Landing Page Design: Tips and Best Practices

Landing Page Design: Tips and Best Practices

by | Dec 15, 2017 | Marketing, Web Design

While the ad copy of your landing page is important, landing page design also plays a large part in maximizing its performance.It's easy to get carried away tweaking all the elements of your landing page's design. However, you want to focus on the changes that will make the biggest impact.To help you increase your conversions, Bradley shaw from dallaswebsitedesign picked up some solid landing page design tips and best practices for optimizing your offer.

Making Your Landing Page Flow?

  1. Remove Unnecessary Distractions
Landing pages should look and feel intuitive. The visitor should quickly get an idea of what they're being offered and what actions they can take upon going to your page. There are many distractions that can get in the way of this process including images, security seals, and even the navigation menu.In this example,VWO increased signups by 100% by simply removing the navigation menu. It goes to show that keeping your design minimal and focused can pay off.
  1. Use Typography that Is Readable
When you study the best landing page examples, you'll notice that most of the pages use typography that's easy to read. There's often nothing fancy going on. The focus is on making sure that visitors can quickly scan the message and get the main point.There are also other elements that make the text, particularly the headline work better. A strong color contrast is used to make the core message stand out. Headlines use bigger and thicker font. There's also a visual hierarchy to the text that leads readers from one point to the next.
  1. Use Relevant Imagery
A common mistake that many landing pages make is using the wrong images to support their offer. Too many websites still rely on stock images to make their website look more professional.The problem with this is that certain stock images have characteristics that indicate that it's a stock image. You want to use strong imagery that supports your message. For example, CodeCombat uses a great image of kids having fun on their computers while learning to programme.
  1. Optimize for Mobile VisitorsMobile Optimized Web Design
Landing page design gets tricky when dealing with mobile visitors. There are many things that you'll have to adjust including the page layout, content formatting, loading speed, font size and web buttons.If you're using a responsive theme, do not assume that your theme will automatically optimize your page for mobile. Do your due diligence and test how your landing page appears on different devices, browsers, and screen sizes.
  1. Use Visual Cues
Visual cues can help visitors pay attention to your message and increase your conversions. You can use them explicitly and implicitly. Arrows, circles and dotted lines would be examples of explicit visual cues.A person looking at a specific direction, spacing, color contrasts and the shape of design elements are examples of implicit visual cues.This study by ConversionXL found that using a direct arrow increased the attention span spent on a landing page form. Ideally, you'll want to use a mix of both for the best results.

Optimizing Forms and Buttons

  1. Experiment with Different Forms
There's nothing wrong with using standard forms if you're just collecting the visitor's name and email. But if your forms call for more than that, you may be able to see better results by using form design that's interactive.Tools like Leadformly allow you to use multi-step or quiz style forms that can increase signups. It also uses a clever progress bar to indicate to users how far they are along into the form.
  1. Optimize Your Call to Action Buttons
Ultimately, you want your visitors to take action. That means that you have to get them to press the button to either subscribe or go to the order page. That's why the design of your call to action button is important.Start by experimenting with the size and color of the button. Next, you want to play around with the actual call to action text.You'll be surprised at how much of an impact that this simple test can make to your conversions. If you're using a longer landing page, you will also want to try adding multiple CTA buttons throughout the page to see how that performs.

Trust and Credibility Elements

  1. If You're Going to Use Testimonials, Make Them Real
Using testimonials on your page is one of the best ways to strengthen your offer. But it can backfire on you if your testimonials are poor. Common mistakes include using low-quality photos (or none at all), using initials instead of full names, and using general feedback.If you're going to use testimonials, make sure that they're real. Include the headshot, full name, title, and company of the person that gave you the testimonial. Using video may be even better as adding video to full-page ads increases engagement by as much as 22 percent.
  1. Adding Trust Elements Can Lift Conversions
There are many other things that you can do besides adding testimonials to get visitors to trust your landing page. If your company has been featured in trusted media channels or publications, you may want to use their logos on your page and link to the source.Other elements that can help you include the about us page, privacy policy, and a money back guarantee if you're making a transactional offer. Some other supporting pages that can help include the how it works and comparison sections.As you can see, there are a large number of design elements that can impact the performance of your landing pages. There's no hard and fast rule for what approaches work. It's best to focus on the fundamentals of why certain design approaches work and experiment with different designs.Hopefully, these tips and best practices will inspire you to go beyond the ad copy of your landing page and get you in the process of optimizing your page's design as well.
How to reduce your Website’s Bounce Rate

