3 Landing Page Examples Critiqued to Hell and Back

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How’s your landing page doing? What have you done in terms of landing page optimization to generate new leads? Have you dug into landing page template solutions?

How about we check out a few pages from around the web? In this article I’ll dissect four landing pages variable by variable, discussing where they’ve done it right and where there’s room for improvement.

It’s all well and good for me to tell you a picture is an essential part of your landing page, but until you see (pardon the pun) what I’m talking about it’s just that, talk.

So let’s do this thing.

1. Salesforce’s Landing Page


Salesforce (for those somehow unfamiliar) is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) business based out of San Fran.

Here’s their current Landing Page:

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What I Like About this Landing Page:

  • The imagery: The first thing that hits you when you traffic to SalesForce’s landing page is the visual representation of what they do. Though by no means unique, the visuals of ‘connect everything with our awesome apps’ is clear.
  • The image size: I like how prominent their visuals are. About 75% of their ‘above the fold’ landing page area is taken up by this image.
  • The prioritized pages: What I mean by this is simple: the three blue buttons on the right side (and also beneath the benefit list paragraph) will traffic to equally-optimized landing pages. The tabs in gray at the top are quite clearly subordinate (I know this because of their color, contrast, encapsulation, etc), and traffic on them will be substantially less. I like the emphasis being placed on the things most important to their leads.
  • The Value Proposition: Salesforce has gone with two value propositions over a USP for their header. I like the succinct and appealing “Connect everything” especially.
  • The benefit list: Though not in bullet-point form, the below-the-fold paragraph of USP’s and value propositions is still effective: ‘Build customer loyalty.’ (Boom). ‘Increase first call resolution and agent productivity.’ (Boom). ‘Improve customer satisfaction by 37%.’ (Boom).
  • The specificity: Perhaps my favorite part of this entire landing is the sentence ‘improve customer satisfaction by 37%.’ This kind of statistic is incredibly convincing, as it’s low enough, and specific enough, to be entirely believable. It also shows me that they’re professional enough to have done their research and (I trust) can back up this statistic with proof.

Where I Think they Could Optimize this Landing Page:

  • Contrast the imagery: I like the use of multiple images on landing pages (one primary above-the-fold and one secondary below it). However, to maximize the appeal of your images, I recommend you make them distinct from each other. These two images accomplish the same visual representation I mentioned above. How about keeping the same image at the top and changing the below-the-fold image to a satisfied customer instead?
  • Customer testimonials: Perhaps SalesForce is relying on their substantial reputation as the world’s CRM leader, but I’d still recommend they included a picture (and quote) from one of their prominent clients. This is a businesses that regularly works with Facebook, General Electric and Delta Airlines. I’d recommend testing a quote and image from one of these businesses with the brand name/logo prominently placed (any good landing page builder should make A/B testing your testimonial straightforward).

A/B Testing Postulation

I’d theorize that integrating a customer testimonial with an image into a revolving album below-the-fold (on the right) could increase conversion rates on this page by at least 10%.

2. InfusionSoft’s Landing Page


InfusionSoft is your standard lead-nurturing, CRM and email-marketing SaaS business. The page I’ve included below was the landing page which trafficked from their Google Ad.

Here’s their current landing page:

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What I Like About this Landing Page:

  • The dominance of the value proposition : The value proposition of this page is front, center, and focused. The vibrant color makes it stand out intensely and it catches the eye extremely well.
  • The value proposition itself: ‘Keep your Leads Hot’ is short, snappy and sexy. Coupled with the simple image of a flame it’s extremely effective.
  • The benefit list: This benefit list follows all conventional best practices: between 3 and 5 benefits, bullet-pointed (with simple images), bolded headers with single sentence descriptions below.
  • CTAs everywhere: From the value proposition header, the entry form and benefit list to the synopsis below that list, this page tells you how to act over and over again: ‘See how Infusionsoft can…” “Fill out the form to…” “See how easy it is to…” “Nurture your lead with…” “Save time with…” “Build awareness and interest in…’”

Where I Think they Could Optimize this Landing Page:

  • The image: You knew I was going to say this. Where is the visual appeal here?
  • Failed encapsulation : I’d like to congratulate InfusionSoft on their customer testimonial, except they’ve encapsulated it poorly and the quote looks like part of their entry form box. Contrast, people!
  • Color-scheme: The combination of green, blue, red, orange and white comes across as unprofessional. If you insist on using a white background for your landing page (I don’t recommend it) go with dark blues, blacks and dark greens.
  • Too many colors : To add to my previous point, I also think you should stick to a maximum of three colors in your landing page (one primary and two secondary, with the CTA not included). Any more than this and your page gets visually convoluted.
  • Too much text: One paragraph is fine (I guess…). Two is too many. No one wants to read your novel. Deliver the information you want to communicate in visuals, headings or bullet-points.

