If you sell multiple products on your website remember that visitors of the different product types are in fact different, and what works on one page might not work on another to create a conversion.  Always A/B test first to find the layout that works, then begin multivariate testing to focus on the details. Once you discover which layout is the best match for you to display information that your visitors like, your next step should be to determine the best headers, images, and call out buttons on each page.  Clear marketing messages, little visual distractions, and an obvious call to action will increase your conversions.  Listed below is a breakout of tips to help you optimize your landing pages for higher conversions.

1) The structure of the page has an effect.

a.      The less distractions the better for pages conversion pages.

b.      If you remove a visible navigation or several quick links form the page, you will reduce the number of engagements you have on a page (less distractions) which could ultimately help increase your conversions.

2) Each page should have 1 goal with a centralized focus point.

a.      If you want to increase sales for socks, focus on the socks for your socks page, and leave the advertising of the other products to a minimum.

b.      If you want to sell socks have an obvious conversion point such as a call to action “buy socks” button in the content section of the page.

3) Each Page should have a specific marketing message for each product you sell.

a.      On every conversion triggering landing page you should have a message that not only tells why people need the product you sell, but also tells them why they should buy this product from you.  This will give them the boost they need to convert.

4) Images and buttons do play a role in the conversion process.

a.      Make sure to conduct multivariate testing for images used on your page to determine whether it’s better to have images with people or not.  Sometimes visitors want to be engaged by people they have something in common with, but other times it might not be best if your website visitors have a big range in age, sex, or nationality.

b.      Test your buttons to see if your buttons are too aggressive, or not aggressive enough.  A softer conversion call out such as “get started” might get more visitors into the checkout funnel than the “buy now” button you have been using.

5) Use social media to help increase your brand and product awareness.

a.      I recommend using the facebook ‘like’ button and the twitter ‘tweet’ button on your product pages to help your message spread virally.  These buttons are great because they automatically are kicked to their profiles/accounts without causing your visitors to leave the page.  The best places for these small links are in the actual content section of the page so that they can share, after they have reviewed the page.

Okay,  the Amish don’t know anything about pay-per-click advertising or PPC management and they probably couldn’t tell you where these heaters are actually made either (China).  But we can pick up some tips from last winter’s Amish fireplace ad campaign.

But first off, you can read at ConsumerAffairs.com about exploiting the Amish and a $300 fireplace that you could buy with  equivalent btu’s for $19.99 at Target.

Why is this ad effective?

Some ppc landing page tips from the Amish:

Long copy

Direct marketers have known about long copy for some time now. Its not there for the sake of filling space. Its used to crowd in as many sales arguments as possible.  Not everyone is going to read it, but those that do will probably convert.

from the book Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples:

Advocates of short copy say, “I don’t think anybody will read all that small print. Let’s cut the copy down to a couple of paragraphs and set it in 18-point type.”What the advocates of short copy should say, if they want to be accurate, is this: ” I don’t think everybody will read all that small print.” This is perfectly true. Everybody will not read it. But the fact is that the very people you are most interested in will read your ad. These are prospects who will buy your product or service if you tell them sufficient reasons for doing so.

Here is the solution to the problem of long copy versus short copy that should satisfy the champions of both sides of the question.  Put a brief selling message into your headline and subheadings. Put your detailed message into small print. In this way, you accomplish two things:

(1) You get  a brief message across to glancers with your headline and subheads.

(2) You give a complete message to the person who is sufficiently interested in your product to read about it.

John Caples wrote his Tested Advertising Methods in 1932. As you can see, the same technique is still used effectively in 2009.

Use headers to qualify your audience

Immediately, the problem of high heating bills is made apparent.  Hey, I have high heating bills too! Join the club. Read on reader and your problem will be solved.

Call to action keyphrases

Save! How to! These call to actions are boldfaced in the sub headings. You can read about the best call to action keywords in my previous post. Also, notice that the word FREE is used to grab attention in the ad.

Increase conversions with badges and seals

The Good House Keeping Seal of approval and the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) certification is featured predominently in the Amish fireplace ad.  Conversion testing has shown that using security badges and seals such as the BBB Better Business Bureau on your website are an easy way to increase conversions.

Did the methods above increase sales of Amish fireplaces?

“The demand for the product was much higher than the company anticipated. They really were not properly staffed to take all the orders,” said the BBB’s Joy Bender.

Take a few tips from the Amish and increase your conversions too.