Once you have engaged a user the only obstacle left if a definitive reason for them to buy from you. We have already talked about value propositions but another tool in our arsenal is testimonials, case studies and recent projects. Ensure the user is exposed to your latest works and the comments made by previous customers. By simply showing who you’ve worked with recently, you’re building a healthy trust and reputation with the user, breaking down any barriers they may have with trusting your brand.

These are just some of the many factors and elements to take into account when creating your landing page. Landing page conversion is all about how you approach your customers and solve their problem with your product. Understand their thought process and tailor your page using their feedback and experiences.

I will finish off with a list of some food for thought which you can apply to your landing page conversion optimisation efforts.

• Add a contrasting background to make your page stand out
• The headline doesn’t sell the value of the product, but the value of reading on
• Include attention-grabbing icons
• Make your first sentence bold to draw the eye in
• Include a video that doesn’t look like a sales pitch and it isn’t a sales pitch. Try an educational feature or a video testimonial from an existing client.
• If you include a person in your video, make sure they’re facing your reader/viewer. Face-to-face makes a more effective environment.
• Remember to include a summary of bullet points near the top of the page to increase their interest to the rest of your page.
• You never know when a reader may be convinced, so scatter call-to-actions throughout the text.
• Have you received some positive press? Then include is an extra form of social proof.
• Don’t just name big companies you’re worked with but include their logos. It’s an instantly recognisable reputation-builder.
• If you have a membership option, make sure you include at least 3 variations so it doesn’t become a case of ‘if I should buy’ but ‘which one should I buy.’
• Stop talking about the features and start talking about the real benefits your clients can look forward to.
• People love tools! With each tool you tell them about make sure you ask yourself, ‘so what?’ and translate what the tool will do for the reader.
• Qualify the value they’re getting by comparing it to something else and don’t just tell people about the value they’ll get but give in-depth examples.
• Extract the essential points from your testimonials and turn it into a ‘pull quote’ headline
• An effective offer must have a sense of urgency or otherwise people will never get around to doing it. Give them a reason to take action now.

 Sometimes in life you find yourself in a position where you have everything you need to make an idea work, but you just can’t seem to manifest the culmination of your strategy into something of substance which reciprocates the effort and value of the initial idea.

You're not the only one...

It’s no secret even the most intelligent of history’s geniuses have had great difficulty just bringing it together. And when looking at your landing page conversion we often find ourselves at a loss as how to create the pinnacle of our strategy on a blank page in cyberspace.

After some intensive research I discovered that since last year landing pages all over the world have lost approximately three truck loads of money because of over “perfected” landing pages.

See graph below;

It's not not a pretty sight, is it?

So what does a French pilot have to do with landing page conversion?

When creating our landing pages we fall into the trap of trying to create the “perfect” landing page and in doing this we are masterminding our own downfall before we even begin. 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery a French Pilot and Writer said “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

What Antoine understood is that perfection comes by simplicity

There are specific key elements which make up a high converting landing page and they are not the specific elements used to compile the page. They are the key elements which create a mindset that works methodically in synchrony with the criteria and assessment of on-page landing page elements.

What the hell does that mean?

It means we need to look at the page objectively with a plan in mind. Every element that is placed on the page needs to have a reason to be there. 

Below arer some of the requirements and elements you should be thinking about when you begin building your landing page. These are important factors to think about. When using this list always keep in mind that before you use it you have to apply it to your audience and see if it “fits”. Remember, you create your landing page to sell a product or service, your customer lands on your page looking for a solution to their problem. You have to make a connection in the most simple and easiest way possible.

The real secrets to landing page conversion

The number one secret to landing page conversion may seem obvious but many find themselves oblivious to it. The real secret and number one factor of landing page conversion optimisation is engagement. Engage the user and you will sell. You can engage the user in many ways, usually by paying attention to what the user is looking for, what they need, what they need to buy and then looking for an interesting point of difference to deliver it to them.

The conversion thought process (And the three most important questions of conversion) 

Landing page conversion begins with the user travelling through a thought process. The best way to define this thought process is in three questions that the user will internally want to digest and understand. By answering the questions you will help the thought process along and help engage the user. Those questions being;

Where am I?

The first instinctual thought a user asks is “where am I?” Ensure you make it clear what you offer and where the user lands. This is also the foundation for the user to build trust.

What can I do here?

The first instinctual thought a user asks is “where am I?” Ensure you make it clear what you offer and where the user lands. This is also the foundation for the user to build trust.

