subject: How to minimise the bail out from your landing pages and increase your conversion rate [print this page] How to minimise the bail out from your landing pages and increase your conversion rate
Do you need to improve your conversion rates and ROI?
Well, there's one place where you can make a real, measurable difference and see instant improvements. That's on your landing pages.
And the key to success on your landing pages is to minimise the bail out rate. You see, it's a fact of life that a large number of your prospects will never register for your newsletter, white paper, or webinar no matter how enticing your offer.
Over half your visitors will very likely bail in the first 8 seconds. (I've actually read of bail out rates in the first 8 seconds as high as 90%!)
The next group will bail because the page doesn't deliver on its promise. A smaller group will reach the registration stage but give up. And a minority will convert.
So how can you minimise your landing page bail out rate? Here are three proven steps:
1. Highlight your offer
What are your prospects thinking about when they land on your page? They're thinking about your offer. They want to find out more.
And what do you want? You want them to take the next step and register their interest.
You have 8 seconds to reassure them.
Make your offer the centre of attention on the landing page. Make every element remind your prospect how compelling your offer is, and why they need it. Now.
Here are three design elements to keep in mind:
Does your headline connect with your original email, banner, search engine or direct mail piece?
Are your graphics relevant and professional?
Have you included a "hero" shot of your offer?
2. Tell the whole story of your offer
Don't be afraid to tell the whole story of your offer. It's true you probably only have a page to work with, but successful landing pages make the most of the space to deliver on their promise.
General design elements to think about here:
Move your prospects through the page fast and remove obstacles to action.
Keep design elements simple and relevant to the "sale."
Consider using rich media to reinforce your offer.
Reassure prospects with testimonials, guarantees and security.
Above all, stay single-minded, and don't confuse your prospects with multiple offers.
3. Make it easy to fill in your registration form
After all your hard work, the last thing you want is for your prospects to bail out at the end.They could get a phone call, an incoming email, or they could simply get cold feet. Don't let them off the hook.
General design elements to think about here:
Make your form easy to complete.
Can prospects easily clear the form and make changes?
Have you offered another way to get in touch if they have any queries?
Have you guaranteed their email privacy?
These final points are like guarantees doubly important online where there's no face-to-face selling. Finally, remind them they have nothing to lose by responding to your offer.
