Do you measure your landing pages by effect or effectiveness?

We create landing pages with the intent to produce a certain effect (result). That effect can generally be summed up as: to persuade visitors to convert. 

When we start designing a landing page, we create it with effectiveness (ability to produce a result) in mind. We include the standard elements that are generally conducive to conversion: message match, call to action above the fold, pared down forms and so on. However, a landing page that meets all of these so-called standards, can still fall flat if it’s delivered to the wrong audience.

This is why we measure the effect (the result) not the effectiveness (ability to produce the result) of a landing page. We look at the conversion rate to determine whether a page (and all its various components) is right or not for a specific audience. Whether it theoretically should produce a result IF shown to the right audience doesn’t mean anything. 

If a page theoretically should be converting at a higher rate because it is being shown to the right audience, and it’s not— that’s a different story. In fact, this scenario is why we test our landing pages - to determine how to optimize for higher conversions.

But, wait. Do you really know why they are converting?

Testing your landing pages in real time and looking at the conversion rates produced is the best way for us to know whether a page is effective (producing the result) or not.  However, it is impossible to know with 100% confidence that any certain elements contributed to the conversion.

This is because visitors will generally land on your page with preconceived notions about:

• Your brand
• Your industry
• Your product/solution
• Your competitors

And a whole slew of other outside factors that aren’t necessarily controlled by the landing page content. That doesn’t mean landing pages can’t contribute to these factors.

Your landing pages should fold up into your company’s overall business objectives. When crafting them, keep your brand and these other points in mind.

Moving beyond effect & effectiveness

If landing page optimization is taken seriously at your company, your landing pages should not be off living on their own. They should be carefully controlled to match your brand standards and standard – which I hope is high.

This means your pages should be crafted first for effect (getting results), but should also come off as credible and visually appealing to support your brand. Example:

Think about this: A well dressed sales person with the same speech as a poorly dressed sales person is likely to close more deals. Dress your landing pages well. 

Bottom line: create your pages with effectiveness in mind, measure the actual effect, optimize in real time, and be sure your landing page program supports your overall business objectives.