7 Common Landing Page Mistakes to Avoid

It’s easy to fall into one (or several) of these landing page traps — let us help you avoid them. 

Here, you’ll find:

• Best practices for landing page copy
• Why landing page design matters
• How to avoid snooze-worthy CTAs
• Ways to make your pages stand out

Landing pages can be game-changers when it comes to your conversion rate. But that doesn’t mean the path to success is easy. At best, landing pages have a variety of thought-out elements that come together to create a seamless user experience. At worst? They confuse or turn off the reader, causing them to bounce. 

One way to be sure you’re on the right track: Don’t fall for any of these common landing page mistakes.

1. Not testing your forms

Each element of your landing page factors into your conversion rates, but your form can be the ultimate deciding factor. With that in mind, crafting your form shouldn’t be a one-and-done endeavor. Rather, take the time to A/B test your forms to see which ones result in the most completions.

While experience has shown us that shorter forms often get more completions, this certainly isn’t always the case. It’s wise to test a few different form lengths, and even multiple-page forms, to find the sweet spot that your prospects respond to best. As long as you’re getting the key info you need from the form, you can play around with various questions and wording.

Sometimes, the most out-there CTAs are the ones that get the most attention — and clicks. (Image via Unsplash)

2. A distracting design

When it comes to your landing page design, there’s a delicate balance to be struck between not underwhelming or overwhelming the visitor. After all, you don’t want to put all this work into creating the best click-worthy ads that end up leading to boring landing pages. On the other hand, it’s just as important that you don’t send them to a page filled with in-your-face graphics, multiple calls to action (CTAs), a header and footer, pop-ups and more. 

A well-designed landing page design will be consistent with the rest of your website, but with an overall clean aesthetic that thoughtfully uses visuals to draw the reader’s eye to your CTAs. These visuals could include things like a photo of someone using your product or service, a specially designed graphic, or color blocking that falls in line with your brand’s current scheme. 

Pro tip: Often, landing pages don’t feature the usual headers and footers that the rest of your site does, to keep the look as minimal as possible. You can experiment with including pared-down versions of your navigation menus, or just a link to your homepage.

3. Boring CTAs

If the thought of a “click here” CTA makes you want to hit snooze, you’re not alone. Not only do generic CTAs not impress site visitors, but it often lacks context about why the person should click. Are they requesting a consultation? Being taken to a page where they can learn more about a product or service? This is one of the easiest landing page mistakes to avoid by making sure your CTA is clear and to the point.

CTAs are another great landing page feature to A/B test. Brainstorm a handful of attention-grabbing CTAs that align with your brand’s voice and tone, then start trying them out to see how your audience reacts. And don’t be afraid to think outside the box: Sometimes, the most out-there CTAs are the ones that get the most attention — and clicks.

4. Sluggish page speed

Of course, healthy page speed is crucial for all pages of your website. But it’s particularly make-or-break when it comes to your landing pages. That’s because landing pages often serve as the first impression of your business. You want everything to be in tip-top shape.

Luckily, there are usually quick fixes for slow site pages. First, test your current speed with Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. From there, you can work with your team or developer to address any issues that come up, such as too-large image files that may need compressing. 

(Page speed promises to become more important when it comes to rankings when Google officially rolls out its Core Web Vitals metrics in 2021.)

Need more help getting landing pages in tip-top shape? That’s one of our specialties.

5. Not optimizing for mobile

Around here, we talk a lot about the importance of having a mobile-friendly site. That’s because we’re seeing more and more people using their smartphones over desktops for things like searching, shopping, and visiting websites. And it’s a trend that doesn’t appear to be slowing down soon. 

Before launching your landing page, conduct tests to make sure the page and each of its elements renders well on mobile. That doesn’t just mean it loads. It also means imagery is properly sized, CTAs and buttons are easy to click on, and copy is easy to scroll through and read. This should be the case whether someone is viewing your page from an iOS, Android, or tablet device. 

Consider crafting an automated message upon form completion that reiterates what the user can expect as far as next steps. (Image via Unsplash)

6. Spending too little time on copy

Another one of the biggest landing page mistakes we see is creating a compellingly designed page with lackluster copy. If you’re just copying and pasting the same copy from your ad to your landing page, we hate to say it, but you’re doing it wrong.

While you don’t need to pen a novel, you do want there to be a consistent and clear message, from your headline to your CTA. Your landing page copy should match what your ad mentioned or promised. Moreover, it should focus on the value you can provide the user, not just info about why your brand is so great. In just a few sentences, make it clear that you understand the person’s needs or pain points, and highlight how your brand’s offering can help them. 

7. Failing to provide next steps

Sure, you can get by just fine with a simple “Thanks!” message that pops up once someone has completed your landing page form. But why stop there? Maximize each visit to your site by being thoughtful about what comes next.

Consider crafting an automated message upon form completion that reiterates what the user can expect as far as next steps, whether that means an email or a phone call. You can also add value and start guiding them further down the funnel by offering them a piece of content that’s relevant to the ad that originally brought them there.

Even a funny quip, joke, or GIF paired with your “thank you” message can help make for a memorable and positive first experience with your brand. 

The takeaway

Don’t panic if you’ve fallen prey to any of these common landing page mistakes. Some are easier to detect than others, but all can be fixed. 

Letting your landing page sit stagnant can lead to the issues above, along with others, so prioritize periodically testing new elements and making sure everything is as optimized as possible for best results.