What is "The Funnel?"
A successful landing page funnel will have a simple, easy navigation path that drives visitors towards your objectives. Like an actual funnel, you want to lead your visitor through the landing pages to complete the ultimate goal.
What Does an Effective Funnel Look Like? Let’s take a look at the Netflix example below.
- The call to action is clear. You're interested in movies? Netflix has movies for you.
- There is a clear, easy way to get started. You only have one option – "Let's do this."
- Easy sign up. The form is short and sweet. Netflix leaves you with little reason not to fill out their form to get a free trial.
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How Do I Create an Effective Funnel
- Keep it simple. It’s important that your navigation and overall layout be simple. The last thing you want is to have a visitor hit your landing page and be confused to what they are supposed to do next – make it clear and concise. If your page contains a form for users to fill out, make sure that your form is short, ideally less than 5 questions. Only ask for the minimum of information that you need.
- Eliminate distractions! Distractions will sway users from your desired path. Distractions you can eliminate from any of your landing pages can include: Excessive links (even internal links!), long videos or excessive graphics, blocks of text and any Flash content.
- Know your customer. The Netflix example works best when you already know your visitor is interested in renting movies, whether that comes from targeted e-mail campaigns, PPC keywords, remarketing, etc. Custom landing pages based on referral source is an important start. The more you know about who will be visiting your landing page increases the odds that your funnel will work.
- Content is still important! Simple, effective content that highlights the benefits to your visitor will be a big part of your “funnel”. Keep your copy short and to the point so it’s easy to quickly read and digest. Images are convincing too so choose carefully. Consider your landing pages as an online version of your “elevator pitch” to get visitors to convert.
- Test, test, test! Try different layouts and theories listed above. Change your content and try new visuals. Look at your own landing pages and ask yourself – “Would I fill out my form?” If you aren’t sure, you can definitely be sure that your visitors won’t.
Want to learn how to boost conversions with better landing pages? Join us September 21 at the Digital Marketing Strategy Summit—our 100% sponsor-free online event. Sally Lowery, Director of Marketing at ion interactive, will share "How to Create the Perfect Landing Page" during Analytics and Conversion Day. See Full Agenda.