Post on 23-Jul-2020
Martin HarwoodMike Harwood
Learn to:• Create landing pages that convert
browsers to buyers
• Predict customer browsing behavior
• Diagnose and fix problems with your landing page
• Match pay-per-click ads and search results with landing page content
Landing Page
Optimization
Making Everything Easier!™
Open the book and find:
• Tips for closing online sales
• What “the fold” is and how to use it
• How to get results with strong calls to action
• Colors that please, and colors that don’t
• Suggestions for a Know Your Customer checklist
• Why you might need several landing pages
• A ten-point page inspection
• Your $50 coupon from JustMakeItEasy.com
Martin Harwood was CEO of an online marketing and development
company. He provides marketing consulting at www.mjharwood.com.
Mike Harwood is a technical writer, network consultant, and ad copywriter
for online businesses. He has authored books, articles, and coursework on
various technology topics.
Computers/Web/General
$29.99 US / $35.99 CN / £21.99 UK
ISBN 978-0-470-50211-2
Go to Dummies.com®
for videos, step-by-step photos, how-to articles, or to shop!
Boost your bottom line with a landing page that turns visitors into customersTurning visitors into buyers is what makes your online business successful. Here’s how to pinpoint your customers, identify vital landing page elements, plan a landing page that makes an impact, test it for flawless operation, and more. Plus, you’ll get a $50 coupon from JustMakeItEasy.com for e-content, videos, and more.
• What it does — explore the function of landing pages, how to target the audience you want, and how to compare your page to the competition
• What to say — learn to write for your visitors, creating copy that gets their attention and encourages them to buy
• What makes a page stand out — discover how color, fonts, and images affect the success of your page
• What builds trust — find out how to use testimonials, privacy statements, and Terms of Sale to gain your customers’ trust
• What visitors expect — be sure your landing page matches the expectations raised by your advertising
• What they’re saying — gain feedback from customer forums, reviews, and live chats
• What gets them there — see how to boost traffic with the right keywords, search engine marketing, and pay-per-click ads
Landing Page Optim
ization
HarwoodHarwood
est spine=.816”
est spine=.816”
Start with FREE Cheat SheetsCheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff!
Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows.
Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions
Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. *
Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on • Digital Photography • Microsoft Windows & Office • Personal Finance & Investing • Health & Wellness • Computing, iPods & Cell Phones • eBay • Internet • Food, Home & Garden
Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com
*Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules.
Get More and Do More at Dummies.com®
To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/landingpageoptimization
Landing Page Optimization
FOR
DUMmIES‰
by Martin Harwood and Mike Harwood
Landing Page Optimization
FOR
DUMmIES‰
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies®
Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit-ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH-OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZA-TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. FULFILLMENT OF EACH COUPON OFFER IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009935230
ISBN: 978-0-470-50211-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the AuthorsMartin Harwood has 15 years experience in Web development and design.
In that time, he has managed Wavefi re Technologies, a publicly traded
company that specializes in Internet marketing technologies. From this
experience, he’s worked as a consultant in e-commerce, landing page design,
and development.
For more information on Martin Harwood’s background and experience,
visit www.anthillpress.com.
Mike Harwood (MCSE, A+, Network+, Server+, Linux+) has more than ten
years experience working in information technology and related fi elds. In that
time, he’s held a number of roles within IT, including network administrator,
instructor, technical writer, Web site designer, consultant, and online
marketing strategist. He’s been a regular on-air technology contributor for
CBC Radio and has authored numerous computer books.
DedicationMartin Harwood: I dedicate this book to the entrepreneurs who have had
to learn it the hard way and their families that have to put up with their
eccentricities, including my own family: Jolene, Lee, Justin and, of course, my
parents.
Mike Harwood: As always, I dedicate this book to my three amazing
daughters, Breanna, Paige, and Delaney, who fi ll me with pride each day;
and to my adorable and loving wife, Linda, who keeps me structured,
supported, and always amused.
Authors’ AcknowledgmentsRarely an easy process, the creation of a book requires the talents and
dedication of a number of people. With that in mind, we thank the folks at
Wiley for their work on this project.