How to reduce your Website’s Bounce Rate

by | Dec 7, 2017 | SEO, Web Design, Web Hosting

How to reduce your Website?s Bounce RateWebsites have always been and are still being used as one of the primary tools for leveraging businesses. It is almost rare as a unicorn to find a business that is making insane profits without having a website. And that is because, for a prospective customer, a website is a door to the company?s products & services. Now some people may argue that choosing mobile app development could have been a better option, but then a website, somewhat, builds a foundation where you can connect with your customers in a much broader sense.But then there are times when you wonder why in the world your website isn?t generating business as expected, despite spending a fortune on it. You start doubting your product, as well as your business potential. But most of the times, the real culprit is ?Bounce Rate?.What is Bounce RateThe simplest definition of Bounce Rate is - it is the percentage of visitors that leave a website after viewing the first page. Even simply put, your product or service didn?t seem interesting enough to them. The effect of Bounce Rate on your business could be disastrous if, over the time, nothing is done about it.According to a research, 26-40% Bounce Rate is great, 41-55% is average and anything above it is not what you should be aiming for.So how do you reduce Bounce Rate of your website? If you are looking for an answer, this guide is a must-read for you:ReadabilityThe connection between Bounce Rate and readability is quite apparent; the better they understand, the more they are interested. If you have a WordPress website, you get a free SEO plugin from Yoast. Install it and follow the corrections it suggests to improve your content?s readability.According to Yoast, a piece of content has good readability when:
  • Not more than 25% sentences have more than 20 words.
  • Punctuations and grammar have been well taken care of.
  • There is sufficient use of transition words.
  • Passive sentences are less than 20%
Use sufficient InfographicsVisual communication has always been much more efficient at getting the message across, compared to text only. People find it the content more engaging when you use pictures, GIFs, and videos to communicate. Besides, Google also gives priority to content that has more infographics. And if you good ranking on Google search; chances are, people already trust you enough to go to your website.Integrate the content with your brandIntegrating the content with the brand brings uniformity and a sense of credibility to your website. The sections on your landing page should not feel scattered and must not talk about different or contradictory goals. Carry out extensive research on the tone of how others, in the same line of business as yours, pen down their ideas. Have a logo and a summary of your vision, mission, and offer, apparent enough on the landing page itself. The effect of appropriate content is almost the same on a website and app. That is why, the best mobile app development companies as well, understand the importance of appropriate content integration and make sure it has been seamlessly done.Load-TimeAccording to statistics, a 1-second delay could cost you 7% conversions. According to another study, 53% mobile sites turn into ghost towns if the load times are more than 3 seconds.What do these figures say?It is that people don?t like to wait, periodYou can decrease your website?s load time by using page optimization techniques like using compressed pictures and videos. Apart from that, using cached pages also decreases your load time as the server deploys web pages from local cache.Only use authentic web-hosts to host your website. Some popular web-hosts in India are HostGator, GoDaddy.?Author Bio:Hari Krishna is a well-versed content writer working in FuGenX Technologies, an emerging?mobile app development company New York. He likes to write on technology, start-ups and latest technological innovations that people like to know and share with others.
Top Reasons to Use WordPress Website Development for Business

Top Reasons to Use WordPress Website Development for Business

by | Dec 4, 2017 | Business, Guest Post, WordPress

Almost one out of every four websites on the internet is built on WordPress. From the smallest of businesses to stellar companies like Time Inc. and TechCrunch that garner millions of visits per day, WordPress remains the choice for all.This makes one thing absolutely clear- WordPress development services are reliable and suitable for businesses of all scales and industries. And it?s perhaps for this reason that despite having dozens of CMS in the market, WordPress comfortably trumps them all. Here are some of the reasons you should use it for your business as well:

It?s free

The most basic factor upon which majority of the businesses focus is ROI, i.e., while they do care extensively about the quality, they are equally sensitive about the price at which that is attained. With WordPress, it's win-win. They get to deploy one of the finest CMS with a broad set of features to help them push their business in digital space and the best part, they don?t even have to pay for it.

Extensive set of Plugins

Though WordPress is a complete package when it comes to creating and managing decent websites, there are thousands of other plugins and themes that you can use for additional functionality and give your website a unique feel. While most of the plugins are free to use, there are some paid themes as well for premium users.

High visibility

Websites built on WordPress are known to be SEO-friendly as they are indexed by search engines much better than other websites. This helps in improving the rank of websites in search results, thus, leading to higher visibility and recognition of businesses.