Why should I do it?

The mainstream of your page will consist of explaining to the user why they should choose you. When looking at this point, think about what you competitors have to offer and try to connect with the user’s needs by empathizing with their situation. Use language they understand.

The value of the value proposition

One of the most important elements of landing page conversion is your value proposition. This is the one product, service or piece of added value you can give the user with which your competitors can’t. The one undeniable piece of information which makes you the most valued provider in the user’s eyes. This is not “high quality” or “best service”, it is a proposition you have to offer which your competitors can’t. For example “We offer free delivery and £10 off your next order”, “Free trial for 30 days cancel whenever you want” or simply stating that you are the lowest priced provider in your market. 

Every element must have a reason for being there

When looking at an element ask yourself “Do we need it?”, “Is this useful to the user?” “Does this add value to the page?”. This is a simple yet extremely overlooked factor when looking at landing page optimisation. We often find when analysing and improving our clients landing pages that there will be elements of text or banner which pull the user's attention away from the content and provide no value to the user. Breaking the flow and fluency of the page.

You have 3 seconds, go!

Research shows the average user takes 3 seconds to decide whether to leave a page once they click a link, that’s including loading time. Considering pages usually take around 1-2 seconds to load, that leaves you with a second to grab their attention. Always use the bounce rate statistic to benchmark your site’s ability to retain users and split testing using this statistic is usually an effective tool when improving a landing pages’ performance.

Grab the user’s attention with an interesting headline

An interesting headline with a point of difference and a twist can be very effective at captivating a user and engaging them in the content. This does not mean create a headline which is misleading. It means adding a slight twist which captures their interest. See our conversion Facebook page for articles on how to write effective headlines.

Make the content column the focus of the page

Keep the focus of the page on your main column of content. One simple technique is to make the background of the other elements slightly darker and the content area you want people to read bright and simple to read.  

Analyse your user’s experience

Ask your users for feedback and ask them questions on every detail of their experience. It is also a good idea to split test different landing pages and compare the feedback. Ask them to fill out a survey about their experience and adjust your page accordingly through benchmarking and split testing.

Visual engagement using video and images

Video has been proven to be extremely effective at engaging a user and depending on the video, helps communicate on a level which the user can identify with. Images can play a large role in landing page conversion optimisation by grabbing the user’s attention and focusing the user’s attention. They also provide an excellent opportunity to communicate who you are and what you are all about in a very fast and efficient manner. User’s landing on your page will likely determine the purpose of your page through images and visual stimulation before reading and digesting your site for the same purpose.

Ph.Creative are experts in conversion and we work creatively with clients such as Balfour Beatty, Apple and Facebook. We are Web Designers, Web Developers, SEO Consultants, Search Marketers and CROers(Conversion Rate Optimisation) and everything web related.

Would you like to view our recent projects?

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Germ Warfare have been working extremely hard over the past few months. After their debut on Dragon's Den they've reinforced their already successful product range into THE number 1 must-have products for the prevention of Swine Flu. With a driving force of exposure as powerful as millionaire Dragon investors wanting a piece of Paul's company, it's no wonder he is receiving massive orders from banks, airports and other organisations for Germ Warfare Stock.

Paul, who trained for six years at night school to become a chemist after he left his career as an Army medic, said the special formula in Germ Warfare kills superbugs like C-diff, MRSA and salmonella, and recent tests revealed that products such as the firm’s liquid soap kill swine flu virus.

However, the extra business has come with it's consequences as employees are working 12 hour shifts to meet demand and the surge of enquiries has forced the company to take on extra staff. 

Paul said:

“So far we’ve sold 500,000 units across the product range and we’ve supplied some large banks and one worldwide bank.

“After this we’re looking to market sheets that contain bug-killing chemicals to hospitals.

“Those years at college definitely paid off.”

As well as a successful website, Germwarfare also run a successful Swine Flu Prevention Facebook Page whcih you can become a fan of here.

The recent actions of Darren Bent on Twitter has struck some real controversy in the footballing world. The internet is having a huge impact of the daily lives of everybody and this is just another reason why privacy and confidentiality has been such a big issue in recent years. Twitter and other online technology are making it more and more difficult to keep events and personal details under wraps. Even more spectacular we saw Tranmere Rovers were up in arms after a company that they had appointed to find them a buyer put the club up for sale on eBay.

We recently saw twitter up for a possible nomination for the Nobel peace prize concerning the riots after the election in Iran. Without twitter and other new strives in technology, there would have been a lot less coverage of the events and a lot more cover-ups.