Specifi cally, we thank Kyle Looper for overseeing the project and keeping
the ball rolling, Paul Levesque for his patient editing, and our editors — Jen
Riggs, copy editor, and Paul Chaney, technical editor — for their gentle
corrections that helped to make the text fl ow smoothly. If we are fortunate
enough to write another For Dummies title, we’d love to work with these folks
again.
A special thanks to Selkirk College’s English Professor Linda Harwood (who’s
also Mike’s wife) for her content contributions. She’s been teaching college
composition, literature, and business communications for the last 16 years,
so when it comes to the writing process, we knew she was the one to bug.
Finally, we’re thankful to our friends and family who once again had to put up
with the late hours and book-related ramblings.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com.
For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,
outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book
to market include the following:
Acquisitions and Editorial
Senior Project Editor: Paul Levesque
Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper
Copy Editor: Jen Riggs
Technical Editor: Paul Chaney
Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron
Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham
Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker
Layout and Graphics: Joyce Haughey,
Mark Pinto, Christin Swinford,
Ronald G. Terry
Proofreader: Linda Seifert
Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC
Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher
Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director
Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director
Publishing for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
Contents at a GlanceIntroduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Landing Page Basics ......................................... 7Chapter 1: Introducing Landing Page Optimization ...................................................... 9
Chapter 2: Understanding Online Marketing Basics ................................................... 21
Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Landing Page ............................................................... 37
Part II: Building Landing Pages .................................. 49Chapter 4: Identifying Key Landing Page Elements ..................................................... 51
Chapter 5: The “Best Practices” of Landing Page Aesthetics..................................... 81
Chapter 6: Writing for Landing Pages ......................................................................... 103
Chapter 7: Building Customer Trust ........................................................................... 119
Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers .................. 141Chapter 8: Getting to Know Your Audience ............................................................... 143
Chapter 9: Meeting Your Visitors’ Expectations ........................................................ 163
Chapter 10: Improving Customer Communications .................................................. 187
Part IV: Increasing Your Sales .................................. 207Chapter 11: Understanding E-Commerce and Closing Online Sales ........................ 209
Chapter 12: Fine-Tuning Your Landing Page .............................................................. 223
Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site .................. 243Chapter 13: Using Keywords Effectively ..................................................................... 245
Chapter 14: Understanding Search Engine Marketing .............................................. 263
Chapter 15: Driving Traffi c with Ads, Articles, and Other Tricks ............................ 285
Chapter 16: Paying for Your Clicks .............................................................................. 309
Chapter 17: Running a Google PPC Campaign ........................................................... 329
Part VI: The Part of Tens .......................................... 351Chapter 18: Ten-Point Landing Page Inspection ........................................................ 353
Chapter 19: Ten Surefi re Ways to Increase Conversion Rates ................................. 359
Index ...................................................................... 367
Table of ContentsIntroduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book .............................................................................................. 1
Conventions Used in This Book ..................................................................... 2
What You Don’t Have to Read ........................................................................ 2
Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 3
How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 3
Part I: Landing Page Basics ................................................................... 4
Part II: Building Landing Pages ............................................................. 4
Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers .......................................... 4
Part IV: Increasing Your Sales .............................................................. 4
Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site .......................................... 5
Part VI: The Part of Tens ....................................................................... 5
Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 5
Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 6
Part I: Landing Page Basics .......................................... 7
Chapter 1: Introducing Landing Page Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Introducing the Landing Page ...................................................................... 10
Understanding what a landing page is not ....................................... 11
The function of landing pages ............................................................ 12
Choosing Your Landing Page Focus ............................................................ 13
Identifying and Knowing Your Audience .................................................... 14
Web analytics ....................................................................................... 15
Identifying customer expectations .................................................... 18
Identifying product benefi ts ............................................................... 19
Chapter 2: Understanding Online Marketing Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Understanding Online Marketing Terms and Defi nitions ......................... 22
Tracking Down Online Marketing Myths .................................................... 24
Myth #1: Build a great Web site or landing page,
and visitors will come ...................................................................... 24
Myth #2: More visitors to your site translate into more sales ....... 25
Myth #3: The more content on a site, the better ............................. 25
Myth #4: Offering a broad range of products/services
