You’re proud of your landing page. But is it working as well as it should be?

If your landing page doesn’t convert as many visitors into clients as you’d hoped, the solution may be simple: you might have made one or more of the top 10 landing page mistakes.

Don’t worry. We’ve compiled this list of the top 10 mistakes and how to fix them, so that you can get it done and move up to higher conversion rates with minimal fuss.

Mistake #1: Weak headline

Everything starts with your headline – if the headline fails, the rest of your landing page never stood a chance. A good headline hooks readers’ attention and draws them in:

• Be specific and precise – use facts and numbers to enhance your headline
• Create a sense of urgency – include words like “today” or “now”, or specify the consequences of delaying
• Highlight your unique value – emphasise what makes your offer different from everyone else’s

Mistake #2: No focus

Your landing page must be dedicated to a single clear goal, otherwise visitors won’t know what to do after they land on the page and could end up moving on to a competitors website. Define the ultimate goal of each page, then use every element on the page to shepherd visitors toward the goal.

Mistake #3: Flawed design

The overall design and layout of your landing page may be the cause of a low conversion rate. Conduct a five-minute landing page audit by checking for these common issues:

• No clear flow – visitors don’t convert well if they’re not sure what to do next
• Poor quality images – visitors want to see sharp, high resolution images of your product or service before they decide to buy
• No prominent call to action – your landing page design should draw attention to the CTA in the right way, at the right moment

Mistake #4: Unclear benefits

“OK, it’s available in six different colours and twelve countries. But what will it do for me?”

If you talk about features without explaining the benefits to the user, you’re sabotaging your own conversion rates. Research how your audience and your competitors talk about benefits, then start speaking their language.

Mistake #5: Weak copywriting

Without compelling landing page copy, it’s hard to get conversion rates up. Head to your competitor’s websites for inspiration, how do they talk about their products and services that work well? Follow these classic copywriting tips:

• Be concise – deliver only the information the visitor needs to know right now, as briefly as possible without sacrificing important detail
• Be convincing – research your landing page visitors’ needs and feelings, then address them in your copy
• Show, don’t tell — instead of talking about how great your product or service is, demonstrate exactly how it’s helped other customers

Mistake #6: Bland call to action

A generic CTA like yields fewer conversions than one tailor-made for your landing page. Make your CTA count by keeping it specific, active and psychologically impactful.

• Good example: “Get Your X” or “Start Using X”
• Bad example: “Submit”, “Buy”, or “OK”

 Mistake #7: Low credibility

If you’re relatively unknown to your landing page visitors, then you only have what credibility you can prove. Testimonials and reviews from existing clients or customers are ideal evidence, so present them with a full name and photo if possible for maximum credibility.

Mistake #8: Irrelevant content

Every bit of copy or content on your landing page must have a clear reason to be there. If you can’t explain what role a piece of content serves in generating conversions, remove it from the page.

Mistake #9: Not mobile friendly

Mobile internet use overtook desktop internet use back in 2014, according to comScore, Ofcom and other reliable sources. If your landing page isn’t mobile optimised, you could be missing out on half your potential conversions for that reason alone.

Mistake #10: Slow page speed

Nobody likes having to wait. Check your landing page for any of these common problems that slow a page down:

• Large image files – balance size against quality and reduce your landing page image files to less than 20 kb
• Unnecessary code – audit your landing page source code for any obsolete or duplicate snippets of HTML or CSS, as well as any code that generates errors, and remove them

Armed with the solutions to these top 10 landing page mistakes, you’ll be able to raise your conversion rates swiftly, gain a competitive edga and start working on continued improvement to truly optimise conversions.

ReachLocal are digital marketing experts who work with small to medium businesses like yours. To learn more about optimising your landing page conversion rate and other ReachLocal services, visit the website.