable.Itdoesn’t“improvemarketingperformance.”It“turnsyouintoamastercopywriter,capableofsellinganythingwiththewrittenword,”orevenbetter:Itteachesyoualltheskillsyouneedtoknowtobecomeanin-demand,six-figurecopywriter. Beingclearaboutwhatyouroffercanprovideiscrucialforcomprehension.AstudybySheenaIyengarshowedthatwhenemployeesweretoldtoimagineallthebenefitsofsavingmoney,theywere20%morelikelytoopenaretirementfund.Theyalsocommittedtocontributing4%moretoitregularlythanthosewhowerenotinstructedtoconsiderthebenefitsofsavingmoney. EngagingMedia Wherewordsfailtoconveythevalueofanoffer,visualscanexcel.Studieshaveshownthatit’sfareasierforpeopletoprocessimagesthantext,whichmakessensewhenyouconsiderhumanslargelyinterprettheworldaroundthemwithoutthehelpofwords. Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,visualslikeexplainervideoscandetailhowyourofferworks,andimagescanhelpyourvisitorimaginehowyourproductorservicechangestheirworldforthebetter. Atthesametime,visualsaren’taone-size-fits-allsolution.Thetypeyouchoosetopersuadeyourvisitorsdependsonwhatyou’reoffering. Hereareafewtypesyoumightconsiderusingonyourpost-clicklandingpage: post-clicklandingpageimages Pickingtheperfectimagetorepresentyourofferistough.Youmightwonderwhatyoushouldchoose:ashotofyourproductoramodelusingit?Shouldyouincludeaphotoofyourebookcover,orapagewithinthebookitself? Whateveryoudecide,it’simportanttorememberonecrucialguidelineforaddingimagestoapost-clicklandingpage: Alwaysbeinformational.Ifanimagedoesn’thelpvisitorsevaluateyouroffer,itdoesn’tbelongonyourpost-clicklandingpage.Here’sanexampleofano-value-addedimage: ResearchfromNielsenNormanGroupshowsthatgenericimageslikethesegetignored.Belowisamapthattrackedagroupofinternetusers’eyesastheyscannedawebpage.Noticehowthestockimagegoescompletelyunseen: Togetthemostoutofyourpost-clicklandingpageimage,it’skeytoensureyoupickonethatactuallycontributestothegoalofthepage.Hereareafewtoconsider: Heroshots Theseimages(andsometimesvideos)toutyourproductinadifferentway.Insteadofspellingitoutinwords,aheroshotshowsavisitorwhatthebenefitsofclaimingyourofferare: Here’sanexamplefromAngieSchottmuller: Bothphotosshowtheproduct,buttheoneontherighthelpsvisitorsvisualizeitsbenefits.Here’sanotheroneforthesameoffer: Thistypeofimagecanworkfornearlyanyproductorservice—fromlawncaretowatches,andevensoftware.Learnmoreaboutcreatingepicheroshotshere. Productimages Agoodproductshotenablesavisitortoseetheinsandoutsofyouroffer.Ifthatofferistechnical,thisisaneffectivewaytoshowcaseitsfeatures: Thisbackpackhaslotsofpocketsandanglesandstraps.Severalproductphotoshelppeoplebetterunderstandit.Ifyouroffersimilarlyhasmanyfeaturesthatneedtobehighlightedinordertohelpvisitorsmakebetterbuyingdecisions,thistypeofmediamaybeappropriate. Ifyoudotakeproductphotos,putyourselfinthemindofthevisitor.Whatwilltheyneedtoseetoevaluateyourofferfully? Forexample,mostebookpost-clicklandingpagesfeatureapictureoftheresource’scover.But,thatdoesn’thelpvisitorsevaluatewhat’sontheinsideoftheebook.Instead,apreviewoftheinnercontentwould,asshownonthisthisRelevancepost-clicklandingpage: Remember:Developinggreatimagesforyourproductisn’tjustaboutusingtherightcameraorfindingtherightlighting.It’saboutcreatingsomethinginformationalthatyourvisitorscanactuallyuse. Infographics Conceptualizingdatacanbehardfortheaverageconsumer.Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,infographicslikechartsandgraphscanmakestatisticsmoreaccessible.Here’sabasicexamplefromFive9,acallcentersoftwareprovider: ThesmallbargraphhelpspeopleconceptualizeexactlyhowmuchFive9canimprovecallcentereffectiveness. Here’sanotherexamplefromMalwarebytes—aninfographicthathelpsvisitorscomparethecompany’svariousplans: Andhere’sonemorefromWrike,whichdrawsattentiontothebenefitsofusingthesoftwareaccordingtocustomers: Ifpersuadingyourprospecttoconvertinvolvescomparisonsorthepresentationofnumbers,aninfographiccanbeapowerfulwaytoillustratethedataset. Icons Onpost-clicklandingpages,iconsareespeciallyusefulforthereasonspresentedbefore.First,peopleareabletoprocessimagesmorequicklyandeasilythantext.Awell-designediconcanmakeanideaoractionmorerecognizable. Second,peopledon’tliketoread.Likebullets,iconscanbreakupunnecessarilylongblocksoftext.TakealookathowQuickBooksusesthemonthispost-clicklandingpage: Eachcomplementstheaccompanyingtextwellinarecognizablewaythatenhancescomprehension.The“EffortlessInvoicing”icon,forexample,useslinesbehindaslantedimageofadocumenttocommunicatemovementandindicateaspeedyinvoicingprocess. The“Getpaymentinstantly”iconhelpspeopleunderstandthatcustomerscanquicklyandeasilypaywithaccountinformationstoredinthecloud.Ifyouchoosetoincorporateiconsintoyourpost-clicklandingpagedesign,makesurethey’re… bigenoughtograbattentionandseethedetailsof clearenoughtounderstand thatthey’replacedcloselytosometypeofaccompanyingtextthathelpsclarifytheirmeaning Here’sapagethatcouldbenefitfromsomeiconstobreakupthetext: Trustbadges Theseimagesmakeprospectsmorecomfortablewithconvertingonyourpost-clicklandingpage.They’reindicatorsthatyourwebsiteissafetocompletetransactionson,orthatyouoperatealegitimatebusiness. Becausevisitorsknowlittleaboutwhatmakesasitesecure,andtheywon’talwayshavetimetoresearchyourcompanyintensely,theylookforsealsorbadgesliketheonesbelowasshortcutstodeterminingyourtrustworthiness: TheBaymardInstitutefoundthat,amongthese,themostrecognizableandtrustworthywereasfollows(forbuyersspecifically): However,whichyouchoosetodisplaywilldependonthemessageyou’retryingtocommunicate.Moreonhowtopicktherighttrustindicatorslaterinthischapter. post-clicklandingpagevideos Thewebisbecomingincreasinglyvideo-centricaspeopleexpresstheirpreferenceforwatchingonlinecontent.Oneshockingstatistic:Americanadults,onaverage,spendmoretimewatchingonlinevideothantheydoworking. Andso,marketersarenowinvestingheavilyinvideo.Amajorityof93%reportusingthemediumforsales,communication,andsomeformofdigitalmarketing. Onyourpost-clicklandingpagespecifically,researchhasshownthatincorporatingvideocanboostconversionrateby80%.Hereareafewtypesthatcouldpotentiallydoitforyourpost-clicklandingpage: Explainervideos Whenyourproductisneworespeciallycomplicated,explainervideoscandetailexactlyhowitimprovesyourcustomers’lives.Theseshort,routinelyanimatedclipsoftentakevisitorsthroughaPASscenariothatintroducesaproblem,agitatesit,thenpresentsyourofferasthesolution. Dropboxfamouslyjump-starteditscompanywithashortandclearvideodescriptionofitsservice: CrazyEgg’sfounder,NeilPatel,generatedanextra21,000amonthwithanexplainervideothathelpedpeoplebetterunderstandhistool.Ifthere’sabarriertocomprehendingyoursolution,thistypeofmediaishighlyeffectiveathelpingyourvisitorsovercomeit.Learnmoreaboutcreatingthemhere. Introductoryvideos Whenabusinessisrelativelyunknownorwhenthesuccessofapost-clicklandingpagedependsonthepersonbehindtheoffer,anintroductoryvideocanestablishthecredibilityneededtoconvertavisitor. Thispost-clicklandingpagefeaturesonefromSamOvens: Init,hedescribeshisrisefromakidlivinginhisparents’basementtoa7-million-dollarbusinessownerinjustafewyears.Anicesuit,goldwatch,andexpensiveaccessoriesaddtohisauthority(aprincipleyou’lllearnaboutlaterinthischapter),helpinghimconvincepeoplehe’sassuccessfulasheclaims. Withavideointroductionlikethisone,Samgoesfromanunknownguysellinghisservicestoaseeminglycrediblesourceofinformation. Videotestimonials Atestimonialnudgesyourprospectstowardconversionbyshowcasingyourhappycustomers,usuallywithatextualreviewaccompaniedbyanameandheadshot.Here’sanexamplefromROIRevolution: Avideotestimonialbringsthatreviewtolifebycapturingitoncamera.Here’sanexamplefromJamie,aLifeLockcustomer: Inparticular,videotestimonialsliketheseaddcredibilitytoanofferbyhumanizingthereviewer.Theyhelppost-clicklandingpagecreatorsovercomeacommondesignhurdle:makingatestimonial,alongwiththepersongivingit,appearbelievable.Therearesomeotherwaystodothattoo,whichyou’lllearnabitlaterinthechapter. Videocasestudies Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,ashortcasestudyinvideoformcanbeanevenmorepowerfulpersuaderthanavideotestimonialoranintroductoryvideo;andthat’sbecausecasestudiesprovetoyourprospectsyoucanmeettheirneedsbasedonrealresultsfrompastperformances.Here’sanexamplefromCognizant: Noticehowit’slessabouttheclient’sexperiencewiththeserviceprovider—thewayatestimonialwouldbe—andmoreaboutthesolutionCognizantprovided,alongwiththeprocessittooktodeliverit. Acondensedform Nearlyeverytypeofpost-clicklandingpagefeaturesaform.Andonallthosepost-clicklandingpages,theformiscommonlythebiggestsourceoffriction.It’swhereyouaskyourvisitorsfortheirpersonalinformation—fromnametocreditcardnumber,andeverythinginbetween. It’sforthatreasonthepost-clicklandingpageformhasbeenahighlyexamineddesignelementbymanyconversionoptimizationteams.Assuch,there’salotofinformationontheinternetaboutcreatinganeffectiveone. What’sthebestnumberofformfields? Witheveryfieldyouaddtoyourform,youlearnmoreaboutyourprospects—but,there’satradeoff.Everyfieldyouaddisanadditionalobstaclethatstandsinthewayofwhatyourvisitorwants,saysJoannaWiebe: Thinkofeveryfieldinyourcheckoutasahurdleyourprospecthastoleapover.Thenaskyourselfifit’sworththepossibilityoflosingasale—orthousandsofsales—becauseyouwanttofilladatabase. AftertheGreatFieldCullingExercise,asitwillcometobeknowninyouroffice,you’llwanttomakesuretheformsthatremainaresofrictionless,userswillbarelynoticethey’redoingactualdataentry. Herquotereferstoacheckoutform,butit’sthesamecaseevenonpagesthatdon’tsolicitthesale.Asktoomuch,andrisklosingconversions.Here’sdatafrom40,000formsthatprovesit: But,howmuchistoomuch?Theexactanswerisdifferentforeverybusiness,buttheprocessofgettingthereisthesame. Askyourself: Whatstageofthefunnelisthisofferfor?Awareness?Consideration?Decision?Atthetopofthefunnelyou’llwanttoaskforemail,phonenumber,andwhateverelseyou’llneedtobeginnurturingyourprospects.Closertothebottomofthefunnel,you’llwanttoaskforinformationthatwillhelpyoubetterqualifythemtoensurethey’rearightfitforyourbusiness. DoIneedmoreleadsorhigherqualityleads?Forbusinesseswithanemptyleaddatabase,formswithfewerfieldswillresultinmoreleadsthatthesalesandmarketingteamcanworktoqualify.Forteamsthatspendtoomuchtimesiftingthroughahighvolumeofleads,moreformfieldscandecreasethetimeittakestofollowupandqualifythem. Howvaluableismyoffer?Themoreusefulitistoyourprospects,themorethey’llbewillingtosubmitinexchangeforit.Atipsheetmightonlywinyou4fieldsofinformation,butanindustryreportfilledwithdata-packedinsightscouldresultin10fields’worth. Arrangingyourformforoptimalusability Lookingatmostforms,youmightnotthinkmuchthoughtwentintotheirdesign.But,becausetheformiswhereallinteractiononyourpost-clicklandingpagetakesplace,ithastobecarefullycreatedaccordingtocertainprinciplesthatmakeiteasytouse. AccordingtotheNielsenNormanGroup,thoseareasfollows: 1.Visuallygroupformlabelsneartheircorrespondingfieldssoit’sclearwhereusersneedtoinputtheirinformation.Thisform’sambiguouswhitespacingmaymakevisitorsquestionwherewhichlabelbelongstowhichfield: Thelabelsonthisversionoftheform,ontheotherhand,areclosertotheircorrespondingfields: 2.Presentyourformfieldsinasingle-columnlayouttokeepfrominterruptingthedownwardmomentumoftheuser,unlessfieldsarerelated(likefirstnameandlastnameorcity,state,andzipcode).Here’sanexamplefromSkillJar: 3.Avoidtheuseofplaceholdertext,asit’sbeenshowntoconfusevisitors,testtheirmemory,andmakeformfieldslessnoticeable.AccordingtoNNG: Whenyouplacethelabelsinsidethetextfieldasfillertext,thelabeldisappearswhenusersinputtheirtextandtheymustrememberitastheyfillinthefield.ThisespeciallycausesanissueifusersusetheTabkeytomovethroughaform.Whentheytabtothenextfieldwithoutlooking,theywillmisswhatinformationisrequired.Also,usersaredrawntoopentextfields;theymightmistakethefillertextasadefaultanswerandskipthatformelement. Here’saformthatmissesthemark: Instead,here’sabetterexample,withpermanentlabelsaboveeachfield: 4.Requestprospectinformationinalogicalorder.Don’taskforfirstname,thenemailaddress,thenlastname.Askforfirstname,thenlastname,thenemailaddress. 5.Makesurethesizeofthefieldcorrespondstothesizeoftheinput.Ifaninputisexpectedtobeshort,likezipcode,thenthefieldshouldbeshort.Ifafieldonlyhasthreepossibleinputs,considerdisplayingthoseinputsasradiobuttonsinsteadofinadrop-down.Here’sanexamplefromHillaryClinton’sOnwardTogetherpost-clicklandingpage,whichletsvisitorssimplyclicktoselectadonationamountandthetypeofcreditcardthey’reusing: 6.Eliminateasmanyoptionalformfieldsaspossible,thenmakesureyoudistinguishbetweentherestoftheoptionalonesandtheirmandatorycounterparts.Here’sagoodexamplefromACT,whousesasterisksasindicatorsofrequiredfields: 7.Letvisitorsknowifaforminputhasanyspecialrules.Ifitneedsacapitalletterandasymbol,theformlabelshouldspecifythat.Thisformdoesit,butintheplaceholdertext,whichwilldisappearoncevisitorsstarttyping: Here’sabetterexamplefromMailChimp: 8.Prepopulatecommoninputs.Ifyourformfeaturesa“Country”fieldandmostofyourprospectsarefromtheUnitedStates,prepopulating“UnitedStates”cansavethemthetimeittakestosearchforitinthedrop-down.Here’sbothagoodandbadexampleofprepopulatingformfields: The“Country”formfieldispopulated(good)andsoisthebirthdate—butwiththecurrentdate(bad).Thisfieldisbetterleftblank,sincethere’snowayofknowingwhatthebirthdayofthevisitoris.Itservesnopurposebecause,inallcases,visitorswillhavetochangethatinputfromthecurrentdaytotheirbirthday.Itdoesn’tspeeduptheprocessoffillingouttheform. 9.Makesureerrormessagesareclearandnoticeabletousersthateitherforgettocompleteaform,orsubmitincompatibleinformation.Useredletteringaswellasotherattention-grabbingindicators,likemoreheavilyweightedtextandaredboxaroundthefieldinwhichthemistakewasmade. 