Landing page conversion rate: how to improve it

What is a conversion rate?

The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a web page or mobile app who complete a desired action, out of the total number of visitors. In e-commerce, a conversion is often a purchase, but it can also mean downloading an e-book, filling in a form, signing up to a newsletter, watching a video, or joining a social media community. The definition of a conversion depends on your sector and objectives. By tracking your conversion rate, you can turn prospects into customers – so it’s vital to have a strategy to optimise it (this is known as CRO – Conversion Rate Optimisation).

How do you measure the conversion rate of a landing page?

A landing page is where a user arrives after clicking a link – whether from an advert, Google search results, another website, or an email campaign. It’s important not to confuse the homepage with a landing page: a landing page is designed with a single goal in mind – to convert visitors by addressing a specific need. Landing pages can be permanent or temporary, depending on whether they’re part of a particular marketing campaign.

A straightforward calculation

If 1,000 people visit your landing page from various channels and 150 of them complete your desired action, your landing page conversion rate is 150/1,000 = 0.15, or 15%.

Different acquisition channels

To analyse a landing page’s conversion rate, you need to look at its acquisition channels. The two main types are organic traffic and paid (advertising) traffic. These are usually linked to the SEO conversion rate and the Adwords conversion rate respectively. Some businesses will also track channels specific to their activity, such as email marketing conversion rates. Organic search typically delivers a higher conversion rate than paid traffic, so it’s important to segment each channel to accurately measure the ROI of each.

Average landing page conversion rate

The average landing page conversion rate is around 13% for B2B and about 10% for B2C. These averages vary by sector and business model. Industry benchmarks can be useful, but even within the same market, a handful of companies will stand out. These are the ones to learn from if you want to outperform the sector median.

Why monitor landing page performance?

Monitoring your landing page performance is crucial. This is often done as part of A/B testing to optimise results. Keeping an eye on performance helps you spot any issues early. You can then dig deeper by looking at various indicators: behavioural metrics, user experience signals, SEO data, and more. Key KPIs for conversion rate include: time on page, bounce rate, referring page, acquisition channel, location, age group, and any other metric relevant to your marketing strategy. This monitoring is done using one or more web analytics tools, with Google Analytics being the most widely used. Google Analytics data helps you identify where to focus your optimisation efforts and then measure their impact.

How can you improve your landing page conversion rate?

To maximise your landing page’s conversion rate, there are some key principles to follow.

Focus your message

Every marketing campaign should be specific: one message, one offer. If your landing page is too broad, you risk losing your visitor – and a potential customer.

The power of the headline

The headline is the first thing visitors see when they land on your page. It needs to be clear and compelling, encouraging them to take action. In just a few words, visitors should know you have the answer to their problem.

High-quality content

Your content should add value and be focused on driving conversions. Avoid unnecessarily long text and make sure your content is well structured. Videos and images are a real asset. Don’t forget to optimise your text for SEO if you want your page to appear in search results and attract qualified traffic. For more advanced results, Incremys offers innovative solutions to enhance your content with personalised AI and automate the production of high-performing content, helping you to efficiently boost your landing page conversion rate.

Above the fold matters

“Above the fold” refers to what’s visible on the screen before the user scrolls. This varies by device, but always ensure the most important elements are in the upper part of the page.

Keep links to a minimum

It’s proven that the fewer links a page has, the higher its conversion rate. The aim is to avoid distractions and keep visitors focused on the action you want them to take.

Clear and visible CTAs

Make your call-to-action (CTA) stand out with clear, concise wording and a strong design. Use action verbs like “Download” or “Sign up”. Choose a colour that highlights your CTA while staying true to your brand’s visual identity.

Fast loading times

Your landing page should load in under three seconds. Any longer, and visitors are likely to lose patience and leave. Google also penalises pages with slow loading times.

A/B testing

Testing is essential to measure and improve your landing page’s effectiveness. By comparing different versions of your page – both in design and content – you can see which one performs best.

In summary

To get the best results from your landing pages, you need to understand which factors you can adjust to optimise your conversion rate. Sometimes, just a few simple tweaks are enough to improve your landing page conversion rate and help you reach your goals.

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