on a landing page translates to more sales .................................. 26
Myth #5: The right product/service will make me rich .................. 26
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xiiUnderstanding the Customer Life Cycle ..................................................... 27
Acquisition ............................................................................................ 28
Conversion ............................................................................................ 31
Retention ............................................................................................... 32
Managing Your Expectations ....................................................................... 34
Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Landing Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Developing Your Landing Page Plan ........................................................... 37
Writing your business summary ........................................................ 38
Market analysis .................................................................................... 40
Marketing and landing page performance goals .............................. 42
Financial resources .............................................................................. 43
Your detailed fi nancial plan................................................................ 45
Researching Your Competition .................................................................... 47
Part II: Building Landing Pages .................................. 49
Chapter 4: Identifying Key Landing Page Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Working in the Fold ....................................................................................... 51
Three fold secrets ................................................................................ 53
Must-have fold information ................................................................ 54
Defi ning your resolution needs .......................................................... 55
Testing your fold viewing area ........................................................... 58
Checking out your competition ......................................................... 58
Troubleshooting your fold.................................................................. 59
Working with Headings ................................................................................. 61
Placing your heading ........................................................................... 62
The secret to creating perfect headings ........................................... 64
Determining heading effectiveness ................................................... 66
Troubleshooting your heading .......................................................... 66
Understanding Body Text Essentials .......................................................... 67
General body text guidelines .............................................................. 68
Avoiding text pitfalls ........................................................................... 68
Creating a Call to Action ............................................................................... 69
Keeping it simple ................................................................................. 69
Troubleshooting your call to action .................................................. 70
Using Images in the Fold ............................................................................... 71
Using animated images and videos ................................................... 72
Placing your image in the fold ............................................................ 72
Image mistakes to avoid...................................................................... 73
Creating Trust ................................................................................................ 74
Establishing trust ................................................................................. 74
Common trust errors to avoid ........................................................... 75
xiii Table of Contents
Using Eye Path (Heat Maps) in Your Design .............................................. 75
Identifying a heat map ......................................................................... 76
Heat maps as a marketing analysis tool ............................................ 77
Comparing current heat maps ........................................................... 78
Doing your own heat map testing ...................................................... 79
Chapter 5: The “Best Practices” of Landing Page Aesthetics. . . . . . .81Enticing (or Repelling) Visitors with Color ................................................ 82
The nutshell overview of color wheels ............................................. 82
The vocabulary of color ...................................................................... 85
Selecting your color scheme .............................................................. 86
Getting help online .............................................................................. 88
Being practical with color choices .................................................... 88
Attracting Visitors with Buttons .................................................................. 89
Speaking with your buttons ................................................................ 90
Pushing all the right buttons .............................................................. 90
Choosing the Right Fonts ............................................................................. 92
Selecting reader-friendly fonts ........................................................... 93
Managing font sizes and spacing ....................................................... 94
Using Images to Focus Attention ................................................................. 95
Sending the right message .................................................................. 95
Directing with images .......................................................................... 96
Selecting images for your Web site ................................................... 97
Working with photographers ............................................................. 98
Doing your own photography ............................................................ 98
Using stock photography .................................................................... 99
Chapter 6: Writing for Landing Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Introducing Landing Page Writing ............................................................. 104
Writing for the Web readers ............................................................. 104
Structuring your online communication ......................................... 105
Highlighting landing page hot spots ................................................ 106
Writing Controlled Content ........................................................................ 107
Stage 1: Planning ................................................................................ 107