10.Ifyoudoabsolutelyneedtoaskforalotofinformationfromyourprospects,consideraskingforitinsteps,thewaythepost-clicklandingpagebelowdoes.AccordingtoFormstack,multi-pageregistrationformshavebeenshowntooutperformsingle-pageonesbymorethan9%: You’llalsonoticethatthisform,atthebottom,featurestwobadgesthatletvisitorsknowtheirpersonalinformationissafewhentheysubmit.Throughoutyourpost-clicklandingpage,these“trustindicators”playabigpartinprovingthatyouhaveyourprospects’bestinterestatheart. Strongtrustindicators Nomatteryourconversiongoal—whetherit’ssignups,downloads,sales,oranythingelse—toconvinceyourvisitorstoclaimyouroffer,youneedtogetthemtotrustyou.Withindicatorslikesocialproof,securitybadges,andmore,it’spossible. Eachindicatorcommunicatessomethingdifferent,soit’simportanttoknowwhenandwhereit’llhavethemaximumimpactonyourpost-clicklandingpage. Testimonials Toutingyourownproductsandserviceshasneverbeenaneffectivewaytosellthem.Nobodybelievestheownerofacompanywhenheorsheclaimstheirsolutionisthebestonthemarket. Whattheydobelieve,though,iswhenotherpeoplesayanofferisthebest,orthemostaffordable,orthetastiest.Researchshowsthatproductreviewsaretrusted12xmorethanproductdescriptionsfrommanufacturers—andforgoodreason:Customershavenoincentivetomisleadtheirpeersaboutaproduct’seffectiveness.Forexample,areviewonathirdpartysidethatcompareslandingpagesoftwareoroffersunbiasedInstapagereviewscanbeverypersuasiveforaprospectivecustomer. That’swhytestimonials—reviewsfromdelightedcustbelomers—havethepotentialtoboosttheperceivedvalueofanoffer,evenifthereviewerisunknowntothereader.AreportfromtheNielsenNormanGroupindicatesthat70%ofpeoplewilltrustatestimonialfromsomeonethey’venevermet. Whattheywon’ttrust,though,isalazytestimonial.Aneffectiveonewilloptimizefor: 1.Positivity Areviewthatreads“Thiswasagoodproduct”won’tcompelsomeonetobuyasmuchasonethatreadslikethis: Featuretestimonialsfromyourmostenthusiasticbrandadvocates.Themorepositiveareviewis,themorepoweritholds. Here’sanexampleofatestimonialthat’snotpositiveenough: Translated,thistestimonialsays,“Youbreakevenandthenmakealittleontopofthatwhenyouadvertisewiththiscompany.”Isthatreally“whatyou’relookingforinadvertising”?Thebareminimum? 2.Recognizability Areview’slevelofpersuasivenessisalsoimpactedbythepersongivingit.Ifthatpersonisanexpertintheirfield,knownbythereader,orworksforanestablishedcompany,theiropinioncarriesmoreweight. AglowingreviewfromNeilPatel,marketinginfluencerandco-founderofCrazyEgg,ismorepersuasivethanatestimonialfromanunknownindividual: Similarly,areviewfromsomeoneyouknowwillbemorepersuasivethanfromsomeoneyoudon’tknow,whichiswhyFacebookwillletyouknowwhenoneofyourfriendslikesaparticularbrand: Whenevaluatingthetrustworthinessofabrandonline,peoplelookforindicatorsoffamiliarity.Themorerecognizableitis,themorethey’lltrustit. 3.Specificity Detailsarecrucialtoestablishingtrust.Themorespecificareviewis,themorecredibleitis,andthemoreavisitorwilltrustthevalueoftheofferbehindit. Forexample,here’saspecifictestimonialfromAdLift: Ittoutstheservicewithactualresults:“Weachieveda185%increaseinkeywordsdrivingSEOtrafficinunder4months.”Thisonedoesthesamething: Butthethirdtestimonialfeaturedonthepageislessspecificasfarasresultsareconcerned: Whattheyalldowell,though,isprovidespecificityasitrelatestothereviewers.Fullname,title,andcompanyarealllistednexttoaheadshotofeachreviewer—whichhumanizesthem—lettingvisitorsknowthatthesearerealpeople. YoucanGoogle“ErinRenzas,”“DennisMink,”and“TommyGriffith,”andlikelyfindidentifyinginformation—likeaLinkedInpageorpersonalwebsite—associatedwitheach. Ontheotherhand,areviewfrom“TomG.”withoutanyidentifyingdetails,likewhereheworksorwhathispositionis,comesoffasfake.TomG.couldbereal,butthere’snowayofconfirming.Here’sanexampleoftestimonialsthatcouldusemoreidentifyingdetails: AreJulie,Sarah,andDawnrealpeople?Orareallthreeofthesetestimonialscreatedbythebusinessowner? 4.Relevance Relevanceandrecognizabilityworktogether.Whenatestimonialisgivenbysomeonewell-known,itcarriesmorepersuasivepower.But,formaximumeffectiveness,thatpersonshouldberelevanttotheofferandbusiness. Forexample,thesetestimonialsforwritingsoftware,MasterWriter,aremorepowerfulbecausethey’regivenbyaward-winningwriters: Iftheywereinsteadgivenbyprofessionalathletesorcelebritychefs,theywouldn’tholdasmuchpower.Foraworkoutordietprogram,anendorsementfromanathleteorbodybuildercouldswaythevisitor.But,forawritingsoftware,testimonialsfromwell-knownwritersaremorepersuasivebecausethetargetaudienceiswriters. Securityindicators Beforesubmittingtheirpersonalinformationonapost-clicklandingpage,visitorswilllookforsignsthatindicateit’ssecure.The“https”inyourURLisn’tenough.You’llalsowanttoincludeclearandobvioussigns,like: BadgesfromtrustedsecuritycompanieslikeNortonorMcAfeenearyourcreditcardfield. Alinktoyourprivacypolicywhereprospectscanfindouthowtheirpersonalinformationwillbeused. Pagesthatdon’tincludetheseindicatorscommunicatetovisitorsthattheirinformationcouldfallintothehandsofmalicioushackersorimmoralspammers.Here’sapagethatgetssecuritysignalsright: Authorityindicators Fromayoungage,we’retaughttoobeyauthorityfigureslikedoctorsandpoliceofficers.Andso,aswegetaccustomedtoseeingthesefiguresrepeatedlyineverydaylife,ourmindcreatesshortcutsfordeterminingwhetherweshouldtrustsomeonewithoutquestion. Welookforuniformsorscrubs,gunsorstethoscopes,badgespinnedoncollaredshirtsortitlesembroideredonlabcoats.Dr.RobertCialdini,famousforhisworkonthepsychologyofpersuasion,calledtheseshortcutstitles,clothes,andtrappings: Titles:Dr.,Lt.,PhD. Clothes:labcoats,scrubs,uniforms,fatigues,expensivesuits Trappings:guns,badges,rosaries,expensivecarsorwatches Byworkingtheseelementsintoyourpost-clicklandingpage,youcanboosttheoddsyouroffergetsclaimed.TaiLopez,forexample,issomeoneknownforusingauthorityindicatorstoprovehisofferisvaluable.Inthisvideo,heshowsoffanewLamborghiniandsevennewbookshelves: Whentheyfinishwatchingtheclip,mostviewerswillassumethefollowing: Taihasenoughmoneytopurchaseanexpensivecar. Ifhehassevenbookshelvesfilledwith2,000books,Taimustalsopossessawealthofknowledge. Whetherit’strueornot(hecould’veborrowedtheLamborghinifromafriend,andhemayhaveneverreadanyofthosebooks),wecan’tknowforsure.However,judgingbyhisnearly1,000,000YouTubesubscribers,mostpeopleaccepthisauthoritywithoutquestion. Whendesigningyourpost-clicklandingpage,considerwhatyouwanttocommunicatetoyourprospects.Then,determinewhattitles,clothes,andtrappingsyoupossessthatcanconvinceavisitoryouembodythosequalities. Credibilitysignals Weallassumethatpeopleinpositionsofauthorityaretrustworthy;buttobecredible,ittakessomethingextra.Here’sthemajordifferencebetweenthetwophenomenons: Authorityisassumed.Credibilityisearned. Dr.Hyman’s“EatFat,GetThin”post-clicklandingpagehasauthoritybuiltinsimplybecausethemanwhocreateditisadoctor,andhistitleisreferencedthroughoutthepage: ButisDoctorHymanagooddoctor?Shouldvisitorstrusthishealthadvice?They’lllookforcredibilitysignalstodetermine,like: