How IT Companies Can Improve the Landing Pages of Their Free Ebook Downloads: a Website Teardown

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The B2B Website Teardowns Series

HOW IT COMPANIES CAN IMPROVE THE LANDING PAGES OF THEIR FREE EBOOK DOWNLOADS

Increase Downloads of Your Epic Marketing Resources by Improving Landing Page Copy and Architecture

Produced on: February 2017

A Logit Production

We optimize B2B websites for lead generation and consult technology-oriented companies on content design, copy and layout. Contact us:

• info@logit.net
• www.logit.net

Why Marketing Ebooks

89% of B2B marketers use content marketing today*, 65% of them use ebooks - but only 34% feel they’re effective at it. It makes sense to improve the website landing pages where your customers first learn about your ebooks. Therefore, if you want to generate more leads with your marketing content, improve your website copy and architecture.

• Source: 2017 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends by Content Marketing Institute

About This Teardown

In 2017, we researched dozens of B2B companies that create ebooks for marketing purposed. We analyzed their ebook landing pages from the perspective of a first-time visitor who is interested in the topic, but unfamiliar with the company. In this teardown, we show you examples of the pages where ebooks are offered for download, and suggest best practices for writing and architecting them well.

Companies Whose Landing Pages We’ve Analyzed

1. advsyscon.com
2. amllp.com
3. crstc.com
4. cwps.com
5. empowerit.com.au
6. epicor.com
7. gradientdata.com
8. greatlakescomputer.com
9. heliontechnologies.com
10. kemptechnologies.com
11. logicalis.com
12. memberevolution.com
13. microsoft.com
14. netfast.com
15. salesforce.com
16. sonicwebtech.com

(NOTE: because these pages were analyzed in 2017, some of them may no longer be online, or could have changed in design and content.)

Landing Page #1 advsyscon.com

Good, there’s a clear, action-oriented headline: The first part of the headline tells the visitors what they’re getting (a free ebook).

The second part names the exact title of the ebook which is repeated on the cover of the ebook - exactly as it should be.

The image of the ebook cover, however, is way too small. General rule for cover images: Make the image big enough so that everything written on the ebook cover is easily readable, including the author’s name, subtitles, and logos.

Landing Page #2 empowerit.com.au

Here we have a good example of a nice, BIG ebook cover:

• you can read the full title
• the name of the author is visible
• the logo of the company is discernible
• the photo fits the topic (cyber crime)
• 3D design of the cover is awesome!

There’s one important thing here that we would like to see more of online: There is no registration form.

The red buttons “Get Your Free Copy Today”, as well as the ebook cover image, all link directly to the PDF file.

NO, DON’T GATE when:

• your content is intended for customers who are too uninformed and uneducated to buy anything from you (the so-called “top of the sales funnel” content)
• your campaign goal is to maximize reach

YES, GATE when:

• your content is intended for educated customers who are ready to buy a solution such as yours (the so-called “bottom of the sales funnel” content)
• your campaign goal is to maximize the number of highly qualified leads Marketers coined a term “gating content” for when they put up gates and walls between visitors and content.

Landing Page #3 amllp.com

On this landing page, there’s no ebook cover at all. Without the cover, it’s as if the ebook was not there, as if it was not “real”. Visitors have a harder time picturing what they’re getting when they click “Download”.

The lack of a good ebook cover, is, however, offset by awesome previews in the form of downloadable chapters. No registration required!

Unfortunately, to download the entire ebook, one must register. Here’s the form that greets you when you click the “Download the entire ebook” button on the previous page.

Unfortunately, to download the entire ebook, one must register. Here’s the form that greets you when you click the “Download the entire ebook” button on the previous page.

The point: your customers are smart. Respect your customers. There’s no reason, other than marketing, to make them work harder for the ebook here. “I’m not giving you all this info, I know how to merge those 5 free chapters into one PDF. Bye.”

(Good move, though, to put trust-infusing brands and logos on the landing page.)

Landing Page #4 crstc.com

Too much space is wasted on the fat header, the fat footer, and the subtitle that just repeats “eBook”, while there’s too little “meat” in the middle.

