How AWeber Landing Pages Help Them Earn More Subscribers

With over 100,000 customers, AWeber has become the email marketing platform of choice for small business owners and entrepreneurs. This particular audience tends to choose AWeber because the platform understands how to simplify the email marketing process while helping their clients create visually attractive, entertaining emails.

Since opening its doors in 1998, AWeber has seen the email marketing industry grow tremendously while facing increasing competition. To help establish brand awareness, drive leads, and nurture them to sale; AWeber continually relies on landing pages to grow their email list. That’s because landing pages are the best marketing asset to create a great first impression.

Many content marketers have had success using email landing pages, and fortunately for Instapage customers, we already integrate with AWeber. That means all of those beautiful emails you send to your list can be synced seamlessly to Instapage.

But before we analyze each AWeber landing page example below, let’s begin with a quick reminder.

What is a landing page?

A landing page is a standalone page separate from your main website created with a single objective in mind: to get visitors to take action. That action can include redeeming ebooks, white papers, webinars, demos, free trials, etc.

Now let’s evaluate several ways that AWeber landing pages persuade visitors to take action, including some items that could be A/B tested down the road.

(Keep in mind, for shorter pages, we’ve shown the entire page. However, for longer pages, we only displayed above the fold. You may need to click through to the page to see some of the points we discuss and some pages may be undergoing A/B testing with an alternate version than is displayed below.)

1. To offer free 7-day courses

AWeber offers several 7-day courses promoted via landing pages. Let’s see how well the company does at persuading visitors to redeem the free courses:

Your First 500 Subscribers

Why the page was built:

To get visitors to learn how to reach their first 500 email subscribers.

What the page does well:

• The headline boldly states the offer, and the secondary headline gives a comprehensive description of precisely what visitors can expect from the free course.
• The CTA button above the fold (and bottom of the page) are two-step opt-in forms. Therefore, only interested visitors will see the form once they click the button, helping reduce friction.
• The CTA color stands out from the rest of the page, drawing attention immediately.
• The CTA copy is written with personalized copy, reading “Start My Free Course Now” instead of something vague such as “Download The Course.”
• White space helps organize the page better lets each element “breathe” a little more.

What the page could change and A/B test:

• Way too many links in the header and footer provide easy exit routes off the page and away from the 7-day course. The AWeber logo is hyperlinked, blog articles are listed, social icons, etc. should all be removed to keep visitors focused on this page only.
• The graphics below the fold are not very descriptive. If they were more specific to the value being talked about, they could be more persuasive.
• The sticky navigation scrolls with you, which serves as a constant reminder that there are escape routes away from this 7-day course. Ultimately, this can reduce conversions.
• Adding a testimonial could go a long way in establishing credibility for this 7-day course. For example, a short video clip or a headshot and brief bio of an entrepreneur who had success with the course could persuade more visitors to convert.

What to Write in Your Emails

Why the page was built:

To generate leads from people who want to write better emails.

What the page does well:

• The headline conveys two benefits immediately: A wide selection of email templates and no charge to access them.
• The CTA has personalized copy instead of something vague like “Download The Course.”
• Minimal copy quickly conveys the benefits of the free course with specific information.
• The book image gives a preview to visitors what they will be downloading. Placing it next to the CTA button is a nice touch, too.
• The page is well-balanced with identifiable sections and white space.

What the page could change and A/B test:

• Too many exit links (header and footer navigation, social media icons, etc.) off the page give visitors way too many choices to be distracted from the main offer on this page.
• The stock photo is not totally believable or related to the offer. For all we know she could be reading a funny text message or watching a video on her phone. Changing the image to show the free email templates would be more related to the headline and main goal of the page.
• CTA button color is the same shade of blue that is found elsewhere on the page. A more contrasting color like orange could help increase conversions and guide more eyes to the CTA.
• The testimonial is nice to have but it’s not specific because “course participant” doesn’t add value to the page. How does the visitor know a real person gave the quote? Including a name, headshot, and/or business affiliation would make the testimonial more believable.
• The sticky navigation follows the visitors as they scroll. Removing this functionality could keep visitors focused on the 7-day course instead of clicking to the blog, for example.