Stage 2: Drafting to capture reader attention ................................. 108
Stage 3: Revising................................................................................. 109
Stage 4: Editing ................................................................................... 110
Stage 5: Proofreading......................................................................... 110
Stage 6: User testing .......................................................................... 110
Developing Persuasive Content ................................................................. 111
The ethical appeal ............................................................................. 111
The rational appeal ............................................................................ 111
The emotional appeal ........................................................................ 111
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xivWriting the Three Key Landing Page Components ................................. 112
Writing enticing headings ................................................................. 112
Writing calls to action ....................................................................... 115
Writing a value statement ................................................................ 116
Five Awesome Landing Page Writing Tips ............................................... 117
Chapter 7: Building Customer Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Developing Trust with Visitors .................................................................. 120
Dealing with (cynical) realities ........................................................ 120
The scourge of malware .................................................................... 122
The Elements of Trust ................................................................................. 123
Using the correct language ............................................................... 124
Incorporating trust words and phrases .......................................... 124
Protecting customer information .................................................... 125
Using trust icons and logos .............................................................. 127
Using testimonials and customer comments ................................. 129
Adding content pages to build trust................................................ 132
Using Terms of Sale and Terms of Use as trust tools.................... 133
Placing Trust Elements in Your Landing Page ......................................... 137
Five Trust Building Tips .............................................................................. 139
Trust Element Checklist ............................................................................. 140
Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers ................... 141
Chapter 8: Getting to Know Your Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143Creating a Customer Profi le ....................................................................... 144
Getting the information ..................................................................... 144
Pre-profi ling your ideal customer .................................................... 146
Defi ning your customer demographic ............................................ 147
Market Segmentation .................................................................................. 149
Personas: Putting a name to the group ........................................... 150
Applying market segmentation and personas ............................... 151
Establishing Your Customer’s Surfi ng Habits .......................................... 154
Understanding the Customer Decision-Making Process ........................ 155
Stage 1: Need recognition and problem awareness ...................... 156
Stage 2: Product/service information search ................................. 157
Stage 3: Evaluation of alternatives ................................................... 157
Stage 4: Purchase ............................................................................... 158
Stage 5: Post-purchase evaluation ................................................... 158
Taking advantage of the sales cycle ................................................ 159
Knowing Your Audience Checklist ............................................................ 160
xv Table of Contents
Chapter 9: Meeting Your Visitors’ Expectations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163Dealing With the Impatient Visitor ............................................................ 164
A little more on bounce rates ........................................................... 165
Tracking your bounce rate ............................................................... 166
Bounce rate reduction: The top 10 list ........................................... 168
Keeping Customers Happy: Final Thought ............................................... 173
Creating Multiple Landing Pages ............................................................... 175
The need for multiple landing pages ............................................... 176
Creating effective multiple landing pages....................................... 179
Advantages of Creating Multiple Landing Pages ..................................... 182
Building techniques for multiple landing pages ............................ 182
Strategies for matching multiple landing pages
to your advertising ......................................................................... 185
Chapter 10: Improving Customer Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Communicating with Your Visitors ........................................................... 187
One-way communication .................................................................. 188
Limited two-way communication..................................................... 191
Full two-way communication ........................................................... 199
Using Forums ............................................................................................... 205
Part IV: Increasing Your Sales ................................... 207
Chapter 11: Understanding E-Commerce and Closing Online Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Understanding E-Commerce Basics .......................................................... 209
Reviewing e-commerce components ............................................... 210
Fitting it all together .......................................................................... 215
E-commerce Mistakes: Ten Ways to Lose a Sale ..................................... 217
Strategies for Closing Online Sales ............................................................ 219
Create urgency ................................................................................... 219
Show confi dence ................................................................................ 220
Remove obstacles to sales................................................................ 220
