Want a high landing page conversion? Go naked.
We went naked at AmeriFirst Home Mortgage and have a landing page conversion rate that hovers – thanks in some part to those naked landing pages – between 30 percent and 40 percent.
You can find many ways to boost engagement on landing pages. One way we make sure those who land there stay there and take the next step is to keep their options limited. That’s what “go naked” really means. We decided a long time ago to strip our landing pages of navigation so visitors could focus on what’s most important on the page: the offer and the form.
The example below from AmeriFirst Home Mortgage compares the home page to a landing page. The navigation bar at the top (and at the bottom, though not pictured here) are absent, but the global header remains intact to retain consumer trust. Major design changes – especially in the financial sector – are likely to cause users to abandon the site. But, by keeping our pages navigation-free, viewers have limited distractions. They see the offer, read the information and fill out the form.
The graph below shows 3 of our most popular offers by submission rate. Each of these landing pages follows the same basic design – naked. While many other factors go into landing page success – load time, color, readability – naked design without navigation certainly ensures a focused viewer who sees what you want them to see and who is more likely to read the message and move on to the next step.
According to research by a HubSpot resource, removing navigation can increase conversion from 10 to 50 percent. That’s a pretty easy way to improve efficiency. Instinctively, it makes sense: The fewer choices a reader has, the more likely they are to follow the path laid out before them.
Viewers will bounce from a landing page in as few as eight seconds if they don’t see what they’re looking for. Don’t you want them to see exactly what your call to action promised? Removing navigation is one step in this process.
Don’t just take my word for it. Always test. Start with a naked landing page, measure conversions and try adding some navigation back in. If your conversion rates drop, change your strategy.
Marketers are no longer tied to feelings and hunches. We can slice and dice data like a surgeon, and hone our skills through science: hypothesize, strategize, analyze and improve.
