Nucleus - Marketing and Design Newsletter

Whether you want a visitor to register, buy, download or take some other action, your landing page is key to the success of any campaign.

If a visitor comes to your site—interest piqued by your smart pay per click ad campaign, banner, or other targeted tactic—and does not instantly see what she is looking for, you may not see that visitor again. Here are a few quick tips and best practices to keep in mind:

Keep it clear. The headline is among the first things any visitor will see. Make sure it's a clear and direct reflection of what your visitor wants to accomplish. Keep your value prop and/or any supporting text nice and tight. If viewers can't quickly and easily understand the benefit of you product, you've lost them.

Keep it clean. Users scan the text and take away only certain elements that they use to decide if the page is relevant to their needs. Well organized content and clean use of space allows users to scan and absorb key messages.

• Remove unnecessary site navigation, menus, or links. They are distractions that can take your visitors eyes off the prize.
• Keep your offer "above the fold" i.e., make sure it is visible without scrolling.
• Consider a relevant, yet simple graphic representative of your product, service or offering to enhance the overall aesthetic of your page.
• Avoid multiple offers if possible. Again, a potential distraction.

Keep it simple. When it comes to forms and fields, make it as painless as possible for your users to complete the action.

• Keep registration forms brief and simple.
• Only ask for information that you really need.
• Use standard form fields and buttons.

Hey, page abandonment happens. But as smart marketers we must make sure we've done everything in our power to optimize our landing pages to facilitate conversion—not aversion.