Anyone can create a landing page using an online landing page creator and get started with marketing their website in order to attract an audience. But what really sets apart the elite from those who are simply hobbyists is paying attention to landing page etiquette.
One of the most common features of the landing page is the landing page form, on which you are able to capture information, gather mailing list subscribers, and much more.
However, all too often, website owners are going in the wrong direction with these forms, leaving them in a worse position than they were, to begin with.
If we just talk about conversions, the average landing page conversion across industries is 9.7%.
What is this metric for your landing page? Are you looking to improve conversion?
Or maybe you are just getting started and would like to avoid costly mistakes?
In this article, we are going to look at some of the best landing page form practices that are sure to help you boost your landing page conversion to new heights.
1. Keep The Landing Page Form Short
One of the key aspects to consider when creating a landing form page is the length. Have you ever landed on a website and wanted to sign up only to be confronted with a ridiculously long form that needs your name, address, email, telephone number, and the date of birth of your Great Aunt’s cat?
We’ve all been there and this is an extremely confusing and irritating experience.
Therefore, it stands to reason that when creating a landing page form, you do not expect your audience to have to perform a mass of research just to fill in the form. This will instantly drive people away.
Instead, you should focus on creating a form that asks for only the information you require. This may simply be an email address and name or you may require slightly more – just don’t go over the top!
Once users have filled in a few boxes on a landing page form, they’ve started to get bored and this can result in a significant loss of leads.
But aside from your audience becoming bored, they may also feel as though their privacy is being invaded. So the first thing to be mindful of when looking at good practice is simply how much you are asking.
But what else is considered good practice when creating a landing page form?
2. Multi-Step Landing Page Form Can Reduce Boredom
Over the years, the internet has developed so much that we are now easily able to see trends emerging and one such trend is the use of multi-step form.
People who are presented with this type of form are more likely to follow the process through to the end.
If you only need to collect email addresses, you should still use a single-step form, Multi-step form is especially handy when we link this with the above point – for websites that need to take a lot of information, doing it this way could seem less of a threat to the user.
3. Hide The Form Behind A Call To Action Button
Nobody wants to be bombarded with a form popping up every five seconds when trying to view a website and whilst this may have been a technique that was used during the infant years of internet marketing, it certainly isn’t something that is going to benefit you now.
By hiding your form under a call to action (CTA) button, you are giving control back to your audience. They will not feel as though they are being pushed into filling in a form since they will have taken the decision to click that CTA button themselves and as a result, will be more likely to fill in the form and hit ‘submit.’
4. Make the Landing Page Form Aesthetically Appealing
If your users are presented with a landing page form that is crowded, too bold, or generally offensive to the eyes, they are likely to leave as quickly as they came. This can mean an incredible loss of leads all because your form wasn’t designed with design in mind. Make sense?
When creating your landing page forms, be sure to leave a healthy amount of ‘white space’, which will make the form easier to read. In addition to this, you should consider the overall design – colour, font, etc and be sure to create something that will draw people in.
Additionally, you may consider using visual aids to help guide your audience. It may seem obvious but that big red arrow pointing at the 50% off sign will make a difference. It’s all about catching the eye.
5. Make The CTA Attractive And Clickworthy
Now, we have already talked about hiding your form below a CTA button, but whether you decide to use a button or simply present your call to action at the top of the form, it pays to word it correctly.
You could simply use the line ‘Join today’ and whilst this would give your audience a clear idea of what they would achieve by filling in the form, it certainly won’t fill them with much excitement.
But if you word it “Give Me 20% Discount”, you would get visitors excited into clicking the CTA because they will see the benefit in doing so.
When it comes to the colour of CTA, specific colour doesn’t matter as much as how easily noticeable the CTA is. So, the best advice is to use a contrasting colour to the rest of the landing page.
Be sure to use a catchy CTA that will grab the attention of your audience and make them want to fill in your form.
6. Opt For Radio Buttons Over Text Boxes
Filling out an online form can be so much easier when the user doesn’t need a degree in typing. Opting for radio buttons, where possible will mean that your audience has to do less when completing the form and this can make people stick around up until hitting the ‘submit’ button.
It’s no secret that in the digital age, people want to do as little as possible for the biggest gain. Messing around with text boxes and drop-down menus can be time-consuming, not to mention boring so try using radio buttons and see the difference it can make.
In a world where more and more people are consuming content on mobile devices, this change will also give a major boost to the usability of your form. This is because mobile users will find it much easier to select a radio button than type text in your form.
7. Analyze and Improve
It can be all too easy to set up your landing page form and leave it to work its magic, but how are you ever supposed to know how it is performing if you do not regularly analyze the results?
Quite simply, running a website without analytics is a complete waste of time. Looking at how the form has performed will give you a clear indication of what is working and what is not, therefore, allowing you to make the necessary changes to ensure success.
Conclusion
Landing page forms can be a great way of gathering information from your audience but all too often website owners are not following the practices that are considered wise for a good landing page form.
If you want your form to be successful, it is imperative that you follow these tips and you will notice a positive impact.