Chapter 12: Fine-Tuning Your Landing Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223Locating Five Problem Areas with Your Landing Page ........................... 223
Checkout procedures ........................................................................ 224
Page presentation .............................................................................. 225
Page information ................................................................................ 228
Landing page technology .................................................................. 228
Site navigation .................................................................................... 229
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xviGetting the Information to Fine-Tune Your Landing Page ...................... 230
Usability testing ................................................................................. 230
Focus groups ...................................................................................... 232
Tracking software .............................................................................. 234
Google Analytics ................................................................................ 236
Making and Evaluating Changes to Your Landing Page .......................... 241
Using split-testing .............................................................................. 241
Split-testing with Google Analytics .................................................. 242
Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site ................... 243
Chapter 13: Using Keywords Effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245Reviewing Keyword Basics ......................................................................... 245
Benefi ting from long-tail keywords .................................................. 247
Understanding the connection between
keywords and search engines ...................................................... 247
Searching basics ................................................................................ 248
Getting on the Right Keyword Track ......................................................... 249
Picking the Right Keywords for Your Landing Page ............................... 250
Step 1: Identifying a general short-tail keyword
(and then expanding it) ................................................................. 250
Step 2: Identifying associated keywords ......................................... 252
Step 3: Researching your related keywords ................................... 252
Step 4: Putting it all together ............................................................ 254
Step 5: Choosing your best keywords ............................................. 254
Placing Keywords in Your Landing Page .................................................. 255
Placing Keywords in Your Advertising ..................................................... 257
Reviewing Online Keyword Tools .............................................................. 260
Chapter 14: Understanding Search Engine Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . .263Understanding Search Engine Marketing ................................................. 264
Crawling, indexing, and sitemaps .................................................... 265
Deciding on your search engine focus ............................................ 267
Submitting an XML sitemap .............................................................. 268
Ranking and Search Engine Optimization ................................................ 274
Creating search-friendly landing pages........................................... 274
Using <TITLE> tags ............................................................................ 275
Using <DESCRIPTION> tags .............................................................. 277
Content, content, and a little more content ................................... 278
Monitoring your HTML fi le size........................................................ 281
SEO Checklist ............................................................................................... 282
xvii Table of Contents
Chapter 15: Driving Traffi c with Ads, Articles, and Other Tricks . . .285Driving Traffi c and Its Considerations ...................................................... 285
Driving traffi c comes at a cost ......................................................... 286
Driving traffi c precautions ................................................................ 287
Driving Traffi c When You Have Writers Twitter ...................................... 289
Finding gold in Q&A sites and forums ............................................. 289
Submitting articles ............................................................................. 291
Doing the blogging thing ................................................................... 293
Tweeting and Twittering ................................................................... 294
Social networking ............................................................................... 295
Driving Traffi c Traditionally ....................................................................... 296
Using banner ads ............................................................................... 297
Running classifi ed ads ....................................................................... 298
E-mail marketing ................................................................................ 299
PPC advertising and contextual ads ................................................ 301
Driving Traffi c in Ways You May Not Have Thought Of ......................... 302
Videos and rich media is everywhere ............................................. 302
Cross-linking ....................................................................................... 303
Affi liate networks ............................................................................... 305
Picking up where others left off ....................................................... 306
Chapter 16: Paying for Your Clicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309Introduction to the Inner Workings of PPC .............................................. 310
Changing forever how marketing is done ....................................... 310
Putting together the pieces .............................................................. 311
Spotting PPC ads online .................................................................... 312
Wrapping Your Mind around PPC Marketing Campaigns ...................... 316
Stepping through the process .......................................................... 316
Being Realistic about PPC Marketing ........................................................ 320
Seeing whether PPC really is an option for you ............................. 321
Examining the pros and cons to PPC .............................................. 322
Watching your costs — a cautionary tale....................................... 323
Using PPC for Testing Purposes ................................................................ 326
