4 Quick Landing Page Tests
1 – Are Your Visitors Smarter Than A 4th Grader
TEST #1 = Would a 4th grader completely understand the headline and content of your website?
If the answer is “no”, then re-write it. Don’t try to make some argument about how YOUR visitors are better informed than most. Remember, “nobody hates clarity”. Don’t write your copy for a person that knows anything about your service, product, or industry already. It’s not that people are actually dull witted as much as they don’t have time or desire to “figure out” what you’re talking about. I have a saying that goes, “nobody hates clarity”. In other words, not a single person will ever complain that you have made things to clear and plain. This is especially true when they are not sophisticated about your topic.
“I once used the word OBSOLETE in a headline, only to discover that 43 per cent of housewives had no idea what it meant. In another headline, I used the word INEFFABLE, only to discover that I didn’t know what it meant myself.” David Olgivy
TEST #1a = Does your site have an image?
There is plenty of data showing that having an image ALWAYS makes a positive difference. The image you pick however, if very important and should tell some part of your story.
2 – Is everything related to the headline?
TEST #2 = Do all sub-headlines, paragraphs graphics, statistics, etc, have a direct connection with the subject of the Headline?
If the headline is indeed the correct one to grab their attention then it is the correct benefit to make the sale. Stick with one benefit. Once your headline grabs the visitor, they start having internal dialogue about the stated benefit. The desire or need that you have awakened has the power to bring them in for landing. If you add to the message with another benefit or unrelated feature later on the same page, you will officially lose momentum and probably lose the conversion.
3 – Is the next step clear to that same 4th grader?
TEST #3 = If you asked anybody old enough to read, what they are supposed to do next on that web page they should be able to answer in 5 seconds or less.
This one is simple, if you don’t know what you want them to know next, how can they know what to do next? This requires that you make a bold request for action. No matter what quadrant or section of the page your visitor reads closer, that section should have a call to action leading them to the conversion. The calls don’t all have to be nig red buttons. They can be sentences in the content of a section. They can be an arrow pointing to a form. They can be the call to action at the end of a short video on the page or of course a big bold button. Remember you don’t earn points here for being understated. The 4th grader need to be able to see the “net step” anywhere they look.
4 – Do You Have “Bling”
Test#4 = Do you have credibility builders visible above the scroll?
These can be association logos, client logos, accolades, awards, or just client testimonials. Since you may have a very short time to connect with the visitor you need to prove that you can be trusted quickly.
If you pass all 4 tests with your page, and you have a powerful asset to offer in return for their contact information, you might get 5-10% conversion rate. If you skip one or more of these concepts you will be lucky to scrape by with a 1-2% conversion rate.
Claude Hopkins, the undeniable Father of modern advertising, wrote his classic, Scientific Advertising almost 100 years ago. He made the bold statement that we would never be able to decipher the response and reactions of the Human psychology when it comes to persuasion. All we can do is TEST and pick the winner of the test. That was why he titled his book Scientific Advertising and not the Art of Advertising. He would advise you to split test the daylights out of your landing pages to find the winning version that will probably get 5-10 the results of the losing versions.