Five Fatal Landing Page Mistakes to Avoid
In the world of web design, nothing matters more than the quality of your landing pages. You only get one chance to make the right first impression – landing pages determine whether or not it happens. Even if you attract vast amounts of traffic, you will not succeed if you’re making the most common landing page mistakes.
But what’s interesting is that when you analyse where most landing pages go wrong, there are certain similarities that stand out. Specifically, the kinds of seemingly minor mistakes that add up to potentially severe problems.
So, in the interests of pages that have the desired effect, you might want to steer clear of the following five fatal landing page mistakes at all costs:
Landing Page Mistakes #1. Ineffective CTA Buttons
First and foremost, CTA buttons are not to be taken for granted. Absolutely every aspect of the CTA buttons you present on your landing pages will influence their effectiveness or otherwise. From shape to colour to position to size to how many you decide to provide, all of these things can and will have an impact. Given the scope for potential variations, the only sensible solution is to experiment, analyse, modify and repeat the cycle as necessary. Sooner or later, you’ll find the formula that works.
Landing Page Mistakes #2. Uninspiring Design
Long before new customers assimilate any of the information on your website, they begin making judgements based on its design. These days, everyone knows what impressive web design looks like – the same being said for amateur hour. Your content might be fantastic, but it will be entirely irrelevant if it is presented appallingly. As such, you need to find a way of wowing them with your site’s presentation in an instant.
Landing Page Mistakes #3. Information Overload
Something else that never fails to send visitors in the opposite direction is an overload of information. By finding you in the first place, they’ve already giving you a good indication of what it is they want. It’s now your job to get it to them in the manner they expect. Most web users these days are all about instant gratification and do not take kindly to being forced to mine for the information they require. If you have a lot to say, ensure it is distributed strategically throughout your site.
Landing Page Mistakes #4. Mass Marketing
One of the biggest mistakes made by far too many websites these days is using their landing pages as an attempt to line their pockets through partner and affiliate marketing. Your visitors have found your website because they are interested in something that you sell or do. As such, why waste their time and your own opportunity to capitalise on them by bombarding them with marketing materials from external sources? That said, getting too carried away with your own ads and promotions on your primary landing pages can be just as harmful.
Landing Page Mistakes #5. Low-Quality Visuals
And finally, try to remember that any visuals you cannot honestly say are spectacular in quality have no place whatsoever on your landing pages. From artistic visuals to animations to photography and so on, everything needs to give an immediate impression of consummate quality and professionalism. If not, you run the risk of being immediately interpreted as amateurish.
In Summary…
Building a successful website means giving every page the time and attention it deserves. However, your landing pages could make or break your website and its performance as a whole. If you make the kinds of common landing page mistakes outlined above, all your other efforts could come to nothing. Nevertheless, get it right with your landing pages and the rest takes care of itself.