Our Top Landing Page Turn-offs

Janet Fouts and John McTigue were tweeting about landing pages the other day and decided to create a joint blog on the subject. John started the conversation, "anyone else automatically think it's a scam when you see a lousy looking landing page?" Janet replied "Yup, if it's bright blue 18 pt text with red links I bail without reading". We could go on all day. Unfortunately with shortened url's and teasing tweets, you can't tell what you're going to see until you get there. Then, at a glance, you can tell it's time to bug out fast. Let's review some of the top turn-offs we see on landing pages.

Janet's Top Turn-Offs

1. All the titles are H1 in bright red or default link blue.
2. Things are flashing at me.
3. Repeating the same jargon over and over before I get to what the product is.
4. A disembodied head talking to me immediately (and loudly) after launching the page.
5. Market your way to millions, wealth, riches, more hair, better looks.
6. Psssst, this page is SECRET!
7. This offer is limited to the first thousand respondents, get it before it's gone.
8. Call to action at the bottom of the page, way below the fold.
9. By the time I get to the end of the page I'm confused.

OK, you got me to come to this page from an offer. I likely know what it is I'm here for so why do you have to hit me over the head and drag me into the bushes before I can get it? Give me a one sentence description and get on with it or I'm outta here.

John's Top Turn-Offs

1. The page looks like a stylesheet test - huge H1 headlines, then each line gets progressively smaller UNTIL YOU GET TO THE CALL TO ACTION. Ouch, painful on the eyes! Just for fun there's lots of red and blue and whatever other obnoxious colors the author can find.
2. The page reads like a death threat - YOU MUST DO THIS NOW OR ELSE!
3. The page is about 10 miles long - and you have to read the entire thing to figure out what the offer is - and of course you never do.
4. You read about 5 miles of the page, then you have to click through to a "more info" page - Ha! Good One!
5. Lots of extremes - THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN or MILLIONS HAVE BENEFITED!

Bottom Line - the offer should sell itself. State the offer briefly. Make it easy to get the goods. Keep it simple. If the offer is good, they will come.