The Definitive Guide to WordPress Squeeze Pages - Lightning Rank

If you are an Internet Marketer, you know that you cannot make money online without building a list. This is true, no matter what niche you are on.

When you build a list, you need email addresses. And to do that, you need a squeeze page.

Say what? Squeeze page?

A squeeze page is called so because it is THE page in your website where you try to squeeze an email out of your online visitors. You can do this by offering them something of value in exchange for their emails and names. You can offer them a free course, a free eBook, a report or any incentive that will entice them to trade their precious email address.

Here is an example of a squeeze page, which I’m sure you see around.

Your squeeze page should have a killer headline that attracts the visitor. In the example above, the headline is:

ATTENTION: Big Thinkers, Entrepreneurs, Executive & Business Owners…Let Us Show You How We Are Generating $22,000 to $147, 000 Per Month Online…

The squeeze page should also offer a solution to his problem. In this case, the key words are “Solid Action Plans” and “Automated Money Machine”. This means that if you sign up, then you will learn how to emulate the authors and earn that kind of money, too.

Then of course, the opt-in form where the visitor can sign up or give you their name and email so they can get what you are offering.

Simple, simple, right? You can’t be more wrong.

To an online marketer, a squeeze page is a valuable tool. Setting up the free product takes time and investment. If one can’t write, the marketer has to hire a writer to produce the content. This means investment. You need to invest time, effort and money to make a good squeeze page. The ultimate goal is to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of the target audience.

Now don’t get scared that you have to invest in your squeeze page and your offer. Remember that the returns that you will get in the end are more than worth it. Once you get your client’s email address, you will be able to build a solid relationship with them through email marketing.

Obviously, you can’t just create a web page that tells about what you have to offer. A squeeze page has to be carefully thought out and planned. In this post, we will discover all the facets of an effective–and converting–squeeze page.

The Squeeze Page Offer

The free product that is offered through the squeeze page needs to be something that can be sent via email.

The primary objective of the offer is to disseminate information to the audience, and is not readily available anywhere else.

Therefore, one needs to submit an email address to view the product.

A link to a video that can be accessed freely on YouTube does not qualify for this strategy.

This is because online readers are savvy and have the skills and ability to search for the video online without seeking your assistance. After all, our friendly neighborhood Google has it all, right?

In addition, sending a product via email instead to a physical location where anyone can access it lowers exclusivity of the product. This makes it a convenient way of establishing a customer-supplier relationship.

What can you offer?

The most popular option are eBooks that provide details about a niche, a product or service that you are currently selling online.

Here’s an example of a squeeze page offering an eBook.

You can also offer a white paper that provides credible insights into the industry that your clients are interested in. Or it can be a report with industry research statistics, a series of informative emails or a discount to an online course.

Nowadays, most of the information you may need is free online and is presented either as a video or as an article. Hence, it is important to provide your audience a reason to believe that your product is not just run-of-the-mill.

You should showcase how the product is different from the conventional ones in the market as well as reasons why one should sign up for it.

This is where the concept of an email series comes in. By subscribing to your newsletter, your audience expects to regularly receive vital information from you.

One of the benefits of using this strategy is that it gives you an opportunity to send many emails at a go.

What Makes an Enticing Offer for a Squeeze Page

It is possible to host different types of content on your squeeze page, but some will prove more valuable than others will in the end.

Some of the primary types of squeeze page content include;

• Email Course or Newsletter
• E-Book
• White Paper Collection
• Templates / Design Aids

D. Bnonn Tennant of KissMetrics proposes that if you are going to request for a user’s email address, it should be relevant to the offer. Asking for an email address in exchange for a video or download file will definitely raise eyebrows.

Most Internet users already know that it is not mandatory to provide an email address to enjoy the privilege of watching a video. In fact, if you ask users to submit their email addresses to watch a video, they’d most likely go to YouTube and search for the video on their own. Epic fail on your part, right?

The most important thing is to stay subtle and be discreet about your true intentions to avoid a terrible marketing fail!

Some of the advantages of using newsletters and email courses are;

1. You will be able send information in small, easy to understand chunks, which makes the users more likely to get value from the product offered.

2. If the email course is valuable and makes sense to the user, they will be looking forward to reading your periodic emails. This will make it easy for you to send follow-up offers and pitches down the road.

3. You can add value to your email by incorporating video sections in the courses.

4. As mentioned earlier, offering a professional email course makes a lot of sense when you ask for their email address. This will make you look more reputable, professional, and less spammy.