PPC testing strategies........................................................................ 326
The fi ve biggest mistakes with PPC testing .................................... 327
Where Can You Find Out More about PPC? ............................................. 328
Chapter 17: Running a Google PPC Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Starting with Google AdWords .................................................................. 329
Laying the groundwork ..................................................................... 330
Choosing between the Starter or Standard Edition....................... 331
The Standard Edition account structure ........................................ 333
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xviiiWorking within the AdWords interface .......................................... 335
Getting off the ground with campaigns ........................................... 336
Entering your fi rst ad ........................................................................ 339
Adding keywords ............................................................................... 342
Taking care of billing ......................................................................... 343
Managing your campaign with AdGroups ...................................... 345
Using Google Analytics...................................................................... 346
Using Google’s Free Advertiser Tools ....................................................... 348
Website Optimizer, a split-testing tool............................................ 349
Using the AdWords Keyword tool ................................................... 349
Using the Ad Preview tool (and checking
on your competition) ..................................................................... 350
Part VI: The Part of Tens ........................................... 351
Chapter 18: Ten-Point Landing Page Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353Are You Effectively Using Audio Greetings and Background Music? ... 354
The More Testimonials, the Better, Right? .............................................. 354
Have You Verifi ed That Your Trust Elements Are in Place? .................. 355
Are Your Headings Crafted Carefully? ...................................................... 355
Have You Removed or Explained Any Jargon? ........................................ 356
Do You Have Any Urgent Language on Your Page? ................................ 356
Is the Price Right? ........................................................................................ 356
Have You Conducted a Focus Group? ...................................................... 357
Does Your Landing Page Look Like a Home Page? .................................. 357
Is Critical Information above the Fold? ..................................................... 357
Chapter 19: Ten Surefi re Ways to Increase Conversion Rates . . . . .359Keywords, Keywords, and Keywords ....................................................... 359
Be Up Front ................................................................................................... 361
Use the Fold Wisely ..................................................................................... 362
Develop Persuasive Content for Body Text ............................................. 362
Focus Your Efforts on the Customer ......................................................... 363
User-Friendly Layout ................................................................................... 364
Spend Time on Your Headings .................................................................. 364
Entice and Focus .......................................................................................... 365
Be Visible ...................................................................................................... 365
Focus on Gaining Visitor Trust .................................................................. 365
Index ....................................................................... 367
Introduction
Sounds simple; come up with a product, create your landing page, relax,
and count the money. If only real life was that easy! Alas, with billions of
Web sites competing for attention, marketing online is not simple at all.
On the other hand, marketing online isn’t rocket science. This book charts a
practical course of action to put your landing page — that first page visitors
see when they click an online ad or search engine result link — to work for
you. Whether you’re just beginning to develop an online presence or you’ve
been online for years and are anxious to build traffic, this book helps you
drive prospects to your site and convert them into customers.
Landing Page Optimization For Dummies leverages and enhances your
knowledge of marketing to the point that you can establish and build a
successful, income-generating online business. Because we’ve written this
book specifically for those who want to enhance their landing page presence,
you’re going to find a boatload of strategies you need to get those all
important conversions.
No simple formula says that shoe companies should use this Web marketing
method and architects should use that one. We urge you to keep a picture
of your customers or clients in mind while you read this book. If you always
ask whether a particular method would appeal to your target audience, you’ll
make the right decisions. Answer your customers’ question, “What’s in it for
me?” and your Web marketing plan will work magic for you.
About This BookThis book is a reference guide to landing page optimization. We wrote it how
we write good Web copy: short sentences, short paragraphs, short chapters,
with lots of bullets and tables so you can find information quickly.
Please look at the pretty pictures. Not only do they save you thousands
worth of words to read, but they’re good examples of what you want to
accomplish.
Dip in to a chapter when you confront a particular problem with landing page
marketing to find the information you need right then and there. The rest can
wait.
2 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies
This book is intended for business people, not techies. Whenever we present
technical information, we do so in a friendly manner, making it easy to
understand and directly applicable.
Conventions Used in This BookDoing something the same way over and over again can be boring, but
consistency makes stuff easier to understand. In this book, those consistent
elements are conventions. Here are the main ones:
✓ When URLs (Web addresses) appear within a paragraph, caption, or
table, they look like this: www.dummies.com.
✓ New terms appear in italics the first time they’re used, courtesy of the
copy editor (see URLs in the preceding bullet if you don’t believe us).
✓ Anything you have to type is in bold, but frankly, you don’t have to type
much. Mostly, you just have to think.
Fortunately, landing page optimization is platform- and operating-system
independent. Whether you’re on a Mac with OS X or a PC running Windows
Vista doesn’t matter, but we do recommend a high-speed Internet connection.
