How good are you at putting yourself in someone else’s shoes?
It should be easy to do in a situation that you are familiar with and that you experience yourself on a daily basis right?
However – When it comes to assessing and judging your own website, are you honest with yourself?
We find that business owners (me included) tend to have a blindspot due to their subjectivity and struggle to be able to think objectively from the perspective of their target customer even if we all visit many websites each week and go through this decision making process.
Think about the last time you looked for a new washing machine or a restaurant for a family birthday. As you browsed different websites, what helped you decide where to click and where to stay? Now, consider how your own customers are navigating your website in a similar way.
This post is an attempt to break down those steps and to suggest landing page elements that could and should be used to help users make qualified decisions.
1. Awareness & Initial Assessment
- Trigger: The user lands on the page, perhaps through a search, referral, or advertisement.
- Psychology: Curiosity & Skepticism – “Is this relevant to me? Can this solve my problems?”
- Landing Page Elements:
- Headline & Subheading: Clear and impactful, instantly communicating relevance to their role and challenges. Do not try to focus on appealing to the masses – focus tightly on your target customer.
- Visual Cues: Professional design and clear layout build initial trust and convey seriousness.
Once the user’s curiosity is piqued and initial trust is established, they’ll naturally want to dig deeper. This leads them to the next step…
2. Interest & Information Gathering
- Trigger: The initial assessment is positive; the user starts exploring further.
- Psychology: Information seeking & Validation – “What are the specific benefits? Is this credible?”
- Landing Page Elements:
- Bullet Points: Concisely highlight key features and benefits relevant to their needs.
- Testimonials or Case Studies: Social proof and success stories from similar customers or clients build credibility.
- FAQs: Address common concerns and objections upfront. What customer services questions/issues do you regularly get? Address them here.
3. Consideration & Evaluation
- Trigger: The user is interested and starts weighing the pros and cons, including comparing your product/service to alternatives.
- Psychology: Comparison & Risk Assessment – At this stage, users are weighing their options and assessing potential risks. They’ll be asking themselves: “How does this compare to alternatives? Why should I choose this one?”
- Landing Page Elements:
- Clear Value Proposition: Reinforce how your product/service addresses their pain points and offers unique advantages compared to competitors. Be honest – what is unique about your company?
- Comparison Chart or Table: Highlight key differentiators and strengths of your solution versus others.
- “Why Us” Section: Explicitly address why your solution is the best choice, emphasising unique features, superior support, or proven value/ROI.
- Data & Statistics: Showcase benefits/ROI and efficiency improvements achieved by other customers or clients, ideally outperforming industry benchmarks.
- Trust indicators: Address concerns about trust using reviews from past customers, highlight any superior certifications or features.
4. Desire & Decision Making
- Trigger: The user sees the potential value and starts envisioning the positive impact.
- Psychology: Desire & Urgency – “I want this! I need to act before it’s too late.”
- Landing Page Elements:
- Emotional Appeal: Highlight how your product/service will empower them/their team, drive innovation, and contribute to their professional success (B2B).
- Call to Action: Clear and compelling CTA button with action-oriented language.
- Limited-Time Offers or Scarcity: Create a sense of urgency to prompt immediate action. Ensure you do not come across as aggressive or desperate but rather just openly conferring there is scarcity.
5. Action & Conversion
- Trigger: The user is convinced and ready to take the next step.
- Psychology: Confidence & Ease – “This is the right decision. Let’s get started!”
- Landing Page Elements:
- Simple Conversion Process: Easy-to-fill form or a clear path to schedule a demo/consultation.
- Reassurance: “No obligation” or “Risk-free trial” statements can reduce hesitation.
Remember:
- Each stage is influenced by both rational and emotional factors.
- The landing page needs to provide the right information and triggers at each stage to guide the user towards conversion.
- A well-crafted landing page anticipates and addresses potential objections and hesitations throughout the user’s journey.
By crafting your landing page to address each step of your user’s decision-making process, you’ll not only build trust but also inspire action. Remember, understanding their mindset is key to turning visitors into customers. Now, it’s time to take a fresh look at your landing pages or website homepage, what changes can you make today to guide your audience more effectively?
