There are a lot of examples of bad landing pages out there and there will be more that will be built. Surprisingly some of these landing pages do work. The thing is, with a little tweaking involved here and there, these landing pages could perform much better and get more visitors to convert.
Here are some characteristics of a bad landing page.
1. Unclear call to action
Visitor is unsure of what will happen next after clicking the button that leads to the conversion.
Call to actions should state exactly their purpose and should catch the attention of the visitor. Call to action buttons should be conveniently placed above the fold. If more content is displayed in more than one screen, call to action button should be placed in the middle and at the bottom of the page.
2. Too many choices
Too many links on the landing page can lead your visitor to divert from your main goal which is a conversion.
Do not flood your visitors with too much details. Use visuals to aid in presenting your message and to avoid having a long copy.
3. Too many questions
Are the questions being asked really necessary to complete the conversion? You lose a conversion every time there is an added step to complete it. Adding more fields to your forms is an example of this.
Just ask for the important information needed. If possible, just limit it to the visitor's email. Additional information can be gather along the way during other sessions.
4. Having a long copy
Visitors do not have much time to spend reading too much text on a landing page. Scrolling down discourages the visitor to continue on with your website.
It is better to work on clear and captivating headlines and headings. Place relevant information at the beginning of the content. Use of bullets and lists is recommended if there are multiple points you need to relay to your visitor. Use short but strong phrases or sentences.
These are just some problematic characteristics of bad landing pages. But with a little optimization, you can get the most out of a landing page.
Bruce Tucker has been in the field of internet marketing,SEO and landing pages for a long time with a web site about
landing pages and with a blog that is all about
landing pages that you would find interesting.
