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Review: The new, 2008 Landing Page Handbook – How to increase conversion rates.
Landing page design and copywriting has a dramatic impact on conversions and revenues...
It has been over three years since MarketingSherpa published their first edition of the Landing Page Handbook.
That first edition had a profound impact on our industry. It was the first study that looked in real detail at the elements on a landing page that most impacted conversions and revenues.
It made web designers, copywriters and online marketers take a much more professional and scientific approach when creating new landing pages.
And, probably unintentionally, it spawned the creation of literally hundreds of new companies...consultancies, testing services, optimization services and more...all of them focused on helping companies create landing pages that delivered better, more profitable results.
Three years later, a great deal has changed. And the second edition of this handbook not only brings you the latest updates on best practices in landing page writing and design, but also has a look at the impact of new media and online trends...including the growth and influence of blogs, podcasts and video.
Here is just some of what you will learn from the new Landing Page Handbook...
- The latest best practices in landing page design
- The latest best practices in landing page copywriting
- Quick tweaks that will lift conversion rates immediately
- The top landing page blunders to avoid
- What to test first to get the most significant lift in conversions
- How to increase the performance of your lead generation pages (and, of course, your sales pages and subscription pages)
And so on.
A few optimization nuggets...
Did you know that increasing the size of your call to action button can increase conversions?
Did you know that one useful conversion tactic is to invite some kind of participation on the page? (As in, "Answer these five questions and we'll tell you what kind of career will suit you best.")
Did you know that consumers who come to buy something on your site delay their actual purchase by an average of 34 hours and 19 minutes? That little gems sounds weird to me, but is important to know for anyone who measures conversion rates based on a 24-hour timeframe.
And did you know that using those annoying, speaking avatars on your landing page can increase conversion rates by 30%? (I'm guessing this will really depend on the kind of site you have. The 30% increase was achieved by a site selling flowers.)
These are the kinds of facts you will find in this handbook, drawn from numerous tests and case studies.
A 270-page report, jam packed full of examples, charts and data in every form.
As always with MarketingSherpa, this handbook is not based simply on opinion or intuition, but on hard facts and figures, collected from thousands of companies out there in the trenches.
MarketingSherpa surveyed over 3,000 marketers during the course of writing this guide. They also studies almost 900 search and email landing pages.
In other words, the new Landing Page Handbook gives you the aggregate knowledge of thousands of marketers and all the tests they have conducted over the last few years.
I find it hard to imagine any other source where you'll find so much useful, actionable information based on such a broad range of real-world experience.
Should you get a copy?
Absolutely. Even if it is a little more expensive than the first edition.
If nothing else, you can browse through the 114 landing page examples, see what other companies have tested, study the changes they have made to increase their conversion rates, and then apply the same lessons to your own pages.
(In other words, copy the smartest changes other people have already made.)