Here is a perfect example of a Newsletter squeeze page from CopyBlogger:

The Elements of a Good WordPress Squeeze Page

One of the best ways of improving conversion rate of your website is by testing and tweaking various squeeze page elements. Some of the elements are critical while others are less essential, but still very important.

Testing how they interact and work can make some of the less important elements more effective in your website.

For instance, template colors are not that important. However, you will get dramatic changes on your website by combining one of them with a headline.

This is why it is important to test various squeeze page elements. It will help to enhance the conversion and functionalism of your website.

Headline

This is one of the most critical elements of any squeeze or sales page because it is the first thing that meets the eyes of your visitors.

You will lose visitors for good if it does not succeed in grasping their attention in the first few seconds.

The headline should be tested many times over to get optimum conversions, just as you would need to test the opt-in form location.

Don’t hesitate to test subtle variations. A/B testing still works even if you think you have chosen a perfect headline that is capable of attracting the target audience.

Changing the headline does not have to be a complex matter. You can just change the wording, text style, or underline some words to scale up the conversion rate.

It is recommendable to convert your headline into a graphic. This involves changing the text style, adding attractive highlights, underlines and other elements.

This will go a long way in helping you draw more attention as compared to using standard text.

In the article “Copywriting Makeover“, the author showed how he refreshed the squeeze page to make it more effective in calling out to his prospects:

Sub-Headlines

Your sub-headline is another element that will have a very huge impact on your web’s conversion rates. Despite the fact that is not as critical as the headline, it still plays an important role in converting visitors to clients.

In the example above, the subheadline is in bold, working as a call to action that tells the visitor what to do so he can have access to the webinar.

Bullet Points

If you use bullet points in your squeeze page, it is prudent to not only test the content of the bullet points but also the wording. They play a very important role of informing people what they will get or what to expect when they subscribe to your emailing list.

See, many people get bullet points wrong. And more underestimate the power of bullet points, when in fact they are a great way to enumerate and hammer the benefits home. Bulleted lists are easy to read, so you should take advantage of this by addressing the pain points and the solutions that you are offering. Here is an example of a good bullet list in a squeeze page:

Read THIS ARTICLE on maximizing the power of bullets.

Images

This is another supreme element of squeeze pages. There are different types of image that you can use on your squeeze pages.

For example:

• Arrows, check marks or other small graphics will help draw attention to your bullet points and other content in the squeeze page
• Graphic headlines help to draw more attention that standard text. Highlight and underline some of the text to make it more effective.
• Opt-in box background or frame will help draw users attention to the form
• Graphic subscribe button will increase chances of new visitors subscribing
• Header, footer, background, and other design elements

Be vigilant not to use too many graphic elements as this can distract people from your primary message. Also, graphics take more time to load as compared to text. Hence, people on slower connections may not be patient enough to wait for the page to load.

Opt-In Form Fields

The best opt-in forms have few fields. The more information you ask for, the higher the risk of people avoiding to subscribe.

Although, you may get more subscribers for just asking for an email address, consider asking for the first name to help you personalize emails.

Well, you might get slightly fewer subscribers, but this is more effective to sending unspecific/general emails.

Here’s a really simple opt-in form.

Text Colors

Simply put, text colors should be dark grey or black. Avoid using bright or distracting colors, as they will make it harder for users to read the content. The main text area of your squeeze page should have a white background to make it easy for people to read your content.

Template Colors

Different colors affect the human brain in different ways. The color of your template can have a surprising effect on conversions. Rule of the thumb is, choose a color that is in line with your niche and the psychology of what you want to achieve.

Click on this link

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/the-psychology-of-color-in-web-design/

to learn how to choose the right color for your web design in regards to psychology.

Template Style

Consider trying out multiple template styles as well. Various design aspects of page such as graphics and layout can have a huge impact on conversions.

More often than not, beautiful designs convert worse than simple web designs. This is based on the fact that most people are distracted by aesthetically pleasing or impressive designs. Note that this theory does not apply to all types of businesses or niches and that is why testing is so vital.

Eye Flow

Take note of the way the eye flows through your squeeze page. Ideally, your eyes should flow from the most important element (headline) down through your bullet points and finally to the opt-in box.

Make the sure that the eye flows naturally to the opt-in box. One of the best ways of doing this is by placing it at the end of the squeeze page so the eye, which is naturally already flowing downwards as the visitor reads the page, notices it.

