Top 7 Landing Page Principles

Web design is constantly discussed and deliberated over, but more important than design is the organisational layout of the page when it comes to creating a high converting landing page. A good landing page must be well organised and the elements must work together as one. All of the elements on a page must be built around the required visitor’s task and conversion action.

1. Visual Prominence

This may seem obvious but so many sites do this wrong, so it is worth a reminder.

“ Give the proper visual prominence to key and important elements “

Be careful not to take this to the extreme, bigger is not always best. Your most important message should be the most visually prominent, but graphical elements that are too large and obvious can be disregarded by visitors, especially when surrounded by too much white space. This is known as “Banner Blindness”. So remember that too much visual distinction can cause the item to be perceived as an ad and ignored.

Remember: Emphasize Importance But Beware of Banner Blindness

2. Graphic Style

Do not mix different styles, such as combining photos and clip-art. Use quality produced graphics and images. Ensure all image file sizes are small enough to load quickly. The only exception is the product “click to enlarge” link, which should be as large as possible whilst still fitting a standard monitor.

Remember: Use A Consistent Graphic Style

3. Stop Signs

Be wary of introducing any kind of horizontal rules or separators into your design. Rules or even abrupt changes in the background colour, serve to stop the eye from going further. In effect it states this is “the end” and discourages the visitor from exploring further. This is also true of too much white space because it reduces scan-ability.

Remember: Avoid Stop Signs

4. The Fold

Do not make visitors scroll to find critical information, for example important navigation links and transactional buttons. If they are appropriate to be at the bottom of the page, then include another copy above the fold.

Remember: Keep Critical Elements Above The Fold

5. Animation

Animation is generally annoying and where possible it should be avoided. However if animation is needed to illustrate a point, then the visitor should always be given the option of watching it, it should not auto play. With Flash technology it should only be used if it improves the visitor experience.

Remember: Avoid Animation

6. Colour

In life colours can significantly alter moods and attitudes; this is just as true on the web; so use colour in moderation and conservatively. This is for both the individual colours and the colours of the landing pages theme.

Ensure that the colours are unified, professional, and appropriate for the target audiences. Try not to use inverse colour schemes with dark backgrounds and light text colours. Use common colour conventions. Use white or very light colours for background areas and avoid wild background patterns as it makes is hard to read. Use coloured text sparingly, and ensure that hyperlink colours are not used for non-linking text.

Remember: Connect With Colour

7. Images Support Action

Images have a double edged sword on a landing page. They should be to support the key message and desired actions, but they can be a major distraction to the visitor fulfilling the action required.

The best images will be positive by:

• Relating to the content of the page
• Showing product views or details
• Showing friendly, real people (not models)
• Having clear composition and tight cropping

In contrast these characteristics will negatively ensure that your images will be ignored or a distraction, if they are:

• Fake, staged, contrived, or slick images
• Stock photos or graphics that are unrelated to the content on the page
• Bright, flashy images that look like advertisements

Note: Visitors will look at images of other people, as they can not help it. This can be an advantage by displaying important text or calls to action immediately below the image, giving the message more exposure. Also by showing only the top of a picture above the fold you can encourage visitors to scroll further down the page.

Remember: Utilise Images That Support the Visitor’s Action

Landing Page Optimisation has evolved from A/B Testing to Multivariant Testing to Profiled Landing Pages. So please feel free to contact us at Network Intellect if you would like to discuss how Landing Pages can help increase your conversion rates and ROI