High-profileclientsandtestimonials Remember:Nobodywilltrustyouwhenyoutellthemyourofferisworthclaiming,buttheywilltrustsomeoneelse,especiallyifthatsomeoneelseisauthoritativeandrelevanttotheoffer.Here’sanexamplefromDr.Hyman’spost-clicklandingpage: MehmetOzisanauthoritativeandrecognizablecelebritywho,asadoctor,isrelevanttotheoffer.Atestimonialfromhimaddsmuchcredibilitytothepage.SodoesthistestimonialfromDr.TobyCosgrove: He’slessrecognizablethanDr.Oz,butatitleunderneathhisnamerevealswhyCosgroveisinapositiontogiveanauthoritativereviewonHyman’sdietprogram:He’stheCEOoftheClevelandClinic,oneofthemostwell-knownmedicalinstitutionsinthecountry. Optimizedtestimonialsliketheseletvisitorsknowthatpeopleoutsideoftheoffer’screatoralsoconsiderthe“EatFat,GetThin”diettobeeffective. Thesamegoesforhigh-profileclients.Whenabusinessfeatureslogosofwell-knowncompaniesthey’vedonebusinesswith,itessentiallysays,“someofthemosttrustedbrandstrustus,soyoushouldtoo.”Here’sanexamplefromMindgruve: Statisticalproof Numbersarealmostalwaysmorepersuasivethanwords.StatisticalproofofROIfromrealcustomersbeatseventhemostpositivetestimonials,becausetheoldadagereallyistrue:Numbersdon’tlie. Here’sanexamplefromDr.Hyman’spost-clicklandingpage: Here’sanotherexamplefromLouderOnline,aSanDiegomarketingagency: Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,ifyoufeatureresultsfromparticularcasestudies,keepthembriefandhighlightthenumbers.Nobodywillreadtheminblocktextform,thewaythey’rewrittenonthispost-clicklandingpage: Awards Toboostcredibility,youcannevergowrongbyshowcasingawards.Evenifthey’refromlittle-knownorganizations,theseconveyanoutsideparty’sacknowledgementofyourexcellenceinaparticularfieldoronacertaincampaign.Here’sanexamplefromL7Creative: Publicity Ifyourbusinessorofferhasbeenfeaturedinanywell-knownpublications,onyourpost-clicklandingpageistheplacetoletpeopleknow.Here’sanexamplefromthe“EatFat,GetThin”post-clicklandingpage: VisitorsviewoutletslikeCBS,PBS,andABCascrediblesourcesofinformation.Theyassumethatifyouoryourofferhavebeenfeaturedonanyofthem,youarecrediblebyassociation. Socialcounters Think,forasecond,aboutwhathappenswhenyouseealonglineoutsidearestaurant:Youassumethefoodisgood. Similarly,whenyouseeabrandisfollowedbythousandsofpeople,oraproducthasbeenclaimedmillionsoftimes,it’sanindicatorthatbrandisworthfollowingandthatproductisworthclaiming: That’swhycounterscanbeaneffectivewaytoshowcaseyourbrandoroffer’spopularity,andbyextension,itsvalue.Here’sanexamplefromContentMarketingInstitute: Here’saFacebook“Like”counterfromanotherpost-clicklandingpage,whichindicatesthebrandhas563,000fansontheplatform: Thesecounterseffectivelycommunicatethemessage,“ourcontent/productisvaluabletohundredsofthousandsofpeople,”whichmakesvisitorsthink,“thiscouldbevaluableformetoo.” Puttingitalltogether Apost-clicklandingpageislikeapuzzle.Havingalltherightpiecesisn’tenough.Yourelementsneedtocometogethertoformapagethatsubtlyguidesyourvisitortowardconversion.Learnhowtoputthemalltogetherinthenextchapter. HowExpertsArrangeLandingPagesThatConvert Creatingapost-clicklandingpageinvolvesmorethanhaphazardlythrowingtheelementsfromchapterfouronawebpage.Thoseelementsneedtobearrangedcorrectlytopersuadevisitorstotakeaction. Todothat,you’llneedsomeknowledgeofdesignconceptsrootedinGestaltpsychology,alongwithanideaofhowpeoplereadontheweb. Howpeoplereadontheweb Around2006,researchersattheNielsenNormanGrouplearnedthatthefindingsfromMunich’sDirectMarketingAssociationtranslatedtotheinternet.Inastudythattrackedhow232internetusersviewedthousandsofwebpages,theynoticedthat… Readersscannedacrossthetopofthepagefirst,enteringitthroughthedominantheadline. Thentheyprogressdownthepage,skimmingacrosswhentheyseeboldedsubheadings. Afterward,theycontinuescanningverticallydowntheleftsideofthepage,stoppingtoreadwhentheynoticeformattedtext. Theresearchersnamedthisthe“F-pattern”foritsshape: Though,theyalsonotedthatpeople’seyemovementsdon’talwaysformaperfect“F:” Obviously,users'scanpatternsarenotalwayscomprisedofexactlythreeparts.Sometimesuserswillreadacrossathirdpartofthecontent,makingthepatternlookmorelikeanEthananF.Othertimesthey'llonlyreadacrossonce,makingthepatternlooklikeaninvertedL(withthecrossbaratthetop).Generally,however,readingpatternsroughlyresembleanF,thoughthedistancebetweenthetopandlowerbarvaries. Whethertheirreadingpatternformsan“F,”“E,”upsidedown“L”or“Z,”theimplicationsarethesameforEnglishspeakingpeople:Readersprogressfromlefttoright,thentoptobottom,scanningforimportantpiecesofinformationonthepage.Soit’scrucialtoknowwhatmakesapieceofinformation“important”tothereader. Gestaltpsychologyandvisualhierarchy Intheearly1900s,threeGermanthinkersbeganformingthefoundationofGestaltpsychology,atheoryofvisualorganizationthatcanbesummedupinonecommonlyknownphrase:“Thewholeisotherthanthesumofitsparts.” Thefoundersofthetheoryproposedthathumansdon’tperceivetheirsurroundingsindividuallyandequally;instead,theymakesenseoftheminthecontextofthewhole.Fromtheirresearch,8lawsofperceptualorganizationweredeveloped.Oneofthem,thelawofsimilarity,describeshowpeoplegrouptogetherindividualelementsbasedonhowaliketheyaretotheirsurroundings. Forexample,intheimagebelow,mostpeopleseethreerowsofwhitedotsandthreerowsofblackdotsinsteadof36dots,or6rowsofdots,or6columnsofdots: Thereasonisourtendencytoorganizethingsbasedontheirsimilarcharacteristics.Andbecauseofthistendency,ourattentionisspecificallydrawntothingsthataredifferentfromthosegroups. TheGestaltpsychologistscalledthesedifferentthings“anomalies.”Theredjellybeanbelowisananomalybecauseitstandsoutfromthegroupofsimilaryellowjellybeans: Becauseourattentionisdrawntoanomalies,“different”hasbecomesynonymouswith“important”inanagewhenadvertisersareatwarforimpressions.Onyourpost-clicklandingpage,themostimportantthingtoyourvisitorsiswhatattractstheirattentionfirst.Thesecondmostimportantthingiswhatattractstheireyeballsnext,andsoon. Sincereadersdon’tread,butinsteadskim,it’simportantyoucreateavisualhierarchythathighlightsthemostimportantinformationonyourpost-clicklandingpage.Youneedtomakesurethat,evenataglance,theycanquicklyidentifywhytheyshouldclaimyouroffer. Drawingattentionwithanomaliesonyourpost-clicklandingpage Together,theseanomalieswillformavisualhierarchy.Themostattention-grabbinganomalyisatthetopofthehierarchy,thesecondmostattention-grabbingissecondpriority,andsoon.Ifyou’reoptimizingyourpagetobereadableataglance,thisiswhatyou’llwanttohighlightattheveryleast: 1.Yourheadline:ItshouldcontainyourUSPinabenefit-orientedfashion.Letvisitorsknowwhatthebiggestadvantagetoclaimingyourofferis. 2.Yourbenefits:Everyvisitorshouldbeabletoquicklyidentifywhatthebenefitstoclaiminganofferare.Featuresarenotimportant.Instead,it’sthebenefitsthosefeaturesprovidethatneedtobehighlightedonthepage. 