Landing Page and Conversion Optimization

Before even considering conversion optimization it is imperative that your business has identified what is to be achieved via the web site as a whole, and then drill down to identify the objectives of each and every web page.

The question to ask about each web page is: What should this web page accomplish? When this question has been answered, you can then analyze the web page to determine what improvements are necessary to ensure the page completes its objective.

All pages are part of the conversion funnel

It must be remembered web site visitors may land on virtually any of your site's web pages, which essentially makes each and every single web page a potential landing page and therefore, part of the conversions funnel.

Although it is not necessary or practical to optimize every web page, due consideration of each page's impact on the conversion funnel or the actual conversion must be considered.

The traffic source

The source of a web page's traffic affects user behavior and expectations. Although we of course cannot totally control where traffic comes from, there are times when a web page is targeting a specific audience such as Organic Search Results, Pay per Click advertisements or Social Media and each of these cases have specific requirements due to visitor behavior patterns.

Web Conversions and Web Usability

So often Conversion Optimization and Web Usability are considered as two distinct web site performance tasks. Conversion Optimization and Web Usability are very closely interlinked however, the obvious affect of web usability on web site conversions is often overlooked.

Conversion Optimization Checklist

By answering a few simple questions and reviewing the pages you have deemed as important goes a long way towards improving your overall web conversions.

Web Page Content:

• Does the content supply the visitor with the information required to complete your business goals?
• Is the content concise and to the point? Internet users scan they don't read.
• Does the content include a visible call to action? What does the page ask the visitor to do?
• Does your web site identify the who, what and where of your business?
• Are contact details highly visible?

Information Requests:

• Have you requested the minimum amount of information from your visitors? Excessive personal information requests reduces conversion rates.
• Have you included a link to your Privacy Policy?

Web Design:

• Does your web site design portray a professional image?
• Are the graphics and images relevant to the page topic? Are they necessary?
• Does your web page have a clear uncluttered appearance?

Task Processes:

• Can shopping cart processes be simplified?
• Are instructions clear and is help or assistance available?

Call To Action: A clear call to action is an absolute must to improve web site conversion rates.

• Are call to action messages clear and concise?
• Have you integrated action words? Act Now, Limited Time etc

Testing: Testing your pages for performance is a necessity.

• When testing, it is recommenced to test one element at a time. Making numerous changes makes it difficult to determine what element is the cause for increased or decreased page performance.
• Be sure you have sufficient traffic volumes on pages to be tested to provide a better indication of the results. Minimal traffic has the potential to skew results.

The Last Word

Landing page and conversion optimization is a step by step process with testing and the evaluation of results being the primary task. One of the most important things to remember as you work through the process is it does take time, and should not be rushed. Carefully evaluate the web pages to ensure they provide the required processes and information and once this is completed let the step by step testing begin.