This SmashingMagazine article talks about design principles on compositional flow that would help you understand how to make your squeeze page flow well.

Here’s a great template of a nice flowing squeeze page:

How to Bring All the Elements Together

The look of the page has to grasp your reader’s focus on the offer and nothing else. Distracting components have to be reduced to a minimum.

These components mean links to other web pages or sites within your main website. You would not wish to drive your potential customers away and to lose them and at least you would like to have their email addresses.

It should be in such a manner that the page presents itself clearly of what you desire your clients to do. The purpose of a squeeze page isn’t to deceive your readers. The goal is to make exchanging information as a straightforward action.

So the web page material has to make the reader either accept the offer or simply walk away. Setting a limited time duration for them to make a decision will alsohelp.

However some great methods are there to include material which will promote more sign ups.

Using an icon to link to social networking pages is an awesome approach to show who the reader’s friends are. This way, they can share your page to their network and get more people to engage.

These two methods will make the reader wish to sign up as well. It may be a great idea to include a relevant video clip telling the readers why it is good to sign up instead of letting the words do all the job.

Try to make it simple to sign up any form and not to bother the readers too much. Requesting a lot of information too early is a bad thing.

Rather, bring them to a “Thank You” page that requests for more information. This will help you have a closer relationship with your client.

Squeeze Page Standards

One way of doing it well is by using a pop-up squeeze page. The readers have to press the X button to return to the page they have been reading, thus letting them make a quick decision of accepting or going away.

It is obvious that it is simple to click on a big X icon, or this disturbance would bring a negative experience for the readers.

It is very true especially when your web page is not responding, as it is difficult to move the page until the X has is clicked.

An option is to turn your main page into a squeeze page, which is also called a splash page, so that readers who first go to your page are welcomed with your offer.

It’s a wise action to use a cookie to ensure that frequent visitors do not have to go to your page through the splash page each and every time.

On the other hand if you choose to convey your squeeze page, ensure the visitors get their free items as soon as they can. It’s not a fair relationship that they do not get something back now.

This is how an autoresponder approach proves to be useful. This is true especially when multiple email service suppliers or plugins can be used.

Splash Page Vs. Pop-Up Squeeze Page

The item “squeeze page” is an umbrella term, incorporating any page with a target of getting clients to buy an offer. How you decide to arrange your squeeze page is your call.

Two normal types of a squeeze page are splash pages and pop-ups.

Pop-Up Squeeze Pages

Some pop-up squeeze pages can be very irritating. You regularly see them appearing and covering the material you are trying to read. This is annoying since it diverts the attention until you surrender your email address or discover the (often disguised) X button.

One study conducted by Jakob Nielsen tells us that 95% of readers thought that their web browsing experience was negative, or FURTHER annoyed, by pop-ups.

Just as terrible, in another survey it was discovered that more than 50% thought that pop-ups let them feel rather bad of the advertisers. Yikes!

It is best to carefully consider it before placing pop-up squeeze pages. If you insist to do it, do it wisely.

Good Pop-Up: This pop-up isn’t so awful. Without a doubt, it’s covering the material we need to see, yet it makes sense that there is a clear X button for you to go back to the original page.

Bad Pop-up: This pop-up is terrible. It is requesting your email address for you to watch a video – a video which makes you think you are just one step away from watching.

You may very well think it is a spam. The worse thing is that the X button is no way to be found.

Splash Page

A splash page is another approach to utilize a squeeze page. Splash pages are tailored pages visitors are led to when they enter your main page. A splash page is also acting like a squeeze page and it means a higher rate of attention of your offer.

The danger is that some guests might instantly walk away from your squeeze page. Some may stay away from your page completely and never return to you intentional web page!

To avoid this, you are advised to add a clear “No Thanks” icon that allows visitors go straight back to your web page.

Most likely on a squeeze page you would prefer not to direct clients away. Yet on a splash page it is not the same – clients are attempting to reach your web page, so you need to make it simple for them to arrive.

You’re simply tossing them an offer before you let them go. When you love something, let it go and be free!

In the event that you choose to take the splash page approach, ensure that the layout, copy, and touch is consistent with your web page. You don’t wish to see clients confused as to where you are.

Additionally, include a cookie so that for their future visits they do not need to go through the splash page again and can go straight into your web page. It will be a better experience for them.

