You’ve labored through the keyword research. You’ve written strategic ad copy. You’ve built your campaigns.  Launched them, and now you’re monitoring.

Quality scores are good. Clicks are good. But you can’t get the conversions you want.

Is something wrong with the landing page? How should you optimize it to make an impact?

Here are three landing page optimization tips that will help you along your way:

1. People don’t buy from websites – people buy from people. Or download. Or sign up. Or really whatever it is you want them to do. People interact with a website like they do a person – a person that has engaged them in a conversation.

Think about a dinner party. If someone sitting next to you says, “Wow. Your company sounds like it may be a fit for my needs” (the conversation equivalent of a click) you wouldn’t respond, “We’re the best. We’re the most important, so buy from me right here, right now! Or read this brochure, it will tell you everything you need to know!” Awkward party conversation, huh? Well, awkward landing page copy, too.

Today’s consumer is jaded and reluctant, and you’ve got only seconds to start to build trust. So be specific:

And remember to have a voice that sounds like a human, not a brochure!

2. You don’t optimize a landing page, you optimize a thought sequence. This is the tricky part. You’re the marketing person. You’re so far in the weeds of what your company does it’s hard to get outside of your own head and think about it from an outsider perspective.

So turn off the monitor. Stop thinking about the page and think about the person – the prospective customer- using the page and using your website. Think about the conversation: what does this prospect need to know to get them to convert, and in what order do they need to know it?

3. To optimize a thought sequence, enter the “conversation.” You have 7 seconds or less to answer three important questions that every prospect has when they hit your landing page:

• Where am I? I just clicked this ad – is this what I was looking for? Is it what the ad promised? Who are these people? Think about what the conversation needs to succeed. Is the page confusing? Overwhelming? Unclear? Strip out the noise and friction on the page. Avoid unnecessary design or images.
• What am I supposed to do on this page? I’m scanning copy and scrolling to the bottom to see what they ultimately want from me. Hopefully this is the same as what the ad copy promised. Be wary of too many options: Don’t ask a prospect to buy, learn more, and sign up all at the same time. Move through the conversation – one step at a time. And be clear what you want them to do, and what they will get if they do it.
• Why should I do what you want me to do? What will I get? How will this help me? Why shouldn’t I just click ‘back’ right now? This is the most critical: if this person who just landed on your page is your ideal customer, why should they buy from you and not someone else? The answer is your value proposition. This is why you’re in business. This is what makes you different from your competitors. Be crystal clear.

Small tweaks to landing page organization, copy and design can lead to big changes in conversion. Be a person in a conversation instead of a marketer designing a web page, and conversations will begin. Conversions will rise. You may also be the hit of your next dinner party.

Krista Chism is a digital strategist based in Denver, Colorado, and has over 10 years of B2B & B2C experience in online marketing for agencies, startups, and established brick & mortars.  Her clients include Proctor & Gamble, Vectra Bank, Huntington Learning Centers, and others. You can reach Krista by connecting with her via LinkedIn.