You can no longer realistically monitor your landing page, upload content,
review statistics, or research your market at turtle speed (also known as
dialup).
What You Don’t Have to ReadYou don’t have to read anything that seems irrelevant to your business! You
can scoot past any content that isn’t applicable directly to your landing page
goals. Be careful not to skip too much, however, because you’ll find helpful
tips and tricks spread throughout the book. A few of these tips can have a
real impact on your overall conversion rate.
The book is designed as modular; that is, you can pick it up, flip to any
page, and start reading. However, you can also read this book from cover
to cover because we made it flow sequentially as well. As much as you may
be tempted to skip some of the more seemingly mundane elements, such as
creating a landing page business plan, all the content you find between this
book’s covers is in some way, part of your landing optimization strategy.
3 Introduction
Foolish AssumptionsIn our heads, we constructed a picture of you, the reader. We assume you
(or your designated staff member) already
✓ Have a computer with high-speed Internet access.
✓ Are (or soon will be) an owner or a department manager in a small-to-
mid-size business.
✓ Have (or plan to write) a business plan.
✓ Frequently use standard applications, such as Word and Excel, e-mail,
and browsers.
✓ Are comfortable searching the Web by using keywords and search
engines.
✓ Can write and do basic arithmetic, especially when dollar signs are
involved.
✓ Have a passion for your business and a commitment to providing
excellent customer service.
If our assumptions are incorrect, you’ll probably find this book either too
easy or too hard to read. On the other hand, if our description is accurate,
this book is just right for you.
How This Book Is OrganizedWe divided this book into parts that follow a systematic development
process, from business planning and market research, through the design
of a marketing-effective landing page, and to online promotion that pushes
qualified traffic.
For information on a specific topic, check the headings in the Table of
Contents or look at the index.
By design, this book enables you to get as much (or as little) information as
you need at any particular moment. If you’re starting from scratch, you might
want to start with Part I. If you already have a successful landing page and
want to increase traffic, start with Part II or Part III.
4 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies
Part I: Landing Page BasicsUnless you have endless wealth and infinite time, you need some idea of what
you’re trying to accomplish online before you start. This section introduces
landing page basics and stresses the importance of landing page planning as
it intersects with all aspects of your business, including the financial
outcomes. Stocked with useful planning forms and checklists, this part shows
how to plan for success from the beginning.
Part II: Building Landing PagesProfitable business Web sites don’t happen by accident. From a marketing
perspective, a successful site attracts visitors, keeps them on the site, and
brings them back for repeat visits. This section addresses building a marketing-
effective landing page and implementing marketing ideas right on your site.
This section includes information on writing for landing pages, using trust
elements on your site, working on landing page aesthetics, and working
within the fold — the area a visitor first sees on your landing page before he
scrolls.
Part III: Getting to Know Your CustomersWant to know one of the secrets for creating successful landing pages? Get to
know your customers well. The better you know exactly who your customers
are — their likes, dislikes, age, and so on — the more conversions you’ll
make. This section is all about getting to know your customers and meeting
their expectations, which is a critical part of your online success.
Part IV: Increasing Your SalesSelling well online doesn’t happen by accident. Rather, developing a strategic
approach to your sales provides the best results. This section looks at the
techniques for increasing your online sales, including fine-tuning your landing
page and closing online sales.
5 Introduction
Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your SiteLanding page success is closely linked with driving qualified traffic to your
site — traffic that is specifically looking for what you have to offer and is
ready to buy. A book about landing page optimization would be incomplete
without discussing the strategies used to drive traffic to your site. These
strategies include pay per click (PPC) campaigns, keywords, search engine
marketing, and more.
Part VI: The Part of TensLike all For Dummies books, this one has a Part of Tens. These chapters list a
ten-point inspection list for your landing page as well as ten surefire ways to
increase conversion rates. Turn to the Part of Tens for good ideas again and
again.
Icons Used in This BookTo make your experience easier, we use various icons in the margins to
indicate particular points of interest.
