Many of us spend precious time trying to increase our conversion rates—without even understanding what a good conversion rate is. What. A. Pickle.
Conversions come in many shapes and sizes from phone calls to free resource downloads. No matter the type of conversion you’re seeking, most occur through the help of marketing campaigns that include landing pages—where the magic happens. But how do you know if any magic is happening at all?
Unbounce, an industry-leading landing page platform, recently published their Conversion Benchmark Report. This deep dive into conversion land aims to help business owners and marketers discover whether their campaigns are truly successful.
We’re so giddy about the insights that we wanted to break them down for you.
Conversion Rate Success Depends on Your Industry
Perhaps the most critical takeaway from the report is this: a successful conversion rate depends on your industry. Unbounce’s report covers 16 unique industries from business services to travel. Why? It’s impossible to define a singular bottom line across the board success when each industry is so different.
For example, Unbounce found the median (not average because averages are often distorted) conversion rate for agency landing pages to be 1.7%. Yet, the median rate for catering and restaurants is 6.1%.
Stop Comparing Your Industry to the Whole
Let’s dig a bit deeper. Previous stats say that the top 25% of all sites on the internet convert at 5.21% and higher. If you’re the proud owner of a consulting agency, for example, should you aim for coming in over 5.21%?
We won’t be the ones to tell you not to reach for the stars. But we will tell you that success for you may look like more like 2.2%, which is 0.5% higher than the conversion rate of most landing pages in your industry.
The report says it best: “How you stack up against companies in your industry is more actionable than overall numbers.”
Using Industry Insights to Boost Conversions
Each industry breakdown in the report delivers insights into what landing pages convert best. Using what you learn, you can create new pages to test with your audience to see what works best for you. You may just find some simple changes improve your conversion rates across the board.
Conversion and Your Copy
One way to improve your conversion rate is to improve your website copy. The Unbounce report gives us plenty of insights into doing just that.
Reading Ease
For example, software as a service (SaaS) landing pages convert best when they’re shorter and easier to read. Based on Unbounce research, SaaS conversion rates increased with reading ease. In contrast, for medical practitioners, challenging language doesn’t impact conversion negatively. Curious, right?
Word Count
Just like reading ease, word count plays a huge part in conversion. For example, based on Unbounce research, SaaS landing pages performed best at around 200 words. In the travel industry, landing pages with less than 300 words convert best. In pest control, pages convert best when they’re between 400-500 words.
Emotion
What about emotion in copy?
- Unbounce found that stirring up fear and anger won’t win clients for attorneys. In fact, conversion rates dropped when more negative emotions such as anger and fear were added to landing page copy.
- For e-commerce landing pages, conversion rates increase when the copy emits anticipation or joy.
- For the real estate industry, sentiments such as “home is where the heart is” won’t necessarily improve conversion rates. Unbounce found words associated with joy and positivity sometimes correlated with weaker rates.
The Bottom Line: Test, Test, Test
The industry insights found in the Unbounce report are a fantastic jumping-off point when creating future campaigns. As you move forward, remember to test your landing pages to see what works best for your audience. After all, digital marketing is fluid. Keep learning, testing and improving. Your conversion rates will follow.
Want to Boost Conversion Rates by Improving Your Landing Page Copy?
Landing page copy can make or break your campaign. To boost conversions, it’s time to take a good look at the words you’re using to sell your services. To learn more about landing page copy, send us a message.