Simple but powerful admin panel

One of the key concerns of many businesses is that though they can get a website developed by hiring WordPress developers, managing them afterward without technical fluency remains a tough task. But with WordPress, users get a drastically simplified admin panel that required no technical knowledge whatsoever for day-to-day management of the website. Sure, having technical efficacy does have its benefits for its ability to edit CSS code for custom design, but it isn?t necessary to manage one?s website efficiently.

Task delegation and roles

Websites are generally managed by a set of different people, all of whom do not necessarily need the same set of privileges. For instance, if you have guest-blogging enabled on your site, they should be able to only write and not edit anything else. Similarly, for editors, there should be privileges of only writing and editing the content but not modifying the design or other aspects. WordPress has such capabilities built-in and can be easily managed through admin panel by granting or revoking different levels of privileges.Additionally, since the admin may not be available 24*7 to manage the site, they can easily schedule content that will automatically be posted at a specified time.

Social media and community integration

WordPress websites can be easily integrated with most of the popular social media platforms, and even the on-site community like the comments section can be easily managed through a simple interface.To put it simply, it creates aesthetically beautiful websites for free, offers a broad range of functionalities that even a non-technical person can easily manage, and yes, is powerful enough to handle millions of users. The only thing you need is to hire WordPress developers to create give a great start to your website and once it gets onboard, you can efficiently manage your business from anywhere you like.
Elements Customers Want In A Business

Elements Customers Want In A Business

by | Dec 4, 2017 | Business, Web Design

When you?re in business, you should be more than concerned with what your customers want. They?re the backbone to your operation and the people who are going to help you take your company to new heights. Do whatever it takes to make certain you?re on the same page.They should be on your mind night and day as you figure out ways to have your business cater to their needs. Don?t assume you know what they want. Research, read and ask to get your answers and come up with a list of the most important items to focus your attention on. See elements customers want in a business.A Functional & Attractive WebsiteCustomers want to search and find you online without any issues. They want to see your website, scroll through pages and click links from all sorts of devices. Work with a professional designer who can help you create the perfect website for your business. You want to make sure you include the right kind of information and that it?s easy for your users to navigate through the site. Not only does your text and layout have to be on point, but you need high-quality images and fonts too.A BlogAfter your website is up and running, consider adding a blog. In fact, starting a blog is easy when using a simple and free step-by-step guide made for beginners that can be found online. You can get started in just three steps. Once you have the foundation configured, start writing interesting and thought-provoking blog posts your readers will enjoy reviewing when they land on your website. Have someone on your team manage it, so it?s always up-to-date and has fresh content. A blog is a great way to be found in the search engines and for you to show your customers that you?re thought leaders in the industry.Timely & Properly Managed Email Marketing CampaignsEmail marketing campaigns are great if they?re done the appropriately. Customers don?t want to be bombarded with messages that don?t relate to them at odd hours of the day. Come up with a process and calendar for sending out your emails. Be sure to spend time on the messaging and segment out your audience lists, so the right people are getting the right message at the right time. Make sure your emails have a purpose and aren?t going out too close together. Email marketing can be extremely successful if you put in the time to learn how to execute it correctly.Exceptional Customer ServiceOne element all customers can agree upon is that a business offers exceptional customer service. People are sick and tired of mediocre and having to argue their way into being heard. Have processes in place that keep it all running smoothly and people who are willing to go above and beyond to make sure the customer?s happy at the end of the day. Strive to be known for having the best customer service around and see how quickly people return and your reviews grow stronger.Quality Products & ServicesBusiness isn?t just about how quickly you can get a product or service out the door. While speed matters, so does quality. Customers want value for their money and to be satisfied with their purchase. Your goal is to have clients be happy and not want to instantly return whatever it is they bought from you. If you lack in quality, you may get sales, but over time they?ll dissipate and you?ll be left with a lot of extra inventory. Put quality at the forefront and then be glad that you can be proud of your company.Human FactorCustomers want to know that who?s on the other side is human too. They want to know that you?re not all about sending out fake looking images and messages. They?re thirsting for that personal connection with your brand. Give it to them by showing who?s behind the company walls, posting raw images on social media and allowing customers to easily get in touch with your customer service department. Most importantly, when you make a mistake admit it and don?t try to cover it up. People will understand more if you?re honest and authentic.People who ListenSimilarly to how you want your staff to listen to you, your clients desire the same respect. Customers want to do the talking. They want you to listen and hear their feedback and complaints. Businesses who do what they think is best and go on without taking into consideration what the customer wants usually end up regretting it. Have conversations with your customers, give them the floor, let them speak and share their ideas with you. Be glad they care and feel strongly enough about your product or service to wanting to connect with you.Ease of Doing Business & Reliability Focus on priding yourselves on the fact that it?s easy to do business with you. It should be as simple as hitting the easy button and not having to jump through hoops to finally be satisfied. It?s about keeping the promises you make and not disappointing your customers because it?s better for you. Be reliable and honorable, so there?s a desire for customers to want to do business with you time and time again. Customers have enough stress and chaos in their own lives. They?re counting on you to deliver results and do it with a smile, so they can move on with their lives and not have to deal with any drama.ConclusionThis is an important list that you should strongly consider implementing in your own business. Put your customers first and watch how quickly other areas of your company start to fall into place. Stop trying to do it all yourself and start listening to what consumers are saying about you. The future is in your hands and has the potential to be very bright if you?re willing to work hard to please the people who matter the most. These are elements customers want in a business.
Changing Your Business Image In 2018

