Search Engine Strategies – Landing Page Optimisation
Search Engine Strategies – Landing Page Optimisation
Jamie Smith (www.engineready.com) is currently giving a presentation talking about optimising your landing pages. Interesting points regarding the different tools which are currently being used for measurement in the audience. Just goes to show the local companies working in the web analytics space in Europe.
Where does usability and conversion cross over into disability and discrimination transgressions? White text on black background is very difficult to read for those who have trouble seeing however, according to Jamie it converts better. Interesting point to make and even more interesting that no one from the audience piped up and said ‘Excuse me a minute’. Totally agree with Jamie that testing suggestions like this may produce some surprising results.
Continuity – simple solution but so rarely done right (or at all). Keyword, Banner Ads and Landing Pages all working as one in order to increase conversion. Creating a message and having it continued through the whole customer experience. Landing pages are Marketing 101!
Main learnings from Jamie:
- Get the basics right
- Test, Test, Test
- Marketing – the basics…. good foundation then be creative.
- Have clear call to actions!!
- Baseline!*
* Make sure you know what the state of play is (analytics results, voice of the customer) before you start trying to fix things otherwise your clients will simply say ‘So What!’ Walk them through the changes and then show them what has improved and WHY!
- Test your copy! – read your copy out loud and check the readibility
- Test your images – if we put the SEO benefits to one side then will an image of the product convert better? What if you have a movie which pans around the product?
- Test your buttons – will colour, size affect conversion?
Get Build Trust
- Testimonials
- Awards
- Security – Verisign
- Engage with your customers*
*If you fail to complete an online application form – then send an email immediately asking why? Save their online session so they don’t have to come back and fill the bloody thing in again!!!
Secrets
Lead Generation Secret - engage with the customers before they give personal information. Jamie gave the example of a debt consolidation company who changed their contact us form so that the ‘debt amount’ and the ’state’ were the first two fields in the form. Now I can understand the logic but, feel that in this particular sector its a bit of a hard sell to customers who are in a dire situation and whilst I’ve not got the experience of debt firms (but have financial services) I would have though a soft approach would have been better.
In some other cases such as consultancy then yes I can understand the benefit of asking them why they are on your site first. Needless to say whatever happens you still need to KNOW and not GUESS!
Biggest Take Away
Hey here is another secret. When doing testing have seperate phone numbers so you can test offline conversion.
My Summary
All in all a very engaging presentation – again reiterating ‘getting the basics right’. Marketing 101… Why does this seem so hard? Management want to push for the latest technology, the fancy videos, spending to get UNQUALIFIED TRAFFIC to the site.
Test, Test, Test!!!!
Prove where you are and where you want to be and use existing marketing channels first. Then start with the fancy stuff but implement effective testing programmes first!
Operation Camoflage
Interesting concept of advertising on a localised basis but excluding your competitor’s ip address so they dont see your ads. Wonder what the offline equivalent would be?
Note to Jamie:
Jamie – don’t worry about the projector – didn’t affect performance or my interest!
Related Links:
Amazon – Tim Ash’s book on Landing Page Optimisation
Engine Ready – Jamie Smith (CEO)
