{"id":3394,"date":"2014-08-19T06:47:35","date_gmt":"2014-08-19T11:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=3394"},"modified":"2014-08-19T06:47:35","modified_gmt":"2014-08-19T11:47:35","slug":"landing-page-design-review-best-practices-ab-test-suggestions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/landing-page-design-review-best-practices-ab-test-suggestions\/","title":{"rendered":"Landing Page Design Review – Best Practices & AB Test Suggestions"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

So many landing pages, so little time. They come at you from your email box, web browser and search results. It\u2019s so bad that we tune most of them out. At least I do.<\/p>\n

So I thought I\u2019d \u2018stop and smell the roses\u2019 (or is it \u2018cow chips\u2019?) of the landing pages that come my way to see what best practices are used, where I think pages could be improved and what optimizers\u00a0might consider for their next round of AB tests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let’s Call it\u00a0‘The Good, The Bad and The Study’<\/strong><\/p>\n

The glut of landing pages makes it impossible to discuss them all. Below is a random cross-section of examples from one morning’s worth of PPC ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is an unscientific review.<\/strong> You\u2019ll note that these landing pages are quite different from each other and that\u2019s a good thing. It means that some are scant on conventional best practices, but hopefully they are so in search of new paths to the customer\u2019s heart. It makes it difficult to review each page from a single checklist. Besides, landing page design and optimization<\/a> is still an art. And who wants to read a scientific art review?<\/p>\n

Hopefully the points covered will at least serve to get you to look \u00a0at these and other landing pages\u00a0more critically, arrive at your own conclusions and use them to improve your testing and results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

QuickBizStores.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"landing<\/a><\/p>\n

The Good:<\/strong> Lots of highly visible calls-to-action for a Free Trial. This tells you the designers took the time to define a clear conversion goal for the page and they are going for it. CTA buttons<\/a> appear twice above the fold and once below. They get support from a variety of easily scanned, bulleted copy that is generally benefit-driven. The product is for those who do not have the time and\/or inclination to set up a complex ecommerce system, so the designers have wisely left the tech talk for later.<\/p>\n

The Bad:<\/strong> What? We\u2019ve hardly met and you want my name and address? And if I give it to you it means we have an \u2018agreement\u2019? What kind of customer do you think I am? The sign-up form in the top left, a spot where most people start their scan of a web page, is misplaced. Customers have not yet received enough information to answer the questions and concerns they have before they are ready to go to second base.<\/p>\n

AB Test Suggestion<\/a>:<\/strong> Move the \u2018QuickBizStores Total Ecommerce Platform\u2019 paragraph to above the sign-up form window. It\u2019s short enough that the form, copy and portfolio animation (is that what it is?) will still be above the fold, but the customer gets the chance to be wooed by a little copy before being asked to enter into a relationship.<\/p>\n

1DollarWebHost.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Landing<\/a><\/p>\n

The Good:<\/strong> Well designed with good, benefit-driven content. A lot of information is conveyed above the fold, but the design doesn\u2019t seem too busy. It helps that the information is parceled in a number of different devices, including the headline, image (especially the piggy bank), paragraph, bullets,
\ntext box, etc..<\/p>\n

The Bad:<\/strong> Once you go below the fold, it\u2019s like you\u2019re in a parallel universe where CTA buttons don\u2019t exist. It\u2019s good that the designers expand upon and add to the information delivered above the fold. But regardless of how good it is, asking visitors to scroll back up the page to take the call to action forces them to take a step backward at a moment when they may be ready to take the ultimate step forward to\u00a0become a customer. It’s good to have a CTA button on hand should it be needed.<\/p>\n

AB Test Suggestion:<\/strong> Try adding testimonials, social proof or at least a brief portfolio\/customers section. Calming the customer\u2019s fears, uncertainties and doubts, especially for an offer that many may find \u2018unbelievable\u2019 (free website, $1 dollar hosting), makes more sense here than on most other sites.<\/p>\n

