How to Convert Advertising Prospects Into Sales in 6 Simple Steps The 1:1 Ratio- Your ecommerce landing pages should have one clear goal and no distractions. A 1:1 ratio means that for one goal there is only one action. Whether you want the prospect to add the item to their cart, sign up, buy now etc., all links, buttons and calls to action should reflect a (or ideally, THE) step towards accomplishing your one goal. This means that links to more information like portfolios or similar products are distractions and shouldn't be used. Even videos can be distracting at times unless assuaging buyer fears. Don't distract from your call to action and make sure it is emphasized on the page. Notice how this landing page from eMarketer only has one action (ie. one goal) that the user can take? Consistency is Key for ecommerce Landing Pages- All advertising and promotional materials used to draw customers in should reflect the theme (or look and feel) of your ecommerce website. Any failures in promoting a consistent theme or message can cause consumers to lose trust in your brand. Your landing page should use the same images and language that was used to direct them to the landing page in the first place. Place Your CTA Above the Fold- This is one of the most common mistakes we see people make with their landing pages. Above the fold can translate to roughly the top of the page, or the place 95% of website visitors will see first when visiting your page. Above the fold CTAs traditionally convert better, so you need to emphasize your CTA and place it near the top of the page. However, be careful not to place the CTA above your compelling copy. TEST TEST TEST Your Landing Page!- You should always be running at least one A/B test on your ecommerce landing page. If you're getting a TON of traffic you can test multiple things at once, but generally you want to stick with testing one thing at a time. The most important thing to test first is your CTA or copy. Start there and work your way through the other elements on your page in order of highest importance of likelihood of inducing a substantial change in conversions. Use Social Proof and Trust Icons- If I am a customer unfamiliar with your brand, there are two things which can ease doubts about your brand for me. The first are trust icons, or security icons and brand logos with which I am already familiar and therefore trust. By associating with well-known brands, some of that familiarity and trust rubs off on your brand. The second is social proof. I want to know whether or not my peers use/buy/trust your product. The best way to establish social proof are with visible reviews, testimonials and case studies. Look at all the familiar brands! Also, notice how the goal and CTA is still the same (albeit worded slightly differently). Use Large, High Resolution Photos- Large high resolution photos are especially important for ecommerce landing pages. Psychologically, an image of the product in which your prospect is interested (you know they're interested because they clicked on your ad/link!) causes small amounts of dopamine to be released in the brain, causing an excitement and heightened desire to buy! If you follow these simple principles you'll start seeing almost immediate increases in the conversion rate (and therefore sales) garnered from your ecommerce landing pages. If you want inspiration or great examples, check out this great webinar from Neil Patel over at KissMetrics: 31 Case Studies on Conversion Optimization. Have questions, comments? Want to share your ecommerce landing page experiences? Leave a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter!