Don't Make These Landing Page Mistakes and What to do If You Have

Just about everyone knows the importance of having a website. And, the landing page is the first thing a visitor will see. So, it better be reader and search engine optimized.

As a website owner there are certain mistakes that you need to look out for. Here are 5 of them:

1. Overwhelming content

You don't want a website landing page that has too much content or information. Keep it simple and to the point. The visitor needs to very quickly ascertain what your site is about and the benefit it has for him.

In addition, search engines don't like long landing pages. 

2. Too many call-to-actions (CTAs)

A subscriber recently asked me to check his website. There were fairly large buttons all over the landing page, top to bottom. I didn't bother to check them to see if they were all CTAs, but even if they weren't, it was a turn-off. It was confusing.

Make everything  you do on your website short and sweet, especially your landing page. Give the visitor only ONE option (CTA) at a time. Too many choices creates visitor anxiety - this is always a no-no.

3. Your landing page heading doesn't reflect the website's theme/niche/industry

I'll use an old site of mine as an example of this error.

The URL is
The website name is Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained.

Okay, quickly, what do you think the site is about?

Investment? Real Estate? Health? Sports?

Get the idea. The title is non-specific. It's confusing.

The URL, website name, page titles, and so on, should all reflect the theme of the site.

Why does this matter?

It matters for at least two major reasons:

a. It makes the search engine's job much more difficult to define and categorize your website.
b. It's confusing for the visitor.

4. Jam-packed sidebar

This mistake goes along with #1. You don't want the visitor to be distracted or confused by too many sidebar tidbits or ads.

Again, keep it simple.

5. Website color design

The best color scheme for your website is a light background with dark text.  It's much easier to read, which makes it much more reader friendly. This tip is from Marketing Experiments.

This one always surprises me. I still see sites with dark backgrounds and light text.

Companies like Marketing Experiments base their information on tons of research. Why wouldn't everyone take advantage of their expertise.

Okay, there you have it, 5 landing page mistakes you absolutely need to avoid.

For a broader look at avoiding website errors, along with lots of statistics, check out 7 Landing Page Mistakes That Destroy Conversions over at Brandon Gaille.


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widdershins said...

If I come across a blog that has dark text, 9 times out of 10 I'll just keep moving right along. There are was too many blogs that I'd love to read but don't have time. Those that are visual nightmares get short shrift.

Karen Cioffi-Ventrice said...

Hi, Widder, I do the same. And, it just amazes me that with all the information stating otherwise, some people still go with dark backgrounds and light text. Thanks a bunch for stopping by!