Finding a mate can be a laborious process when you think about how
many single people exist. So speed dating was developed to eliminate
some of the time out of this process.
If you think about it, every time you search for something you go
through a sort of speed dating process. You know what you want, but
then millions of potential matches appear. So, you speed date the
landing pages on the first one-to-two pages of the search results to
see if you can quickly find a website you’re are willing to give your
personal information to in hopes that there might be a future there
that satisfies your needs.
We’ve compiled ten tips to make sure your landing page can pass the speed dating test and get you those digits:
1) Be Hotter Than Everyone Else.
Before you have a searcher visit your
site, survey the room and check out your speed dating competition.
Take snapshots of all the competitive landing pages on the first page
of the search results for your top keywords. View these snapshots in a
line along with yours. If you wouldn’t pick your landing page as the
hotty in the group, redesign your page elements until it becomes the
clear winner.
2) Be Visually Engaging.
Searching is even more shallow than
dating because we don’t feel bad about not giving a website the time of
day if it doesn’t look perfect. If you want the searcher to even
bother reading your spiel you had better look your absolute best. Use
engaging colors, rather than being drab. Use images and video to
immediately visually engage the searcher. But don’t go overboard
here. If you have too much eye candy on a single page, you’ll just
appear like the used car salesman with one too many gold chains.
3) Be Trendy.
If your dress is out of date you are not
desirable. If you haven’t updated your website style in the last two
years or are using design techniques that were popular years ago it’s
time for a redesign. Just do a search for “great websites” and there
are plenty examples of very cool sites to re-use concepts from. If you
don’t have time to get with the times, hire a personal shopper – aka, a
web designer. The money you spend will be well worth it to boost your
image. With a trendy site, you may even find yourself getting phone
numbers when you aren’t even trying.
4) Speak Clearly & Memorably.
Once you are the hottest website in the
room, you’ll get a chance to explain who you are and why you are
awesome. Clearly articulate what it is you do and why you are the best
in large font using plain simple words. Don’t use words that you would
use to think about what your business does, but rather words your
searcher would use to describe you. With speed dating, no one has room
to absorb fluff like “long walks on the beach” – so review your page
and remove all of your fluff terms such as innovate, synergy, unique,
focused on, leverage, leading provider, cost effective, next
generation, etc. Stating who you are in plain terms allows a searcher
to “get you” right away and will also give the searcher a much better
chance of remembering who you are at the end of their speed dating
session.
5) Exude Confidence.
Insecurity leads to loneliness. Show
the searcher your confidence in what you have to offer. Do you offer a
guarantee? Do you have testimonials? Don’t use unsure words such as
“could be considered”, “on average”, or “for some.” Write with
strength and confidence that you are simply the best and you stand
behind it.
6) Don’t Ramble.
Who doesn’t love to talk about
themselves? However, a speed dating session is not the time to ramble
on about your 100 different great attributes in excruciating detail.
Keep your landing pages short and concise and above the fold if
possible. You can discuss more on your first real date. Remember your
searcher is interviewing many other potential candidates and you don’t
want to dilute yourself here – better to get one message across
effectively than become the whiny website that just went on and on
until the searcher tuned out and their eyes start to wonder the room.
7) Drop Some Names.
Everyone is intrigued by a popular
person or business that has some well-known associations. Don’t be shy
here; you only have a few seconds so feel free to tout names of
customers, awards, or “as seen in”. Dropping a few names is much more
effective than paragraphs of text stating how awesome you are.
8) Show Off Your Best… er… Assets.
It’s cool to give your searcher a little
teaser here. What can they expect if they work with you? Tell or show
them just enough about results to make them want to learn more.
9) Hone Your Pickup Lines.
As with dating there are two sets of
pickup lines you’ll need to master. The first is your pickup line to
get the searcher to stay and read on. Try out taglines from your PPC
ads that seem to get you the most attention. After you’ve got their
attention, you’ll need a second great line to get their contact
information. It’s not only the pickup line you need to think about,
but the delivery as well — the font, colors, button presentation etc.
will all have an impact.
10) Get Their Number!
The goal of this speed dating scenario
is to get the searcher’s information so you can court them. Make sure
that this is prominent on the page. If you allow the searcher to
wander from your landing page through your site, make sure your form is
accessible everywhere so they don’t have to find their way back to the
original meeting spot to provide you with their phone number. Let them
know what to expect after they provide you with that information – do
they get a free consultation or access to something valuable? Speed
daters are more inclined to fork over that number if they know a
five-star meal awaits.
Too often, search marketing ends at the moment someone clicks on a paid
or natural search results, without any regard to what happens
“post-click”. It’s a shame when search marketers go to a great deal of
trouble to optimize their paid and natural search rankings only to see
clicks failing to materialize into real business. Don’t fall in to
this trap!