The splash page you see below from Bensettle.com is an excellent sample. It has a very clear “No Thanks, Go to the Website” icon for the visitors to go straight to the place they want.

And please note, it is all right to use a traditional landing page as a squeeze page. And, it is your call!

Here’s How The Pros Do It–Design Best Practices

Let’s talk about what you can incorporate into your WordPress squeeze page to make it more effective.

1. Testimonials and Success Stories

What works better than satisfied customers who would publicly claim that they love your product and that it has helped them immensely?

Providing social proof is always helpful to accrue more and more new customers. For instance, if your friend has shared this one eBook on Twitter, chances are very high that they would want the eBook as well.

2. Video/Multimedia Elements

You can use videos and other multimedia to cover content and of course, make the design clearer and simpler. With a video to explain more about what you have to offer, your squeeze page won’t have to contend with big piles of text.

When we say “multimedia”, it’d be best to stick with videos. Please steer clear of audio elements. Not only are they distracting, they are also obnoxious, scary and weird. I’m sure I’m not alone in that opinion. Just imagine opening a squeeze page, then out of nowhere a voice booms out saying stuff. Unnerving, right?

3. Color Psychology

To ensure that you have a good squeeze page, you need to be careful about the usage of colors. Contrast, white space and of course, the usage of the right color combinations is integral for the success of a squeeze design.

4. Page Text and Image Design

The design of your squeeze page should be such that every single element which is used in the design should have some use. It should also be easy to find and read.

5. Below the Fold Content

Too much content is bad only in the case of a fold count. These squeeze pages are not extremely popular with the search engines because they are light in terms of the content and often, may be perceived as spam.

But obviously, too much content is never good. Hence the only solution is to add SEO content beneath the fold. This ensures that the squeeze pages have a better SEO and hence, they perform well.

You should place the items like opt-in forms, bullet points and videos at the top of the squeeze page. The detailed information and product details can be placed at the bottom.

6. Scarcity/Missing-Out-Syndrome

If you add an element that is one of scarcity, then the user is more inclined to click it rather than otherwise. Whenever users see a limited offer or limited time deal, they tend to go there by default.

7. Don’t Make Your Offer Too Big

What is the problem with large things? Say, for example, a really bulky book like Gone with the wind. Its huge. People tend to get a little bit too demotivated seeing the appearance itself.

Also, the very fact that people don’t have too much time these days is also a driving factor. It is recommended that you should provide your user something which they will definitely use, not something that they should or need to use.

8. Always Use Minimal Form Fields

Researches have shown that people prefer to use the forms which have lesser fields to fill up than more.

So if you design a squeeze page which has say, very few fields like email address, name etc, it is more likely that people will try and take ultimate advantage of the offer.

Experts believe that if you add more fields on the squeeze page, people tend to fill the information out just for the sake of it.

Considering all these factors, what you could do as a marketers to add minimum information on the first squeeze page. Then you can seek more details on the following thank you page.

It is highly likely that in the worst case scenario, you will have the users’ email addresses and names. It is important to keep in mind that people do not prefer to add their phone numbers.

9. Use Appropriate Language to Emphasize Value

When you write the text, you should always highlight the benefits to the user. Rather than using a word like OK or Submit, say something like Download Free Template or the like and then see the wonder!

10. Auto-responder Email

Always ensure that your squeeze page has an auto-responder email. Once the users fill in their information, send them an email. They are most probably looking at their inbox already awaiting an email.

11. Images of Your Product

Always remember to add an image of your product in the squeeze page. It makes up for an engaging and effective experience.

12. Encouraging Statistics Like # of Downloads

It always pays if you promote your brand on the squeeze page with some sort of statistics. Imagine the potential effect of your copy if you wrote something like: “563 of your colleagues have already downloaded this.”

Here’s a good example:

Creating the Squeeze Page in WordPress

There are quite some methods of creating a squeeze page.

1. DIY:

You can build a squeeze page manually in the same manner as a landing page.

2. Squeeze Page Generator

Squeeze pages have taken the net by the storm. There are multiple tools that you can use to create squeeze pages.

For example, Wordstream has the new Landing Pages and Leads tool that helps to create squeeze pages very easily by letting you choose from options for templates, themes, colors, codes etc. In fact, it also provides best practices as well.

3. WordPress Squeeze Page Plug-ins

Some of the wordpress plug-ins provide squeeze page templates.