Changing Your Business Image In 2018

by | Dec 2, 2017 | Business

Let?s face it, we can talk all we want about how looks are not important, but when it comes to a well thought out business website, looks are everything. No customer or client wants to look at a website that is messy, cluttered with dead links and runs slowly. Customers are smart, impatient and they want their information from you NOW, not in the five minutes it could take for a part of your website to bother loading. With companies around the globe evolving online at a rapid rate, you as a company will have to face the facts that if you hope to be more successful, you need to give your image a good shake-up. What better time to do that, than 2018?Your audience is being brought to your website through the search engines and social media. To be able to find you, they have to be looking for you and so if you are offering excellent content and easy ways to find you, you have to ensure that what they find is of high quality, too. If your customers cannot feel like you are putting in an effort to trends that are ahead of them, you?re losing already. Customers are smart. They are aware of issues that come up and if your company has had an unfortunate time of things in the market, they are likely to turn elsewhere with their business, which goes against everything you want as a company. Working quickly to stay relevant and build a level of trust with your customers is important, so don?t panic yet! You can change your business image with a few helpful tips, gaining back that customer loyalty that you have lost and transforming how you do things.Strategize Your ApproachGetting your company back on track involves a revamp and a rethink. This can be anything from the web design that you need to update to the SEO strategy you need for your Google rankings. Google algorithm updates can help you to understand exactly what trends you should be following to drive traffic to your site, you just have to make sure your site is worth driving traffic towards in the first place. Get your head together with your marketing team and discuss adjusting your current business model and approach, so that you appear sleeker and smarter to the customers going to your site. It can be difficult to break away from what you?ve always done, but if you?re losing customers then it?s worth breaking through it and getting things redesigned.Customer InteractionWorking on the way that you currently interact with customers isn?t always a simple thing to do. All this time, you?ve been doing things one certain way and now you have to change that ? adjustment is difficult for any business. Listening to what your customers are telling you about the way your website is run is the key here. You need to offer the platform for feedback and then you need to implement the right changes. There?s no point whatsoever in asking for opinions and ideas if you don?t plan to change anything. This is your business, and you may be proud of it but if there is something that is out of sync and not working, then it?s not going to be much of a business. Making the right changes can include anything from a live chat bot on the website for better communication, to making your data and information more easily available with a sitemap on the website itself. These changes will transform your business image, even if they don?t feel like big changes.Social MediaContent Is ImportantDo you want to engage your customers, right? One of the most frustrating things about a company website is one that is not full of good, high-quality information about you. One of the ways you can change this is to start your own company blog. Customers now love to rely on visual content and blogs to make their opinions set about a certain company, as this way they can leverage their interest in you and your new content. This is one of the best ways you can get customers spreading the word about you. Content creation is key, and this means paying for the best out there if you haven?t got an in-house team who can write it for you. When you change your business image by offering better and more quality content, you need to keep asking for that feedback and get the changes made that matter.Laptop Computer CodeAdd More TalentTaking on a new hire or a new team of people to help you revamp your business look is a way to change the way you?ve always had things looking. We mentioned a messy website earlier on, and it?s important your website is not a slow, buggy mess. You can change your logo and rebrand all day long, but if you don?t have the right talent managing those changes, then there?s no point. The people that you surround your business with are the real game changers and the ones who can help your business transformation to stick. You may not be in the position to bring on permanent members of web development staff, but this is one of those areas of your budget that you should be maximising with outsourcing or a freelancer that you have on board. There are plenty of websites like these, where you can find quality freelancers who can offer the right service you need at the right place.When you decide to transform your business image, you need to track how you do it and keep yourself up to date on the changes that you have made. When you do this, you can watch in real time how your changes have made a difference and whether they will continue to do so. Keep 2018 as your year for change and make it count for your new business transformation. It will be something you will need to keep an eye on so it becomes a success.