You know, like, ALL SALAD AND NO BEEF? :)

And when at the bottom of the salad - we mean the page - you click the “Get Your Copy” link, which BTW should be a high-contrast button...

...you get a second serving of the salad! The page lacks high-calorie information about the ebook. You don’t want to put your customers on a diet here.

There’s also no need to make the visitor click twice. Put all your content on one page, the one where the form is.

Good news: the form is clean and well-designed and, unlike most forms we’ve analyzed in this teardown, does not ask for too much personal information.

Drop the “Title/Position”, though. It’s cleaner.

Landing Page #5 heliontechnologies.com

Speaking of high-calorie information about an ebook, this landing page has it... ...in a press release format.

Why this format might work:

• it’s unusual
• it explains the problem well
• it’s clear what you get
• it’s well-written as a story
• it has customer testimonials
• clear links to the PDF

Why it might NOT work:

• it’s too unusual
• broken expectations (if visitors expect a classic ebook landing page)

WHEN IN DOUBT, TEST. (Use Google Analytics. Check out the 10 most important metrics to track for B2B companies - presentation, 19 slides.)

Landing Page #6 cwps.com

This is one of the many so-called “squeeze pages”, known for specific architecture patterns:

• no headers
• no footers
• no context
• no links

(Why marketers call these “squeeze pages”: they squeeze you into a corner.)

The problem with squeeze pages today is that visitors hold on to their email addresses like a hungry person holds on to their food.

“I don’t know this company, and there’s no info here about them. I don’t feel comfortable getting the ebook.”

“They’ll call me and bother me with sales pitches for goodness knows what, and send me emails I won’t be able to unsubscribe from.”

“And I’m DEFINITELY NOT requesting a consultation from an unknown company.”

Measure the performance of your squeeze pages over time: do fewer and fewer people sign up? Does a decreasing percentage of visitors convert? If YES, consider enriching your squeeze pages with more content, or embedding them into your regular website (with headers, menus, footers and all).

On the positive note, the main content is well-structured and bite-sized. We’d suggest little improvements:

• avoid repeating “managed service provider” so much
• use bold to emphasize certain words, such as: “myths”, “data safe”

Great job: you’re showing a sample page on a tablet! ● visitors can get a feel for the layout, design, and the density of the content ● it’s clear that this ebook is readable on tablets (which many managers use to read business literature)

Landing Page #7 epicor.com

Here’s another squeeze page not much different from the last one in terms of content and layout, but with one significant difference: the “About Us” panel is present.

This is Bill, the landing page architect and copywriter. Bill works for Epicor, one of the leading global providers of ERP business software solutions. Bill is one of Epicor’s 20,000 employees in 150 countries. But Bill did not let his employer’s global brand go to his head. Bill still felt it was important to have an About Us section on the ebook landing page he created. Be like Bill.

On a squeeze page, where most context is often removed, The About Us panel creates the missing context of what the company sells and to whom. You can never become too big for an About Us section. I may check out this later.

Landing Page #8 gradientdata.com

Our next contestant looks like one of those popular one-page websites, where the entire website consists of a single long-scrolling page. 48 On such one-pagers, there are no individual web pages, so there is no landing page for downloading the ebook either. There are only panels within the page.

Here’s what we mean by panels - this is the snapshot of the entire homepage: 49 Here’s the second panel where you actually download the ebook. Here’s the first panel with a “Download now” call to action button, which, when clicked, jumps to the panel below. (BT W this panel is unnecessary.)

Your important content has no room to grow. What you want to say about your ebook you try to fit into a small panel. (Nice short form, BTW. Make it shorter by losing the “Fill out the form…” part, it’s implied.)

There are 2 main disadvantages of one-page websites compared to standalone landing pages:

1. It’s harder to link to your ebooks with elegance, so you resort to evil* design decisions, like the one on the blog):
2. UGH, A POPUP *Yes, we belong to those ”popups are evil” people. And Google agrees (finally).

Landing Page #9 netfast.com

What were we discussing in the previous slides?