They are:

a. WordPress Landing Pages Plugin:

It helps you to create and track landing pages.

b. WordPress Easy Sign Up Plugin:

It lets you sign up for offers, newsletters and the like.

c. WordPress Lead Plus Free Squeeze Page Creator:

It allows you to create easy squeeze templates for WordPress real quick.

So how should you design your squeeze page? What are the different elements it should include? We will cover some squeeze page formats and examples in the next section.

Creating Your Own Squeeze Page on WordPress

The Ins and Outs of Squeeze Pages Using SqueezeMe

A squeeze page or a landing page is used to gather opt-in email addresses. This page should encourage visitors to engage with the creator of the website. The engagement can be done whether through email, newsletters or promotions.

Squeeze pages should be forceful without annoying or intimidating potential clients or customers. This is where Squeeze Me Word Press options come in. It makes placing this page easier while creating a seamless introduction to a website.

Using Squeeze Me

The SqueezeMe option allows you to add a blog or other interesting features to your WordPress site. This is only a one page site, but as it offers a quick and simple way to use WordPress functions.

TSW Theme Development

Using SqueezeMe you can create your own page or use a variety of themes already developed. Here it’s possible to simply add features to your page such as text, graphics, or video using an attention grabbing format.

Current

Current is a favorite option for those designers who want a home banner, capable of displaying their work on flat devices. This option has full Page Builder integration, and can be used to construct both home and sub-pages for almost any type of site.

Using the drop and drag feature adding graphics or video takes only seconds. With Current’s large header space this is a good option for portfolios, marketing, or business pages.

Estate

Estate was created by Site Origin and has similar features to Current. The style, however, is far more simplistic and easy to manage. You can use Estate as a blank slate to create your own website. Widgets for adding images, text, video and tables give you powerful tools to customize your site.

WP Lead Plus—The Plugin Option

You don’t have to do a complete overall if you like your site’s theme just as it is. Using plugins, it’s possible to streamline the process of adding to a current theme. WP Lead Plus Free Squeeze Page Creator is the best option when the desire is to edit or create faster and easier.

Using these plugins you can make modifications such as a new background or logo using over 20 different template options.

An interesting possibility is to integrate with social sites. With WP Lead Plus you can integrate with Facebook giving readers the chance to opportunity to share comments.

You can track conversion results the page creator analysis feature. Anyone who has struggled to integrate features like popups will enjoy having multiple choices.

With a two-step process, it’s possible to place unblockable popups after a certain amount of time or on exit for example.

Bueno Gato Free Popup Creator

The Bueno Gato creates popups that visitors won’t find intrusive. It also offers you an interesting opportunity to build your email list.

It’s also possible to offer your newsletter and as you can edit the popup with ease you can make changes quickly. Bueno Gato’s popups are un-blockable by ad filters.

Being responsive to screen size, this plugin also allows you to place the popup anywhere on the screen.

Simple Newsletter Signup

If you are considering or have an external bulk email program the Simple Newsletter Signup is a good option. You can add a static page easily that will work with existing programs such as MailChimp or Constant Contact.

MiniMax-Page Layout Builder

You don’t have to be a coder to work with the theme you are already using. MiniMax-Page Layout Builder can help you track the success of your page, design new pages, and create AB tests.

Rather than trying to figure out the code a beginner can use this plugin to add drop-down menus, sliders, and galleries.

WordPress Landing Pages

WordPress Landing Pages is a great tool for those using pre-populated forms. With this option you can use third-party add ons. It is also extendable, giving you the chance to create hooks, filters or various types of actions.

It’s usable for those who have limited experience. But it is also helpful for those who have developer or design know-how. This is because it opens the possibility of using many different forms of plugins.

WP Easy Columns

Magazine or grid layout styles are among the hardest themes to design. WP Easy Columns works with this type of landing page. It allows you a number of columns to add a newsletter or email signups in one column of an existing page.

Final Thoughts

The squeeze page should stand out while still having the same style and look of the website.

Email lists, customer contact pages, and newsletter signups are critical to reaching out to potential visitors and customers.

An impressive site is the start of building trust, but using the SqueezeMe options takes your squeeze page to the next level.

With these features and plugins, it’s possible to capture the attention of readers. And not only that, you will maintain a professional image on the page.

The lure of the squeeze page is only as good as the attraction it can offer. Options such as video, testimonials, and colorful text will all draw a visitor’s attention to the site.