Landing page optimisation – the next step in SEO

Why not enrol on our SEO training course?

Have you invested in search engine optimistation? Are you pulling potential customers into your site using Social Media? Are your pages now doing well in Google. Yes? Well done! Now take a look at the bounce rate and the time users spend on your site once you have got them there. If your bounce rate is high and your users are leaving quickly there’s still work to be done.

If you are not ranking so well in Google, don’t know what your bounce rate is or haven’t started your Social Media Strategy yet – then maybe you should enrol on our SEO training, Social Media Training and Google Analytics training courses in Brighton, Sussex.

Now with Google instant previews landing page optimisation is even more important. Google Instant Previews often shows images of pages that rank in the SERP (search engine results page). Decisions about the value of a link or site will be made based on the look and feel of a page before they even click. Keep in mind that Flash isn’t supported by Google Instant Previews.

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a page on your site that a user is brought to when they click on a link, online ad or any other entry point.

What is a Conversion?

What you want a user to do once he or she reaches a page is called a conversion. This forms the basis for landing page optimisation.

A conversion can be:

• A user filling out a form
• Downloading something
• Buying something
• Signing up for a newsletter

In fact a conversion is any action you want your users to take. A microconversion can be something like a click to the next page or time spent on the page this can help you identify which part of the conversion funnel could be improved.

What is Landing Page Optimisation?

Landing Page optimisation begins with tests conducted in a controlled environment. The web developer makes tweaks to the look, layout and positioning of elements on a page, image changes, content changes,  call to action changes, headline and title changes etc. in order to influence the ‘conversion’ (user behaviour).

The first step is to choose the landing pages that are most important to your business. Take a look at Google Analytics. Which pages drive the most traffic or conversion already? These pages would be a good place to start.

Now it is time to start testing. One type of testing is called A/B split testing. You need to create two different versions of a Web page. You can do this either at the same time, tracking visitors by IP address so no one visitor receives the same landing page twice, or you can test one page at a time for a specified duration. It is possible to do A/B testing using Google Website Optimiser. See video below:

Another type of testing is called multivariate testing. This is best done after your initial A/B tests. Multivariate testing allows you to test multiple elements within a landing page, and conduct more detailed analyses of these elements to see what creates a successful page.

google heatmap show the hotspots on a web-page

Google’s heat map

A Heat Map shows the most likely areas of a web page to produce click throughs this example was developed by Google for its AdSense program.

• Dark Orange – the hottest area of a web-page.
• Orange – areas next in importance for visitors.
• Yellow -  areas of moderate interest .
• White – areas with little or no activity.
• Grey – neutral areas.

Consumer Behaviour

When people are looking to buy a product online they spend time researching the product first. They then decide on a handful of sites from which to make their purchase. One small change on a landing page can affect your conversion rates. These changes can include:

• Shape of buttons
• The grouping of related elements
• The color scheme – particularly contrast
• Color of elements
• Size of elements
• Speed of page
• Legibility
• Layout
• Alignment
• Suggested Benefits
• Call-to-action
• Types of questions you ask in a form
• Confidence building – testimonials and client recommendations

Customer Incentives

Offers are becoming more and valuable for Internet marketing and landing pages. Be specific – the more specific the offer, the higher the response rate.

As well as Search Engine Optimisation Training, Silicon Beach Training offer a wide range of business and management training including Leadership Training, and accredited MSP Training, PRINCE2 Training and ITIL Training.

Related posts:

1. Google Analytics Training: How to Link AdWords to Google Analytics
2. Why blogging is essential to business.
3. Video SEO – How to optimise video for YouTube and Google
4. What does direct mean in Google Analytics?
5. Testing Your Web Page

Similar resources you may like

Related posts:

1. Google Analytics Training: How to Link AdWords to Google Analytics
2. Why blogging is essential to business.
3. Video SEO – How to optimise video for YouTube and Google
4. What does direct mean in Google Analytics?
5. Testing Your Web Page

Tags

brighton, google analytics, Google Analytics Training, landing page optimisation, landing pages, search engine optimisation, search engine optimisation training, seo course, seo training, seo training sussex, Social Media Training, sussex

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