3.Yourcall-to-action:Onceyourvisitorsknowwhytheyshouldclaimyouroffer,theyneedtoknowhowtoclaimit.That’swhereyourcall-to-actioncomesin.Itshouldbeattention-grabbingandpositionedwhereit’seasilyseen. Yourhierarchywillvaryfrompagetopage.Sometimes,forexample,animagewillbethebiggestattention-grabber.Othertimes,you’llwanttoworktestimonialsintothehierarchy. However,thesethreeelementsshouldbepresentoneverypost-clicklandingpage.Here’showtohighlighttheminawaythatmakesthemreadableevenataglance. Thecharacteristicsofapost-clicklandingpageanomaly Makingyourheadline,benefits,andcall-to-actionnoticeableonapagewithmanyelementstakessomedesignknow-how.Tocreateavisualhierarchy,here’swhatyoushouldmanipulate: Size:Bigger=moreimportant.Smaller=lessimportant. Weight:Darker=moreimportant.Lighter=lessimportant. Color:Morecontrast=moreimportant.Lesscontrast=lessimportant. Density:Severalelementspackedtogether=moreattention.Spreadoutelements=lessattention.(Thisdoesn’tmeanyoushouldpackallyourelementsintoonesmallspace). Whitespace:Positivespace=moreimportant.Negativespace,Whitespace=lessimportant. TakealookathowDigitalMarketermanipulatesthemonthispost-clicklandingpagetocreateavisualhierarchy: Let’sbreakdowntheelementsofvisualhierarchyonthispage: Theheadline=big,heavierweight,positionedhighonthepage Thesubheadline=bigbutsmallerthantheheadline,differentlycolored,moreheavilyweightedthanthebodycopy Thebenefits=bulleted,positionedbelowtheheadline,moreheavilyweightedthanunformattedbodycopy TheCTAbutton=big,brightlycolored,positionedtotherightofthebenefits(orbelow)toaccommodatetheF-patternofreading.AdirectionalcueintheformofanarrowhelpsguidethevisitorfromthecopytotheCTAbutton. Similarly,yourpost-clicklandingpageshoulddrawattentiontotheheadline,benefits,andCTAattheveryleast.Ifyou’reusingelementslikeimagesandsubheadlines,theyshouldn’tgetinthewayofthereader’sabilitytodetermineyourUSPandthebenefitsofyouroffer,orclicktheCTAafterward. LookupattheimageontheDigitalMarketerpost-clicklandingpage.Itdoesn’tinterrupttheflowoftheuser,whoarrivesattheCTAbyreadingintheshapeofanL(headline,benefits,call-to-action)orF(headline,image,benefits,call-to-action). Aimtodesignsimilarly:First,grabyourvisitors’attentionwithacompellingimageorheadline;thendrawthemtoyourbenefits;andlastly,guidethemtotheform/call-to-actionbutton.Hereareafewmoreexamplesofthisdesigninaction: 1.Marketo 2.Microsoft 3.UserTesting Thisdesigninparticularispopularonmanypost-clicklandingpagesbecauseitnaturallyguidesthevisitortotheCTAbutton.Andifthatcall-to-actionbuttonisdesignedcorrectly,itwillbehighlynoticeable.Here’showtousecolortocreateanattention-grabbingbutton. Choosingaconversion-centeredpost-clicklandingpagecolorscheme Thoughmanymarketersbelieveit,choosingacolorschemehaslittletodowiththepsychologicalmeaningofahue.Countlessbloggersclaim“bluemeanstrust”or“greenmeansgo.”Here’sanexcerptfromthatbuttoncolorcasestudydiscussedinchapter3: Greenconnotesideaslike‘natural’and‘environment,’andgivenitswideuseintrafficlights,suggeststheideaof‘Go’orforwardmovement. Thecolorred,ontheotherhand,isoftenthoughttocommunicateexcitement,passion,blood,andwarning.Itisalsousedasthecolorforstoppingattrafficlights.Redisalsoknowntobeeye-catching. Whilenotcompletelyuseless,thesestatementshaveamajorflaw:They’rebasedonculturalassociations.Forexample,inthewesternworldthecolorredsymbolizesdanger;butinChina,itsymbolizeshappiness,celebration,andluck. Insteadofdesigningyourpagebasedontheselargelysubjectivecolormeanings,it’smoreimportanttodesignbasedoncolortheory.Withit,youcancreatecontrastbetweenyourbackground,form,andCTAbutton,whichcontributesmoretoconversionratethansubliminalmessages.Here’showtodesignaschemethatconverts: Usethe60-30-10rule Studieshaveshownthatsimplerisbetterwhenitcomestopickingaconversion-centeredcolorscheme.Threehuesareanidealnumberforguidingvisitorstowardyourcall-to-actionbutton. Topickthosethreecolors,JaredChristophersonfromYellowhammersuggestsusingthe“60-30-10”ruleofcolorinwebdesign.Here’showitworks: Chooseanaccentcolor Anaccentcolorisgoingtobethebrightestandboldestonyourpage.ItshoulddrawattentiontotheCTAbuttonwithahue,tint,orshadethatcontraststherestofyourcolorscheme.Only10%ofyourpost-clicklandingpageshouldbefilledwithyouraccent,andasafewaytochooseitisbystartingwithacolorfromyourlogooritsvariations. Coordinatewithabasecolor(30%) Onceyouhaveyouraccentchosen,thenextstepispickingabasecolorforyourheader,form,andfooteronwhichitdisplayswell.Onthecolorwheel,pickatone,tint,orshade,that’soppositeyouraccenttogiveitthemostcontrast.Thisiscalleda“complementary”color: Choosingasplit-complementarycolorwillalsocreatethesamecontrastingeffect.Thesearecolorsnexttothehuethat’soppositeyouraccentcolor.Intheabovephoto,thatwouldbeyellow-greenandyellow-orange.Here’sanotherexample: Complementarytoblueisyellow-orange;andnexttoyellow-orangeareblue’ssplit-complementarycolors:yellowandorange.Overall,yourbasecolorwillfill30%ofapost-clicklandingpage’svisualspace. Layitallonasoftbackground(60%) Thebackgroundcolortakesup60%ofapost-clicklandingpage’svisualspace.Thiscolorshouldbesoftandnearlyunnoticeable.Generallywhiteisasafechoiceheresincealltints,tones,andshadesdisplaywellonit—includingthecolorofyourfont,whichiscrucialforreadability. Ifyou’refirmlyopposedtowhite,chooseacolorthat’smonochromaticoranalogoustocreateasubtlebackground. Analogouscolorsareneighborsonthecolorwheel.Ifyourbaseisblue,youmightchooseblue-greenorblue-purpleasabackground. Monochromaticcolorsareallthevariations—tints,tones,andshades—ofoneparticularhue.Ifyourbaseisyellow,youmighttrycombiningitwith: Whitetocreatealightertint. Greytocreateadarkertone. Blacktocreateadarkshade. Examplesofconversion-centeredcolorschemes Conceptualizingthesecolorschemesiseasiestwithvisualexamples.Hereareafewpost-clicklandingpages,alongwithdescriptionsofthecolorsusedfortheirbackground,base,andaccent: Infusionsoft Background:White Base:Grey Accent:Orange Thisisagreatexampleofhowapost-clicklandingpageshoulddrawattentiontoimportantelementswithcolor.Noticehowthebaseandbackgroundaredifferent,butbothsubtle,andthemostpersuasiveinformationonthepageishighlightedinorange:theCTAbuttonandnumbersrelatingtoROI. TurboTax Background:White Base:Blue Accent:Orange Here’sanothergreatexampleofaconversion-centeredcolorscheme.Youreyesbarelynoticethewhitebackgroundorthebluebase.Instead,they’redrawntotheorangeaccentcolorontheCTAbuttons. HitSearch Background:White Base:Lightgrey Accent:Red Here’sanexampleofwhatnottodo.Theonlycoloronthispost-clicklandingpageisinthefeaturedimageandonthelogo.Theseelementsdrawtheeyesofcuriousvisitorsbutdon’tprovidemuchvalue.Totheright,theformwithoutabasecolorandatranslucentghostCTAbuttonfailtodrawtheattentionofscanningprospects. MarketingProfs Background:White Base:Grey Accent:Green Here’sanotherexampleofwhatyoushouldstayawayfrom.Thistime,MarketingProfsdoesagreatjobofchoosingabackgroundandbasecolor,buttheyusetheiraccentcolor,green,alittletooliberally.Aquickfixcouldimprovethepage’sabilitytodrawattentionmuchmoreeffectively:Changethetopportionofthepage—onwhichthetext“BuildaSQUADaroundyourbrand”sits—fromgreentogrey.Theresultisasubtlerbaseandanaccentthatgrabsmoreattention. Learnhowtopicktherighttypeofpageforyourcampaign You’velearnedalotsofar,andthereareonlytwomorechapterstogo.Bynowyoushouldknow: Thebenefitsthatpost-clicklandingpageshaveovermostwebpages. Whatkindsofcampaignsshouldn’tberunwithoutatargetedpost-clicklandingpage. Whatpersuasiveelementseverypost-clicklandingpageneedstoconvertitsvisitors. Howtoarrangepost-clicklandingpageelementsandcolorstosubtlyguideyourprospectstowardconversion. Thelastthinglefttolearniswhichtypeofpost-clicklandingpagewillproducethebestresultsforyourcampaign.Therearefivemainkinds,andtheoneyouchoosewilldependonanumberoffactors.Findouthowtopicktherightpost-clicklandingpageinthenextchapter. HowtoPicktheBestTypeofLandingPageforYourCampaign Buildingapost-clicklandingpageisonething,butbuildingtherightpost-clicklandingpageissomethingelsecompletely.Theterm“post-clicklandingpage”encompassesfivedifferenttypesofpages: Squeezepage Splashpage Leadcapturepage Click-throughpage Salespage Whichoneyoubuildwilldependonyourgoalandwhereyourprospectisinthebuyer’sjourney.Asalespageusedatthetopofyourfunnelwillfailtoconvertitsvisitorsnearly100%ofthetime,whileasqueezepageinitsplacewillseemuchmoresuccess.Learnhowthefivetypesofpost-clicklandingpagesfitintoyourmarketingfunnelandwhentouseeach: Squeezepage Thetopofyourmarketingfunnelisanunsureplaceforbothyouandyourprospects.Atthatpoint,they’renotsurethatyou’retherightsolutiontotheirproblem,andyou’renotsurethatthey’reseriouslyinterestedinyourproductorservice. Thewaytofindout,accordingtoamajorityofmarketers,isviaemail.Anoverwhelming96%saythatemailaddressisthemostimportantpieceofinformationtocaptureonleadgenforms: Thereasonit’simportanttomarketersislikelybecauseconsumerssaythatemailisthechanneltheyprefertobecontactedbycompaniesoveranyother: Squeezepagesareparticularlyvaluableatthetopofyourfunnelbecausethey’remadesolelytocaptureaprospect’semailaddress,whichyoucanusetobeginaleadnurturinginitiative. Asmodalwindows,squeezepagespopuptocoveryourprospects’screen,forcingvisitorstointeractwiththembeforeengagingwithyourwebsite’scontent.Here’sanexamplefromSiteTuners: Noticethattheonlyformfieldonthispagerequestsanemailaddress.Somesqueezepagesalsorequestnamealongwithemail,butideallynevermorethanthat.Inadditiontoasuper-shortform,aneffectiveasqueezepagewillalso: Emphasizegettingavaluableresourceforverylittlepersonalinformation. Useminimalcopy—ideallylessthan50words. Haveonlyoneexit—eitheran“X”inthecornerofthewindoworalinkunderyourCTAbuttonreading“nothanks.” Justifythereasonforrequestingemailaddress.Whatareyousendingtotheirinbox? Here’sanotherexamplefromMarketingExperiments: AndonemorefromNationalGeographic: Formoreexamplesofhowmarketersusesqueezepagestoearnemailaddresses,checkoutthisblogpost. Splashpage Normally,prospectsclickthroughapaidadvertisementwiththeexpectationthatthey’llbedirectedtoapost-clicklandingpageonwhichtheycanevaluateyouroffer.That’snotthecasewithasplashpage. Instead,visitorslandonasplashpageafterbeingredirectedbyyou,theadvertiser,foroneofafewdifferentpurposes(whichyou’lllearninaminute).Here’sanexampleofasplashpagethatForbesoftenredirectsitsvisitorstowhentheyclickonalinktoafeaturedarticle: You’llnoticethatonthissplashpagethere’snospecificgoal.There’sa“quoteoftheday,”anad,andthena“continuetoarticle”linkintheupper-rightcornerofthepage. Presumably,Forbescontinuestodirectpeopletothisintermediarysplashpagebecausetheyearnrevenuefromthosewhoclickthefeaturedad.Otherwise,tous,itservesnoclearpurpose—whichraisesthesecondarydifferencebetweensplashpagesandallotherpost-clicklandingpagetypes:Theirgoalisn’talwaysconversion. Afewgoalsofasplashpagemightbe: 1.Toearnaconversion,likethisonefromBarackObama’scampaignteam: 2.Tomakeanannouncement,likethisone: 3.Toallowvisitorstochoosetheirpreferenceforinteractingwithyoursite(languagepreference,forexample): Whateverthegoalofyoursplashpage,itneedsthefollowingtoaccomplishit: Agoodreasonforredirectingyourvisitor.Earningattentionishardenoughtodowithoutanintermediarystepbetweenyouradandpost-clicklandingpage.Ifyoudon’thavevaluetoaddwithyoursplashpage,youshouldn’tbeusingone. Aclearrouteoffthepage.Unlikeotherpost-clicklandingpages,asplashpageshoulddrawattentiontotheexit.LookupattheObamacampaignexampleaboveandyou’llseeabuttonclearlylabeled“SkipSignup.GoToTheWebsite.”Atthesametime,itdoesn’tstealattentionfromthemoreboldlycolored“LearnMore”CTA—theprimarygoalofthepage. Aslongasithasaclearlydefinedpurposethataddsvalue,asplashpagecanworkthroughoutthefunnelandbeyondonbothfirst-timeprospectsandrecurringcustomers. Leadcapturepage Leadcapturepost-clicklandingpagesarethemostversatileandwidelyusedofthefivepost-clicklandingpagetypes.Thesecanbeusedatthetop,middle,andbottomofyourfunnel.Theirmaindistinguishingcharacteristicfromotherpost-clicklandingpagetypesistheirform,whicheveryleadcapturepageneedstoaccomplishitsgoal:captureleads. Whencreatingyourform,it’sbesttoconsultthebestpracticeslistedinchapter4.Theinformationyourequestfromyourprospectswilldependonwhatyoursalesandmarketingteamsneedtoqualifyyourleads. Generally,though,top-of-funnelleadcapturepost-clicklandingpagesaskforlessinformation—strictlywhatyourteamneedstobeginaleadnurturinginitiative,thewaythisleadcapturepost-clicklandingpagefromHighfivedoes: Then,onceyouhavetheirnameandemail,longerleadcaptureformshelpyoulearnmoreaboutyourleadtodeterminewhetherthey’reactuallyinterestedinyourproductorservice,likethisonefromAdobedoes: Remember:Nomatterwhereyourleadsareinthemarketingfunnel,theyshouldn’tbefrightenedbythesizeofyourform.Onlyrequestwhatisabsolutelynecessary.Thefewerfieldsyoufeature,thelessfrictioninvolvedinconverting,andthemorelikelyvisitorsaretoclaimyouroffer. Formoreexamplesofhowmarketersuseleadcapturepost-clicklandingpagestoconverttheirvisitors,checkoutthisblogpost. Click-throughpost-clicklandingpage Click-throughpost-clicklandingpagesaremostvaluableatthebottomofyourfunnelforwarmingupyourleadstoaparticularlyhigh-scrutinyoffer.Theycanbeusedatallstages,butmostoftentheypre-emptpagesthatfeaturethemostfriction-causingelementknowntomarketers:thecreditcardform. Thispost-clicklandingpagetypeallowsvisitorstoreadpersuasiveinformationaboutanofferwithoutbeingdistractedbytheterrifying“buy”button.Ifandwhentheyclickthrough,they’redirectedtoapagewheretheycanclaimtheofferviaaform. Here’salong,persuasivepagefromHootsuitethatallowsvisitorstoclickthroughifthey’reinterestedinstartingafreetrial(abottom-funneloffer): Andhere’sthepageyou’redirectedtoafterclickingthrough: Becauseyourclick-throughpost-clicklandingpageislikelytopre-emptahigh-frictionconversionobstacle,itshouldbemadeverycarefullywithnearlyeverypersuasiveelementmentionedinchapter4. post-clicklandingpagesthatofferfreeebooksortipsheetscangetawaywithskimpingontestimonialsorauthoritybadges.However,whencreditcardinformationandultimatelymoneyisontheline,yourvisitorswilllookforanyreasontodistrustyou.It’syourjobtomakesuretheycan’tfindone. Formoreexamplesofhowmarketersuseclick-throughpost-clicklandingpagestoeasefrictionandearnhigh-valueconversions,checkoutthisblogpost. Salespage Ofallpost-clicklandingpagetypes,thesalespageisthemostdifficulttogetright;andthat’sbecauseitgoesaftertheconversionthat’smostvaluabletomarketersandmostintimidatingtovisitors:thesale. Forthatreason,salespagesmustincludeeveryelementcoveredinchapter4withtheexceptionoftheform(becausemostsalespagesareclick-throughpost-clicklandingpagesthatrequestpaymentonthefollowingpage).Thatmeanstheycanbemonstrousasaresult. ThisonefromAWAIhasover5,000wordsonit: That’snottosayyoursshouldbethislong.ThisparticularstoryismasterfullywrittenbyPaulHollingshead,theCo-Founderofanorganizationthatsellsacopywritingcourse. Instead,yoursmaysavespacebyusingvideotomakeyourmostcompellingargument,thissalespagefromDerekHalperndoes: Todiscoverhowtomosteffectivelysellyourproduct,reviewyourmostprofitablesaleschannels.Findoutwherethemostpurchasesofyourproductorserviceshappenandwhy. That’swhattheteamatConversionRateExpertsdidforMozwhentheywerebroughtintooptimizeasalespage.Theywatchedfounder,RandFishkin,pitchtheproducttothemface-to-face;andhere’swhattheyfound: InouranalysisofRand’seffectiveface-to-facepresentation,wenoticedthatheneededatleastfiveminutestomakethecaseforMoz’spaidproduct.Theexistingpagewasmorelikeaone-minutesummary.OnceweaddedthekeyelementsofRand’spresentation,thepagebecamemuchlonger. “Muchlonger”isanunderstatement.Here’sthedifferencebetweentheoriginalandoptimizedpage: Thatvariationoutperformedthecontrolby52%. AnothercasestudyfromConversionRateExpertsprovedsomethingsimilar.Along-formpost-clicklandingpagecreatedforheat-mappingsoftware,CrazyEgg,outperformeditsshorteroriginalpageby363%: Oneofthereasonsitperformedsowellwasthatthisnewpagefeaturedlanguagethatcustomersusedtospeakaboutheatmappingsoftware,notthetechnicaljargonthatitscreatorsusedtospeakaboutit.Italsoovercamecommonbuyingobjectionswithmorecontent. Themostimportantthingtorememberwhencreatingasalespageisthis:Thinklikeyourtargetcustomer.Or,evenbetter—askyourtargetcustomer.Findoutthebiggestobstaclespreventingthemfrompurchasingyourproductorservice,then,adjustyourpost-clicklandingpageaccordingly. Onasalespage,includingalltheelementsinchapter4isn’tenough;optimizingthemaccordingtobestpracticesisn’tenough(though,it’snotanawfulstart)either.Tocreateahigh-convertingsalespage,youneedtoknowyourtargetcustomerintimately. Everybusinessisdifferent,andsoiseverybusiness’stargetcustomer.Agreatsalespagedesignertakesthosedifferencesintoaccount. Formoreexamplesofhowdesignersusesalespagestoearnthemostcovetedconversion,checkoutthisblogpost. Creatingyourpost-clicklandingpage Puttingallyournewfoundknowledgetoworkcanbeahassle.Creatingapost-clicklandingpagefromscratchisn’teasy.Therearewireframestobebuiltandcodingtobedone;andtheprocesscanroutinelydragoutfordaysatatime.Thereisaway,though,toshortenthatprocesstoamatterofminutes. WithInstapage,youcanpickfromover200fullycustomizabletemplatesproventoconvert: Youcanaddnewelementstothosetemplatesbydragginganddroppingfromthetopmenubar: Youcanclicktofine-tuneanyelementorsectionofyourpagetokeepdesign100%on-brand,rightdowntothestyleofyourtypeface(withcountlessfontsfromAdobeTypekitandGoogleFonts): Youcangroupelementsandalignthemtoyourpreferenceswhilecreatingpixel-perfectdesignswithaxislockandedgemeasurementfeatures. Integrateyourpagewith20+popularmarketingtechnologiesyoualreadyuse: Youcanevenbuildpagestogetherwithyourteamusingtheindustry’sonlycollaborationsolution: Whenyou’redone,youcanpreviewyourdesignonbothdesktopandmobile,theneasilypublishtoacustomdomain,CMS,Facebook,orourdemoserver: Seewhywe’rethechoiceofbrandslikeAutopilot,HelloFresh,HeapAnalytics,andWealthfront.Startbuildingprofessionalpost-clicklandingpagesfasterwithInstapage,themostdesigner-friendlysoftwareontheweb. Recap Youlearnedalottodayabouthowtocreateahigh-convertingpost-clicklandingpage—somuch,thatitwarrantsabriefreview.Here’sashortrecapyoucanusetorefreshyourmemorybeforeyoutakeofftocreateyourhighest-convertingpost-clicklandingpageyet. Chapter1:Keytakeaways Themostimportantinformationyoucantakeawayfromchapter1isthetruedefinitionofapost-clicklandingpage,whichis: Apost-clicklandingpageisastandalonewebpage,disconnectedfromawebsite’snavigation,createdforthesolepurposeofconvincingavisitortoact(tosignup,buy,download,etc.). Researchshowsthatcompanieswhousemorepost-clicklandingpagesgeneratemoreleads. Chapter2:Keytakeaways post-clicklandingpagesaremoreeffectiveatconvertingthanotherwebpagesbecausetheyeliminatedistractionsanddeliverexactlywhatvisitorsexpect.Theydothatbyincorporatingtwoelementsintotheirdesign: Messagematch:Whenprospectsclickthroughanad,apost-clicklandingpagematchesthemessageofthatadtodeliverexactlywhatwaspromisedinit.Brandcolors,logos,alongwithtextandimagesfromtheadcreativeletvisitorsknowthey’reintherightplacetoclaimtheoffer. Optimizedconversionratio:Awebpage’sconversionratiodescribesitsratiooflinkstoclickandconversiongoals.Apost-clicklandingpageconversionratiois1:1,meaningthereisonlylinktoclickonthatpage:theoneinthecall-to-action.Byremovingallotheroutboundlinks,post-clicklandingpageskeepvisitorsfocusedonconverting. Together,thesetwodifferencesformthefoundationofapersuasivepost-clicklandingpagethatoptimizesadspend. Chapter3:Keytakeaways Anymarketingcampaigncanbenefitfromahighlyoptimizedpost-clicklandingpage,butit’spaidcampaignsthatshouldn’tberunwithoutone.Whenconversionisthegoal,thefollowingcampaigntypesshouldalwaysdrivevisitorstoapost-clicklandingpage: Socialmediaadvertisingcampaigns Displayadvertisingcampaigns Emailmarketingcampaigns Retargetingcampaigns Chapter4:Keytakeaways Messagematchandanoptimizedconversionratioformthefoundationofapersuasivepost-clicklandingpage,butthere’smuchmoreinvolvedindesigningone.Theanatomyofaneffectivepost-clicklandingpagelookslikethis: 1.Navigationlessheader,body,footer: Toattainaconversionratioof1:1,youshouldn’thaveanyoutboundlinksinyourpage’sheader,bodyorfooter.Thereshouldbenoeasyrouteoffyourpost-clicklandingpage.TheonlywayyourvisitorshouldbeabletoexitthepageisbyclickingyourCTAbuttonorthe“X”inthetopcornerofthebrowserwindow. 2.Alluringheadline: It’syourheadline’sjobtoconvinceyourvisitortoreadtherestofyourpage.Todothat,itshouldcontainwordsusedinthereferrer(goodmessagematch),andanswerthequestioneveryprospectasksbeforereadingfurther:“What’sinitforme?” 3.Acompellingcall-to-actionbutton: Tocompelavisitortoclick,aCTAbuttonshould… Emphasizethebenefitofclaiminganofferinthecall-to-action. Bebigenoughforyourtargettoseeandclick(ortapwiththeirfingeronmobile). Beshapedlikeotherbuttonsonthewebtomakeidentifyingiteasy. Beplacedinthevisitors’lineofsight. Contrastotherpageelementstograbattention. 