A/B Testing Postulation:

I’d theorize that a different color-scheme could increase this landing page’s conversion rates by up to 15%. It would make their business seem more professional and trustworthy.

3. Kissmetrics’ Landing Page


Customer analytics platform Kissmetrics is entrepreneur Neil Patel’s 2008 baby.

Here’s their current landing page:

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What I Like About this Landing Page:

  • The image: If you’re unsure exactly what image you should use for your landing page, fall back on something like this. A smiling, normal-looking person (photogenic, but not a model) is your best bet.
  • The simplicity: Yes, this is the entire landing page. Nothing but ‘above-the-fold’. It relies entirely on the USP, which is incredibly effective.
  • Knowing their market: Customer analytics are a field only interesting to people who know what Google Analytics is. Nobody starts with Kissmetrics and moves to Google Analytics. As such, the USP is incredibly effective.
  • Logging in with a Google account: I’ve mentioned before how an email address is worth so much more to your business than it is to its owner (and how a phone number is so much more of an ask). Well a social platform login is worth even less to its owner – this allows Kissmetrics to ask for less from a lead and get exactly the same details (if not more) than they would were they to ask for an email address
  • The popup*:* The bottom-right popup (which reads ‘what’s preventing you from wanting to start a free trial of Kissmetrics?’) does not appear for every person that traffics to this landing page. This mediates the drop in conversion rates that this popup likely causes. However, this popup also provides Kissmetrics with extremely valuable information, namely, what they can do to encourage a sign-up. Trading a little conversion rate (especially if you do this temporarily) can be worth getting more information. This is a similar trade I’ve talked about before, where more entry boxes give you better lead knowledge but can decrease conversion rates – something you have to balance.

Pro Tip: Use Wishpond’s Landing Page Builder for advanced intel on what your landing page visitors are thinking.

Check out my article ‘Value Proposition Formulas that Boost Conversion on Ads and Landing Pages’ where I take an in-depth look at how to use Kissmetric’s formula and 6 others.

Where I Think they Could Optimize this Page:

  • The Image: Okay, I really like this image, but I’d be curious to see how a landing page with a revolving album would do. How about three different USP/value proposition + image combinations revolving every 7.5 seconds? (Genuinely, I recommend you test the time lapse you use if you employ revolving images).
  • Learn More: The “Learn More” link in the bottom left of this landing page is too quiet. I’d recommend a subtle encapsulation and slightly larger font. I think this landing page is incredibly effective, but clearly the issue they’ll have is not offering enough information about what they do. A “Learn More” link is an awesome way of doing this, but it’s not obvious enough for everyone to see and I wonder if that doesn’t increase their bounce rate.
  • A Case Studies Tab : I don’t want to ruin the contemporary, minimalist appeal of this landing page, but I would be interested in testing a ‘case studies’ or ‘customer stories’ tab next to ‘Sign In’ on the top bar. Like the ‘Learn More’ link, this would make it a little easier for visitors to find the answers to their questions without cluttering the page with the customer testimonials, benefit list and trust symbols I usually recommend.

A/B Testing Postulation:

I’d theorize that making the ‘Learn More’ link on the bottom right just slightly more obvious would increase conversions from this page. Here’s why: If someone types in ‘customer analytics’ into Google search, they’ll click on Kissmetrics. I’d be concerned that, at the moment, they may bounce due to lack of ready information. A more visible ‘Learn More’ link could increase conversion by up to 5%.

Conclusion:


The variables I’ve discussed and critiqued in this article encompass most of the landing page optimization strategies I give our clients. Remember that every audience is different, and that (unless you’re using an optimized landing page template you’ll need to A/B test your own landing pages on a monthly basis.

Further Reading:

Have you recently updated your landing page with any of the variables I’ve discussed? Have you found success (or frustration perhaps) with an optimization hypothesis? Start the conversation below!

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