We can certainly say that we’re entering a new era of freedom of information with constant battles over privacy. We can only expect more innovation so who knows what is around the next corner.

Don't miss the next episode.

Conversion is a fickle subject. You may not know this but, conversion rests upon opinion and shrewd judgement rather than figures. I'd like to share something I’ve learned about conversion which you may find interesting, it is a little tip bit I’ve used for some time now to increase website conversion. 

To increase conversion you take on the arduous task of testing and tweaking, a paradox which sometimes leads to dead ends. Testing and tweaking is a practical solution to increase conversion when you're already making sales. However, if you're not making sales then you need to take a step back, take an objective look at your content and ask yourself “am I connecting with the readers key needs?” and “am I capturing and engaging the reader?” or “am I sparking their interest?”

There is a common theory that on average a reader will view a product 7 times before making a purchase. It is no surprise then that long copy converts, but lots of content makes no improvement if it doesn’t engage the user in a way that captivates and stimulates their interest.

To stimulate the reader and increase conversion I use what I like to call the “lightbulb moment”.

The lightbulb moment happens when you spark the interest of your potential customers by telling them something about the product/topic that they didn't know. To achieve the lightbulb moment we need to take an objective look at the product we’re selling and compare it to the market we’re selling to and more importantly, what will stimulate the customers interest and spark the lightbulb moment.

The way I like to do this is to create a list under the concept of “you may not know…”

So to do this, visualise the product, think about the market and write down some bullet points.

you may not know: “you can actually…….”

you may not know: “it’s actually really simple and easy to…”

you may not know: “that other products don't xxxxx because….”

The whole idea is that debunking the readers micsconceptions with your positive facts about the product/topic stimulates them to understand that you and this product know better, that you understand it more and that you know how to make their life easier. This happens subconsciously and leaves the reader gagging for more information.

Capturing the readers attention like this leaves them with a desire for more information, you’ve effectively hooked the reader into a position were they want to be persuaded, so now it’s time to engage them again and again by bombarding them with more facts and give them a proposition or an offer they can’t refuse.

By creating and following a structure around conversion for each webpage of a site you can more effectively split test conversion because you will understand that each paragraph in the content has a purpose which is aimed increasing and developing conversion.

Do you understand conversion?

Head over to http://www.ph-creative.com and drop us line so we can give you the wealth of insider experience we have been using to increase clients conversion for years.

PS* We just updated the PH University! http://www.ph-creative.com/login.phuse 

To promote a website you need backlinks. Google and other search engines use backlinks as in indication of trust, when a backlink is found it counts the backlink as a kind of "vote" for the website. The more backlinks you have the better chance you have at reaching page 1 on Google for your chosen keywords.

Here are three tried and tested methods you can personally use to gain some backlinks for your website.

Article Marketing

Article marketing is in my experience one of the most popular and effective method of building backlinks without a budget to spend. There are many advantages to article marketing.

Advantages fo article marketing;

• Very relevant backlinks
• You can create the content yourself
• Content resides on a trusted domain
• Article directories allow other webmasters to reprint your article with the resource box intact which means more backlinks for you.

Google loves article directories, especially reputable directories like Ezine articles where each article is reviewed to make sure it enhances the users experience.

Google will reward you for submitting articles to article directories.

Articles should be compelling and always lead the reader to your call to action with a link to your website. Provide them with something they need, answer their questions. For lead generation a good article should always leave the reader wanting more.

Blog commenting

Blog commenting is a strategy where you search for blogs related to your niche and leave a respectful and relevant comment with a link to your website. A lot of blogs will allow you to leave these comments but most blogs attach a "nofollow" attribute to any URL in comments. The nofollow tag stops any PageRank or “votes” flowing to the target website so placing a link there provides no SEO value, however, a good well placed link can provide traffic and a way for Google to find your website.

Blog commenting is a good strategy but too much spam can have an adverse effect on your website, be careful.

Email Other Webmasters

Gather URLs to relevant and well trusted websites so you can write emails to them explaining the benefits of linking to your site and vise versa.

Just a basic email telling them how great their website is and how he/she can increase the page rank of their website if you link together.

Reciprocal linking is not as powerful as one way linking but these types of links are very relevant to your site if done properly and I believe are one of the best techniques for promotion and gaining the link juice you need to bolster your search engine rankings.

Downtown Liverpool In Business has been helping businesses network and connect since 2004. Over 1,000 companies have attended during this time.