You should set only one goal for your ebook landing page: for the people to fill out a form and click “SUBMIT”. This popup is too much too soon: the visitor is here to learn about the threats to their Office 365 data, and you’re putting the carriage before the horse by offering free consultation.

“BUT HOW DO WE GENERATE LEADS THEN?”

PATIENCE.

Do what Helion Automotive Technologies did: offer free consultation in the last paragraph at the last page of your short free ebook. (See this screenshot in their ebook here - PDF, 14 pages. The ebook itself is superb.) If your ebook educated the readers well enough, they will want to talk to you.

Landing Page #10 memberevolution.com

Let’s touch on form conversion rate optimization (CRO)* some more now.

*Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a system for increasing the percentage of visitors to a website that convert into customers or more generally, take any desired action on a webpage. (Wikipedia)

If you’re not happy with the number of signups for your ebook, test this thingy as the first possible culprit. This is a captcha, an anti-spam feature, which has been proven to kill a certain % of conversions. This particular captcha is overly complex (words, symbols, audio, instructions - confusing!)

Landing Page #11 greatlakescomputer.com

On the subject of captchas: test a simpler implementation, like this Google reCAPTCHA*, with a simple checkbox.

*Side note, January 2017: oh, goodie! reCAPTCHA will soon become invisible! No more lost conversions on lead generation forms!

While we’re here, let’s improve this landing page a bit.

• Bold these underlined words because it makes it quicker to see what visitors get.
• Instead of “dozens”, say how many: “38 worksheets and checklists…” Numbers attract the eye.
• Show Dell logo to increase credibility. Research confirms the positive impact of high-profile logos on customers.

Landing Page #12 kemptechnologies.com

Oh good, this landing page has social sharing buttons! (Consider placing them below the ebook, though.)

Great, there’s also a “Related content” section! (Avoid shortening (truncating) headlines with “...”, though, and do upload unique covers for all your content.)

Landing Page #13 salesforce.com

Such a by-the-(e)book landing page, with so many good elements such as...

...a professional cover...

...well-placed trust badges (just below the “Download now” button)...

...wait, what?

Landing Page #14 logicalis.com full link 71

Quick question: which design elements on this landing page stand out immediately? The red ones, don’t they? Of the five red elements, we’re interested in one in particular: The one that says “20-PAGE EBOOK”.

This is the one of the few landing pages in this teardown that mentions any parameters of the book itself, such as number of pages. Parameters are great because they set proper expectations and increase customer satisfaction with your digital product. Let’s see what other useful parameters you could use to describe your ebook well.

Landing Page #15 microsoft.com

Microsoft packed its landing page with parameters we’d recommend for all ebooks:

• file size: very important for users on mobile devices who are concerned about data transfer charges
• publication date: invaluable for technical publications that get outdated fast
• file formats PDF, EPUB, MOBI - great for owners of e-reader devices

(and we’re NOT talking about the ebook cover, which you already know should be here)

Here it is. In the Table of Contents. In the ebook itself. (it’s actually a 346-page book)

In fact, people interested in a comprehensive 346-page ebook about big data and Azure HDInsight would have loved to see a Table of Contents (TOC) published on the ebook landing page.

Landing Page #16 sonicwebtech.com

Sonicwebtech.com capitalizes well on what Microsoft and the majority of other landing pages in this teardown missed:

1. It does not hide the number of pages.
2. It bundles the “number of pages” parameter with related information (the TOC).
3. It publishes quite a verbose version of the TOC (which is a plus).
4. The TOC is well formatted with bolds and bullets and empty space.

Next, look at how short their form is - only two fields! It’s the shortest of all analyzed landing pages. Also, look at how, instead of mentioning file formats (PDF, MOBI, EPUB...), they talked about the devices on which their customers probably read ebooks. This is a good example of what we content writers call “adapting copy to ideal buyer personas.”

Let us create an epic landing page layout for your epic marketing ebook

We offer WIREFRAME (MOCKUP) DESIGN services:

1. We take your real content and lay it out beautifully
2. We make sure the page is optimized for maximum downloads
3. We put your customers’ needs first

See the wireframes we designed before on a client project. Read the MATDAT case study