Whenever we provide a hint that makes an aspect of Web marketing easier,
we mark it with the Tip icon — just our way of sharing what we’ve figured out
the hard way — so that you don’t have to. Of course, if you prefer to get your
education through the school of hard knocks, be our guest.
Ouch! This icon is the equivalent of an exclamation point. Heed these
warnings to avoid potential pitfalls.
This icon is simply a friendly reminder. More details are in this book than any
normal person can remember. Use this icon to help you remember basic
principles of Web marketing. Look up all the rest when you need it!
Sometimes we feel obligated to give developers some technical information;
they don’t always know as much as they think they do. We mark that stuff
with this geeky guy so you know it’s information to share, not necessarily to
understand.
6 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies
Where to Go from HereYou’ll find helpful features on the companion Web site for this book at
www.justmakeiteasy.com.
From the site, you can download workshops, various articles on landing page
optimization, and other business-related content. Use the information on this
site to help develop your own landing page optimization marketing plans.
For convenience, you can use the live links to key resource sites to stay up-
to-date, subscribe to blogs or newsletters, or simply find out more than fits
between any two covers.
If you find errors in the book or have suggestions for future editions, please
e-mail Mike at mikej.harwood@gmail.com.
Part ILanding Page
Basics
In this part . . .
In this part, you get a full-scale introduction to landing
pages — what they are, what their function is, and
what types you can choose from. You discover not only
what a landing page is, but also what a landing page is not.
We also review online marketing and debunk some of the
more common online marketing myths. We also look at
the customer lifecycle management — specifically the
relationship among acquisition, conversion, and
retention.
Finally, we look at developing a business plan for your
landing page business. A comprehensive plan is a great
place to start when you create your online business.
Chapter 1
Introducing Landing Page Optimization
In This Chapter▶ Understanding what makes up a landing page
▶ Determining the focus of your landing page
▶ Understanding your audience
In the past few years, the popularity of online marketing has exploded.
Advertising opportunities from Google, Yahoo!, and social networking
sites (such as Facebook) have all brought with them new online marketing
avenues. For many individuals and companies, these online opportunities
are simply too good to pass up. Just imagine being able to take a product or
a service, mix in some creativity, add a little bit of hard work, and from that,
create an income-generating online business? This sounds too good to be
true — and it often is. The brutal fact is that few people can even augment
their salaries, much less earn a living from the results of their online
marketing efforts.
Face it: Moving from a concept to a successful online marketing campaign
can be a difficult, hard road to travel with many wrong turns, roadblocks, and
the occasional pothole. But knowing the lay of the land may help you avoid
some of the bigger potholes.
The one key feature of the online marketing landscape is the landing page —
that (hopefully welcoming) doorway to your online storefront, which you
present to your Web site visitors. You may not be too familiar with the
concept or aren’t quite sure what’s all wrapped up in the idea of a landing
page, but don’t let that bother you now. With this book in your hands, you’ll
be okay because it acts as your landing page GPS, steering you in the right
direction.
In this chapter, we introduce what landing pages are, what you use them for,
and who they’re designed for.
10 Part I: Landing Page Basics
Introducing the Landing PagePerhaps the most logical place to start a book on landing page optimization
is to come up with a clear, concise definition of landing page. We believe that
creating a successful landing page starts with a good understanding of its
intended purpose, so here’s our attempt at crystalline clarity:
A landing page is the Web page your visitors arrive at after they click an
online ad or an e-mail link, or follow a search engine result or any form of
offline advertising campaigns, such as radio ads. The landing page is an
extension of these ads and is designed specifically to generate interest
and persuade the visitor to take a desired action.
For a real-world landing page example, follow these steps:
1. Go to www.google.com to open a Google search box.
2. In the Google search box, type running shoes.
In the new Web page that appears, you see search results displayed on
the left side of the screen as well as a list of Google ads running down
the right, as shown in Figure 1-1.
3. Click any of these Google ads to view an honest-to-goodness, bona fide
landing page.
Figure 1-1: The Google
search results for
running shoes.
Search results Google Ads