Problems with Landing Page Optimization?

Every time I read a "best practices" guide to optimizing landing pages, I cringe.  I know full well the limitations and the biases inherent in what the teacher is about to dispel to the pupil.  Even worse, I know full well the pupil is likely to accept the teachings as gospel, and run off to begin implementation.  Honestly, I don't blame them- implementation led by a methodology will inevitably outperform pure talent or intuition.  However, the assumption in that last statement is that the methodology is based upon a framework that has been well thought out and proven successful.  How many methodologies do you know that live up to that assumption?

Given this, you can imagine my thoughts when I saw "10 Landing Page Optimization Tactics" from Larry Chase arrive in my inbox.  In my experience Larry's stuff is fantastic, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt, even with my low expectations given the topic.  You know what I discovered?  His tactics were really just principles, and in them were some excellent words of wisdom, as always.   Experiment with registration forms, and test multiple landing pages (see a theme here?) were just two of his stratagems.  To his credit, he also added *sample* tactics (following through on his chosen title), but more as clarification and inspiration than as implementation orders.

It's not all a love fest here this morning however, Larry did present what I'd consider to be the cardinal sin of Landing Page Optimization- keep them in the funnel.  Don't offer escape routes, as he called it.  Hmm, escape routes.  I don't know about you, but I'm hard pressed to think of a positive mental image involving escape routes.  Burning building.  Bank Robbery.  Painful (and long) first date?  Why do we assume eliminating the "escape route" is sufficient for visitors continuing the process?  Doesn't the X button at the upper right corner of the browser offer the ultimate escape route? 

Larry's not the first person to suggest this of course, and he won't be the last.  It comes from thinking about where you drop the visitor who clicks through your email or PPC ad as a page, rather than an event within a scenario.  You want one principle to improve your landing pages?- Don't do that.  Don't assume you can stuff your visitors into a linear funnel, and because there's no way out, gravity will pull them through.  Stop waiting for your cat to bark.  The online world is one without gravity.  In the online world, visitors control their own momentum.

Comments

[Jordan]

That is EXACTLY what I thought when I read that same e-mail yesterday! I thought the defense against the justification that you want the landing page to maintain the same look as the rest of the site was weak, too.

I say keep the nav on your landing pages. Visitors might find something that interests them more and buy that. Consistency is better than confusing them if/when they find another page on your site.

Maybe remove the nav (or just change them sitewide!) if it consists of flashing buttons that scream "Don't read the page, just click here!"

If your copy isn't already compelling enough that visitors can't click around but must be forced through the funnel, or clear enough that they know what to do next, removing the nav won't fix the underlying problem.

The other techniques, as you say, were pretty good, though.

[Matthew Roche]

Keep nav? Lose nav?

Heck if I know.

I do think that regardless of where you are in the funnel, you should likely eliminate any links that aren't relevant. If navigation falls into that category, then be gone.

Offlinking on a cart or application can definitely be valuable, however, if it helps to resolve open questions in the conversion funnel. In that case, it is relevant, and I would agree 200% with Jordan.

[ChanCraigs]

craigslistchina.org,craigslist Arts Handicrafts Wholesaler - craigslist Furniture Wholesale from Craigslist Handicrafts Wholesaler.

[changGratis]

gratiscard.org,GratisCard is a new payment transaction system and credit operating platform that utilizes proprietary technology and the Internet to provide a superior method of payment to merchants, consumers and financial institutions.

[womensvideo]

http://womanpissingvideo.pornlivenews.com womans pissing videos

[anna]

http://freeamateursexvideo.smut.com/
free amateur sex video

[potter]

video free-http://amateurpornsexvideo.pornlivenews.com/articles/376945/free-amateur-sex-video

[dfbvbvvb]

http://forums.waterskimag.com/showthread.php?t=559349 pissing on the face

[fdgh]

http://blowupthemoon.com/community/showthread.php?t=12022 woman pissing movie

[laptop battery]

http://www.batterylaptoppower.com/hp/hstnn-fb21.htm hp hstnn-fb21 battery ,

[fgff]

http://blowjobvideosample.smut.com/

[fgff]

http://blowjobvideosample.smut.com/amateur-blowjob-video-with-teen-couple.htm Amateur blowjob video with teen couple

http://blowjobvideosample.smut.com/4.htm homemade blowjob video samle

[ased]

http://lesbiangroupsex.smut.com/ lesbian group sex

[yanhong]

Do You Want a hp hstnn-fb21 battery?You can still get a brand new hp hstnn-fb21 battery from our company.Just tell your friends to buy, Details of products are posted here:http://www.adapterlist.com/hp/hstnn-fb21.htm hp hstnn-fb21 battery.

[Craig Sullivan (twitter OptimiseOrDie)]

OK,

Lets be clear about the whole 'escape routes' thing - I think there is a distinction between DISTRACTIONS and useful things.

If I want to 'streamline' a funnel to remove unnecessary distractions this is fine. However, if I know that people often wander out (like drunken web analytics spiders) to other pages, then I shouldn't put blinkers on them.

Many pages that support the funnel process (e.g. delivery charges, privacy policy, t's and c's, product browse categories) have an influence and can be seen in the typical paths from your web analytics tool.

Most people look at the funnel like it is some sort of sheep-dip mechanism where you push people in and through the process. In reality, it is nothing like that. People take a break, look at other stuff, go back, go forward etc. If you remove stuff that is a popular 'escape route' and that is likely to influence conversion, you've just hammered your potential by removing these from the process.

You should understand your traffic first before you attempt to cut its legs off. Removing distractions that have no value to the conversion goal is *good* but removing useful and customer focused stuff is *bad*.

[Jorge]

I think the main issue is to provide quality content. Then there is no need to create any funnel system. People will love the value you give to them.
People are not rats, they think, search and compare... So the main issue is to give value.

[bukmacher]

I say keep the nav on your landing pages. Visitors might find something that interests them more and buy that. Consistency is better than confusing them if/when they find another page on your site.

[bukmacher]

You should understand your traffic first before you attempt to cut its legs off. Removing distractions that have no value to the conversion goal is *good* but removing useful and customer focused stuff is *bad*.