Celebrating the best performing businesses from across the Liverpool City Region, this years Liverpool Business Awards sees Ph.Creative walk into the limelight for a nomination as Liverpool’s leading Marketing and Media agency. This prestigious nomination sees us up against Entwistle, Kenyon Fraser and Red Hot Media.

To submit your nominations simply cast your vote here.

http://www.downtownliverpool.com/events/2009/8/vote/

Two weeks ago I blogged about some of the really cool features and fun things to do with Google Street View. As well as an interview with CBC Radio Canada (Stay tuned for this) and great feedback from our subscribers it also sparked a lot of interest around the office to discover what else we can find that can really make a positive impact and bring a little order to the whirlwind that definitely is everyday life. 

Enter the Blackberry; we've had a bit of a blackberry craze amongst ourselves and our clients recently. Not quite "new", blackberry is still finding it's way into the everyday lives of ordinary folk. However, the Blackberry is fast becoming an essential tool for a wide variety of business needs, from keeping in touch with clients on-the-go without having to lumber a laptop around just to check email, to carrying a virtual arsenal of client support busting applications. Which leads me to introduce you to "Google Maps Voice Search", you'll love this, this one is a killer

But first, I want to show you just how far this technology has come. Google Voice is the brainstorm of Google's Laboratory which reigned in the form of a telephone number that can be dialled and used to make a Google Search using voice recognition technology. The voice recognition system progressed into GOOG-411, a free service which combined the updated voice recognition system with businesses e.g. "Wall-mart Florida". Not quite 118 118, but pioneering a technology through science fiction into the realms of reality is no small feat, think of Star Trek "communicators", beam me up Scotty! sorry.

So put down your A-Z and wind up your car window, there's no need to clear your throat and look for the elusive stranger who will direct you the wrong way, Google Maps Voice Search is here. Google Maps Voice Search, smaller than an A-Z, faster than an A-Z, easier than... you get the picture.

So What is Google Maps Voice Search?

Google Maps Voice Search combines the usefulness of Google Maps with the highly refined voice recognition software developed through Google labs and then applied it to the ever accessible and convenient technology of the Blackberry. Google Maps has certainly come a long way, providing the new mobile platform for such software, Blackberry.

It's been claimed it's now possible to never be lost if you have a blackberry. At Ph.Creative, we don't like claims, so we put this to the test and drove our very own Steve(AKA "Disco Steve") to the far reaches of nowhere(blindfolded, of course), handed him a blackberry tooled up with the latest Google Voice Search and....   well we still haven't heard from him. Jokes aside the Blackberry Google Voice Search came across formidably. Firing up the GPS system for the first time Steve was able to pinpoint his location after waiting a minute or two while the software searched for satellites. Navigating Google Maps on the Blackberry is a breeze using the stylus and Steve easily found his way into Google Maps Voice Search. In fact it was so simple to use we had to make it harder so we set Steve a few challenges which he had to complete without working up too much of a tab and in a timely manner. 

The instructions:

1. Buy from a Health shop
2. Get a quote from the nearest GYM
3. Fine dine at Italian restaurant 
4. Navigate to base using trains and busses
   
5. All this while using Twitter to keep us updated on-the-go

Steve managed to complete all his tasks paying extreme attention to number 3 and never broke a sweat. Steve was able to use several key features of Google Maps Voice Search to complete his tasks.

Steve Began his journey by using the Blackberry GPS to find his location on Google Maps, he then used Google Maps Voice Search by asking his Blackberry to find him "health food" in "Halewood Liverpool", he then proceeded through the list while keeping us updated on twitter. The voice recognition software worked a treat but Steve had to try and find an enclosed space because with wind and external noises his voice wasn't recognised as easily. Google Maps Voice Search also incorporates Google Street View into the fold which made it even easier to visually recognise the surroundings and find the property he was searching for.

Can you image how far technology has come when you can stand in the middle of a field, begin talking to a handheld device and look at panoramic views of locations which are specific to your needs? or you can just sit at home and order a pizza. To be honest, either is just as important because what this technology really does is push the boundaries of what makes our lives easier. Today, Blackberry is top of the list, tomorrow, hover boards.

Therefore we can conclude that Google Maps Voice Search on the Blackberry = Awesome.

Download the Google App by visting http://m.google.com on your Blackberry

1.    Content

Content must be fresh, unique and enhance the users experience. Make sure your content provides value to your readers. Help them(and your website) by providing clear, well thought out content. There really is no substitute for good content. Content is central to your website so make content your top priority.

