Depending
on the study you’d like to cite, roughly 20% of businesses have mobile
websites. That’s not a lot when you consider that mobile search will
surpass desktop search sometime in the next 18 months or so.
Why are companies so slow to get a mobile website?
Well, there are probably a few reasons, but anecdotally, we are
hearing from our clients that confusion is chief among them. Most
companies don’t know what they would do with a mobile website or even
how to go about getting one.
That’s why mobile landing pages are becoming more popular. Having one
or several mobile landing pages is a simpler solution for many
companies than a full-fledged mobile website. Mobile landing pages are
cheaper than mobile websites. And, it is very likely, that companies
opting for a mobile landing page will eventually upgrade to a
full-fledged mobile site.
What’s Different about Mobile Landing Pages?
Marketers have spent the last decade figuring out ‘regular’ landing
pages. Most marketers can tell you average conversion rates for their
landing pages, right off the top of their head. The rule is simple:
gather as much information as possible without increasing friction to an
untenable level. If you follow that rule, keep your CTA clear and make
sure your landing page makes sense, you should be able to convert at a
reasonable level.
We had it all figured out. And then mobile showed up and made everything messy.
The same rules simply don’t apply for mobile landing pages. Here are
some basic mobile landing page rules to help you get started or
optimize.
1) Understand Mobile Search
The
people that visit your mobile landing pages are fundamentally different
than the people who visit your regular landing pages. Mobile searchers
take action within one day of their search 90% of the time. And a
stunning 70% of mobile searchers take action within an hour of their search.
More than half of all mobile searchers end up making a phone call to a business. Wow!
In short: the people visiting your mobile landing page are ready to
buy. They have already researched. They don’t need a White Paper or
information about a product. They are ready to act! Mobile searchers are
fundamentally different animals than regular searchers.
2) Simple, Simple, Simple
If
having a super-clear CTA is critical on a normal landing page, than
having a super-clear CTA is an absolutely necessity on a mobile landing
page. Why? Well, for several reasons.
First, mobile searchers are ready to buy more often and more
immediately. So, give them what they want. Let them purchase a product
or make a phone call fast.
Second, the real estate is smaller. You don’t have space for a bunch of random text and buttons. Instead, focus on your CTA.
Third, mobile searchers are on-the-go. They don’t have time to be
confused by your landing page. Give them what they want, quickly.
3) Click-to-Call is Your Friend
As
we noted above, calling a business is a very common and ever-increasing
result of mobile search. You should have a click-to-call (CTC) phone
number on your mobile landing page. Companies like Sparkpage and Atmio
allow you to insert a mobile click-to-call phone number as you create
your page. A tap-able phone number is a simple, clear call to action and
one that is very natural for the mobile searcher.
Include a click-to-call number on your mobile landing pages. This is absolutely critical.
4) Maps Are Your Friend
Mobile searchers love to look up maps. Have a ‘Get Directions’ button on your landing page or even a map to your business.
5) Very Little Copy
Even the best marketer sometimes gets bogged down in too much copy.
This can’t happen on a mobile landing page—ever. The headlines should be
2-3 words. There shouldn’t be paragraphs. And any bullet points should
only have 6-8 words. Concise, concise, concise.
6) Few Form Fields
We work with a variety of mobile landing page companies. These
companies—across the board—tell us that the number one mistake their
clients make is this: too many form fields.
Marketers want to treat mobile landing pages like regular landing
pages. That is dumb. No one is going to fill out 7 form fields on a
mobile device. No one. Our recommendation is that mobile landing pages
should have ZERO form fields. But, if you must, ask for just one or two.
7) Defining a ‘Conversion’ and Tracking Success
Traditionally marketers have defined a landing page conversion as
visitor that downloaded a White Paper, or filled out a form requesting a
demo or an appointment time. This definition doesn’t work for mobile
conversions.
Our recommendation is that you should keep track of the number of
people that visit your page, the number of people that call from your
page, and the number of people that fill out a one-field form.
That’s it.