Delmoco.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"landing<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

The Good:<\/strong> The \u2018good\u2019 in this page is that it is not terrible. Relatively clean design – even if some of the elements struggle to remain aligned in the standard \u2018twentyt hirteen\u2019 WordPress theme. Good effort to include conversion-boosting components, including big imagery, testimonials, a short entry form, video and bulleted benefits.<\/p>\n

The Bad:<\/strong> Where\u2019s the call to action above the fold? Yes, if you look closely you\u2019ll spot it – or them; there are multiple, competing calls to action – but they should be \u2018bonk-on-the-head\u2019 obvious. In this case, the CTA that\u2019s above the fold, (a white button on a white background) is the least noticeable main element on the page. Tsk, tsk.<\/p>\n

AB Test Suggestions:<\/strong> Must stick with the CTA buttons on this one. First, try a color, any color other than white, for the \u2018Request a Quote\u2019 button. Second, try copy that implies a benefit on the \u201cConsultation Request\u2019 CTA button. Or at least something other than \u2018Send\u2019.<\/p>\n

YP.ca<\/a> (Yellow Pages)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"landing<\/a><\/p>\n

While I\u2019m not sure how big the companies are in our first three examples, they\u2019re not likely to be on par with Apple and Microsoft and not as likely to have access to the same design and conversion optimization resources<\/a>. While Yellow Pages is also not Apple or Microsoft, they were huge long before most of us could fathom the idea of a computer hardware or software company. In any case, we should see some higher-end design and conversion tactics here.<\/p>\n

The Good:<\/strong> This is the only one of our examples to prominently feature direct contact information above the fold. But that\u2019s it. While there\u2019s nothing really wrong here, there\u2019s also nothing remarkable.<\/p>\n

The Bad:<\/strong> The call-to-action button. On a page headlined \u201cPut ads right in front of customers who are actively searching for your products or services\u2019, which is a fairly exciting prospect, the CTA reads \u2018Let\u2019s Talk\u2019. Let\u2019s talk? Talk shmalk. I want to do what it says in the headline. And I want to \u2018Get Started Today\u2019 or \u2018Build My Business\u2019 or \u2018Turn my Website into a Customer Magnet\u2019 or at very least \u2018Get a Free Consultation\u2019, but \u2018Let\u2019s Talk\u2019? Nah, I don\u2019t want to do that.<\/p>\n

AB Test Suggestions:<\/strong> Get rid of the fine print below the CTA. Don\u2019t even test it. Just get rid of it. No one wants to \u2018submit\u2019 and\/or be \u2018bound\u2019 – at least not on a Yellow Pages site.<\/p>\n

MailerLite.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Landing<\/a><\/p>\n

The Good:<\/strong> Just about everything. Within 10 seconds of landing, I know how easy the product is to use, that I can try it for free and that the company has \u2018Happy Customers\u2019 – who started with that same free trial. And the site does all that in 10 words. It\u2019s simple and brilliant.<\/p>\n

The Bad:<\/strong> The site needs to be a heck of a lot more brilliant to make sure no visitor has even a single question about the product, the company or anything to do with either one. Why? Because there is no telephone, email or contact information of any sort on the landing page.\u00a0Check it out. The words \u2018Contact\u2019, \u2018Call\u2019, \u2018Telephone\u2019 and\/or \u2018Help\u2019 do not exist on the landing page, nor do the terms \u2018Get in Touch\u2019 or \u2018Customer Service\u2019 or anything like them. Nowhere. Not even in the footer menu. Good way to ruin a good thing.<\/p>\n

Oh, wait,<\/strong> in what must be the most glaring example ever of \u2018two peoples separated by a common language\u2019 (mailerlite.com is UK-based), if you have a question on MailerLite.com you must click the \u2018Support\u2019 link in the navbar. Then, suddenly, you have\u00a0more\u00a0contact information than you know what to do with:<\/p>\n