2.    Freshness

Google and other search engines love websites that are regularly updated with new content. This shows them your website is a live and it’s moving with new articles and topics. A new page or new post to an old website can really help revive it.

3.    No Blackhat Tricks

Search engines are well aware black hat trickery to gain better search engine rankings. Search engines use intelligent algorithms to scan your whole website for such tricks and if they find them you can guarantee your website will be penalised, sometimes to the point where it no longer appears in the search engines at all! It’s so much easier to follow the rules and provide a website that enhances the users experience than it does to live by the sword.

4.    Linking

Backlinks are the quality lifeline of the internet where search engine rankings are concerned. My advice is to steer clear of link exchanges or link farms. By gaining good trusted backlinks from websites in your relevant web-neighbourhood the search engines will reward you with equally good rankings.   Some rules to follow are;
Diversity – Diversify your links anchor text so it doesn’t look like you’re spamming the net trying to rank for a keyword.
Relevancy – Make sure all pages you try to get a link on are relevant to your own website, search engines check this all the time.
Natural – Your linking must look natural, if you gain 30+ links everyday you’re going to get your website penalised and even de-indexed. I try to aim for 15 good quality links a week.
Outbound – Outbound links are also really important. Link should only link to trusted sites that are relevant to your website.

5.    Structure

Internal linking and the structure of your website is very important to both search engines and the visitors to your website. Visitors have to be able to understand the page, engaging the reader into the content will help conversion rates and also help the visitor too since it’s what he/she is presumably looking for. Search engines scan your website and need to be able to follow your links through to all of your content. If it can’t do this then your website may be penalised.

6.    Accessibility

Accessibility runs hand in hand with internal linking but is more involved with the users experience. Try to create good ALT tags for images and think about what languages visitors to the website will speak. There are many tools for converting content. Also look on every page and try to think of questions visitors will ask as they navigate around the website. Follow routes around the website and you’ll get the feel for the best way to implement on site navigation.

7.    URLS

Good URLS tend to be easily read, no longer than 5 words and have some relation to the keywords your website is targeting. Using hyphens to separate words in a URL is an ongoing debate between web designers and SEO(Search Engine Optimization) specialists. Whatever route you take, try to make sure your URLS describe the website and the page you’re on and are easily remembered.

8.    Style

The style of a website is also an important factor when it comes to engaging the reader and keeping them interested. However, while we want to stir interest within the reader we don’t want a website to look to busy otherwise it takes visitors attention away from the content, which is something we really do not want to do. A really interesting website can sell a product,

9.    Quality Code

Good code is important especially when it comes to troubleshooting. Good code is clean code which means faster loading pages for users. It can takes years of experience to write good clean code, there are a number of ways to go about writing a piece of code so try to learn from websites such as W3 Schools.

10.    Images

Take care when placing images on your website, even a 5 star hotel can look amateurish with bad images. Images can really sell a product if used correctly. Good images can influence a visitor’s perception of your products and website. Use them effectively.

You might already know this, but I think it’s important to reiterate how important it is to keep track of your online visitors. In offline business, gauging interest from clients and customers is as important as making the sales and it’s the same online. Business interest needs to be recorded to track trends in sales and predict future performance. You must treat your online business the same as your offline business!

So what can we do with Google Analytics?

With Google analytics you will have the ability to track every visitor on your site over a period of time. You can have these reports emailed to you and saved online for you to view wherever and whenever you need. Daily reports by email are a favourite amongst our clients.

Google analytics uses graphs and charts (which you can customize) to show you the data. As you can see, the subject website has had a consistent flow of visitors. With the help of Google Analytics, new pages and changes to the website would show a change in this graph over time. Google Analytics makes the improvement and promoting processes of using a website for online business a much smoother experience. 

It’s not just the number of visitors we can track, Google Analytics also allows us to track;

• Traffic Sources
• Top Landing Pages
• Top pages browsed by visitors
• Traffic Geography
• Visitors connection speeds
• Visitors Internet Browser
• Bounce Rates

In addition to many other tracking features Google Analytics also allows us to setup goals and filters which can help refine the data so you can see specifically the best performing pages. If you have targeted a specific product on your website, it helps to use the goals feature to understand which parts of your website are funnelling visitors to your goal and optimize accordingly.

Google Analytics should be a key weapon in your arsenal to tackle online business effectively.

If you don’t have Google Analytics you can sign up for a Webmaster Account here. Checkout some other Google tools like Google Street View.