4.Skimmablecopy: Yourcopyshouldemphasizethebenefitsofyourofferoveritsfeatures,anditshoulddoitquicklyandconcisely.Tobeskimmable,yourcopyneedstobeoptimizedforthreethings: Legibility:Howeasilyareadercandifferentiatebetweendifferentlettersandcharactersintext.Yourbodycopyshouldn’tbemuchsmallerthan16px,anditshouldbedarkonalightbackground(usuallyblackonwhite). Readability:Howeasyitisforyourreaderstoactuallyreadyourentirepost-clicklandingpage.Breakblocktextintosmallparagraphs,avoidverbosity,andensureyourlinesofcopydon’texceed85charactersinlength. Comprehension:Howwellyourreaderscanunderstandyoursubject.Toutthebenefitsofyourproductwithoutjargon,andusesmallwordstoexplaincomplicatedconcepts. 5.Engagingmedia: Pointlessimagesarelikelytobeignoredbyyourvisitors,soifyou’regoingtoincludemediaonyourpage,itshouldbeforareason. Heroshotshelpvisitorsimagineabetterlifewithyourproduct.Thinkofthemasan“after”imagewhenthe“before”istheprospects’problematiclifeupuntilthemomenttheyclaimyouroffer. Productimagesuseinformationalcameraanglestogiveprospectsanideaofalltheins,outs,andfeaturesofyouroffer. Infographicshelpvisitorsbetterconceptualizedatawithvisualaids. Iconsbreakuptextandmakeconceptsmoreeasilyunderstandable. Trustbadgesmakeyourvisitorsmorecomfortablewithconvertingbyshowcasingyourauthority,credibility,andbypromisingsecurity. Explainervideostoutyourproduct’sbenefitswithashortanimatedstorythattakesyourprospectthroughaPASscenario(problem,agitation,solution).They’reeffectivewhenyourproductorserviceisneworcomplicated. Introductoryvideosareeffectivewhenyourproductorserviceisnew,oritssuccessdependsonthecredibilityofanunknownperson.Avideolikethiscanintroduceapersonandprovetheirtrustworthiness,andbyextension,thevalueoftheiroffer. Videotestimonialsspotlightadelightedcustomer’sexperiencewithyourproductorservice. Videocasestudieshighlightadelightedcustomer’sexperiencewithyourproductthewayvideotestimonialsdo,buttheyfocusmoreonyouroffer’sspecificROI. 6.Acondensedform: Aformisthebiggestcauseofpost-clicklandingpagefriction.Toensureyourformdoesn’tscarevisitorsaway,makesure: Itonlyrequestsnecessaryinformation.Shortformswillgeneratemoreleads,whilelongeroneswillgeneratehigherqualityleads.Theperfectnumberofformfieldsisabalancebetweenwhatyourteamneedstoknowtoqualifyaleadandwhatyourvisitorsarewillingtogiveupforyourcontent. It’seasytofillout.Fieldsshouldbeorderedandlabelledlogically,specialrulesforinput(like“mustcontain/notcontain”)shouldbeexplainedclearly,anderrormessagesshouldbedisplayedprominently. 7.Strongtrustindicators: Regardlessofwhatyou’reoffering,youcan’tearnaconversionwithouttrust.Thefollowingtypesofindicatorswillhelpprovethatyou’reanauthoritativeandcrediblesource: Testimonials:Theseareoftenwrittenquotes(thoughsometimesthey’reinvideoform)fromhighlysatisfiedcustomerswhotoutyourproductonyourbehalf. Securityindicators:Thesearebadgesoricons(likeaNortonSecuritylogo,alockicon,oramoney-backguaranteebadge)thatletyourvisitorsknowtheirinformationandmoneyissafe. Authorityindicators:Thesearetitles(likeDr.),clothes(likeanexpensivesuit),oraccessories(nicecar)thatgivetheimpressionofauthority. Credibilityindicators:Theseareindicatorsthatbackuptheimpressionofauthoritywithactualproof,likeawards,socialcounters,orlogosofhigh-profilecustomersandpublicationsyou’vebeenfeaturedin. Chapter5:Keytakeaways Arrangingtheaforementionedelementsisnoeasytask.KnowingwheretoputthemtakesanunderstandingofGestaltpsychologyandhowpeoplereadontheweb: Gestaltpsychologistsdiscoveredthatourattentionisdrawntothingsthataredifferentfromtheirsurroundings.Theycalledthesedifferences“anomalies.” TheNielsenNormanGroupfoundthat,online,peoplereadinanF-shapedpattern.First,theyreadtheheadline;next,theyscandownthesideofthepageforsubheads;lastly,theyreadacrossthepagewhenevertheyfindboldedoritalicizedinformationvaluabletothem. Knowingboththesethings,youcandrawattentiontothemostimportantinformationonyourpost-clicklandingpageby: ArrangingyourelementstoaccommodatetheF-patternstyleofreading. Alteringthecharacteristicsofyourheadline,benefits,andcall-to-actiontomakethemstandoutfromsurroundingcontent.Dothatbychangingtheirweight,size,position,color,density,andthewhitespacearoundthem. Onceyouknowhowyou’llpositionyourelementsonthepage,it’stimetodeterminethepage’scolors.Here’show: Usethe60-30-10rule: Yourpost-clicklandingpagecolorschemeismadeupofabackground,base,andaccentcolor. Yourbackgroundcolorshouldcoverabout60%ofthetotalpage.Thebestchoicehereiswhite,sinceblackcopydisplayswellonit(whichiscrucialforreadability).Ifnotwhite,thecoloryouchooseshouldbesubtleandalmostunnoticeable. Yourbasecolorshouldappearinthefooter,header,andform.Dedicate30%ofyourcolorschemetotheseelements. Youraccentcolorshouldonlyappearinyourlogoandcall-to-actionbutton.Dedicate10%ofyourcolorschemetotheseelements. Together,thesewillcreateaneffectthatdrawsattentiontothecall-to-action.Yourbackgroundandbasecolorshouldbeanalogousormonochromaticinrelationtoeachother.Yourcall-to-actionshouldbecomplementarytoyourbasecolor. Chapter6:Keytakeaways Theterm“post-clicklandingpage”encompassesfivedifferenttypesofpages.Whichyouusewilldependonitsgoal,andwhereyourvisitorsareinthefunnel.Here’swhatyoushouldknowaboutthembeforepickingone: Squeezepage:Thesearemodalwindowsmadeforcapturingemailaddressestobeginaleadnurturinginitiative.They’remostvaluableatthetopofthefunnel. Splashpage:Thesearepagesthatyou,theadvertiser,redirectyourvisitorstobeforesendingthemofftotheirdestination.Theirgoalisn’talwaysconversion.Theycanalsobecreatedtomakeanannouncement,ortoallowvisitorstheopportunitytochoosehowtheywanttointeractwiththefollowingpage(whichlanguagetheyprefer,forexample).Theycanbeusedthroughoutthefunnel. Leadcapturepage:Marketersusethesetoqualifyleads.They’rethemostwidelyusedandversatilepost-clicklandingpages,featuringleadcaptureformsthatrequestkeyprospectinformationateachstageofthefunnel. Click-throughpage:Thesepagesarebestforhigh-scrutinyconversiongoals.Usually,they’remadetowarmupyourreadertothemostfriction-causingelementknowntomarketers:thecreditcardform. Salespage:Theseareroutinelythelongesttypeofpost-clicklandingpageandthemostdifficulttogetright.Asaleisabusiness’smostchallengingconversiongoal.Assuch,ittakesnearlyalltheelementsinchapter4toelicitit.Thesearevaluableattheverybottomofyourfunnel(although,somearesoskillfullywrittenthattheytakereadersallthewayfromtheawarenessstagetothepurchasestagewithjustonepieceofcontent.Seeafewofthemhere). Nowstartconverting! Withthatbriefrefresher,you’refreetoconvertyourtraffictoleadsandcustomerslikeneverbefore.Startbuildingprofessionalpost-clicklandingpagesfasterwithInstapage,themostdesigner-friendlyplatformontheweb. Readytoturnmoreadclicksintoconversions? Trytheworld'smostadvancedlandingpageplatformtoday.Scheduleaproductdemotolearnmore. 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