2. To offer guide downloads

AWeber offers several guides available for download on a variety of topics. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

6 Tips To Optimize Your Pop Up Forms and Grow Subscribers

Why the page was built:

To get visitors to download a guide on properly utilizing pop up forms.

What the page does well:

• No navigation bar helps keep visitors focused on evaluating the free guide.
• The header is intriguing and helps tease visitors into reading further.
• Bulleted copy tells the prospect what they’ll receive by downloading the offer.
• The CTA is a two-step opt-in form and by removing the form, the page looks cleaner and less cluttered.
• The testimonial includes a headshot and company name, although the quote doesn’t seem to have anything to with pop up forms (see critique below).

What the page could change and A/B test:

• AWeber’s logo is hyperlinked to the homepage allowing visitors a quick and easy way to escape the page before evaluating the offer.
• The CTA is a bit bland. Rephrasing the copy to something like, “Show Me How to Master Pop Up Forms” would likely generate more clicks.
• The testimonial talks about email in general, not about pop up forms or how AWeber’s guide helped James Cain grow his email list.
• Social media links in the footer allow visitors to leave the page, which can negatively impact the conversion rate.
• Adding a relevant photo could help humanize the offer. Visitors are more likely to consider an offer if they see an image of someone using the product and enjoying themselves.

Growing Your Business With Email Marketing

Why the page was built:

To generate guide downloads on growing your business with email marketing.

What the page does well:

• The navigation bar is absent, which means visitors are more likely to stay engaged on the page and focused on downloading the guide.
• The copy is concise, clear, and to the point.
• The CTA uses a different color that changes to red when you hover over it. This design effect helps draw more attention to the CTA.
• A strong testimonial gives valuable insight into how the offer helped a real person. Adding their image and name humanizes the testimonial and gives it added value.

What the page could change and A/B test:

• Removing the link on AWeber’s logo would make it more difficult for prospects to exit the page without downloading the guide first.
• The headline is simply rewording the title of the guide. What benefit will visitors receive by downloading?
• The CTA copy is a bit vague. Instead of “Download The Free Guide,” having the CTA rewritten to “Show Me How to Master Email Marketing” would likely generate more clicks. That’s because it contains personalized copy (me) and is specific to the offer.”
• Replacing AWeber’s phone number link in the footer to a click-to-call link would help visitors contact AWeber faster than being redirected to their contact page.
• Social media buttons and the sitemap link at the bottom of the page let visitors leave and go elsewhere.

3. To generate webinar registrations

Why the page was built:

To register visitors for a live workshop on growing an email list.

What the page does well:

• The short form only asks for first name, last name, and email. Reducing the amount of form fields reduces the amount of friction and can increase conversions.
• Strong copy describes precisely what visitors can expect out of the workshop, and makes it known that beginners are welcome.
• The “Meet the Presenter” section gives visitors more detail on who they will be learning from and what makes him qualified to present.

What the page could change and A/B test:

• A complete header and footer full of links allow visitors to exit the page without converting.
• Too much copy makes this page too much of a chore to read, even with the bulleted copy.
• The CTA button color is the same as other elements on the page. The lack of a distinct color makes the CTA fail to stand out.
• “Register Now” is uninspiring CTA copy. “Register Me for the Webinar” would likely produce more conversions.
• Adding a countdown timer would add a sense of urgency and help persuade visitors to register before time runs out.
• No relevant image makes the page feel like it is missing something. An image of an individual at a previous live workshop could help to humanize the offer.

4. To offer a free 30-day trial

Why the page was built:

This click-through page was created to get visitors to sign up for a free 30-day trial of AWeber’s email marketing software.

What the page does well:

• The headline is benefit-oriented by providing a comparison how marketers can succeed with email marketing at a low cost.
• The CTA button color is distinct from the rest of the page immediately drawing attention.
• The form is not visible until the green CTA is clicked on. That way, only very interested visitors go to step 2 because they’re “warmed up” by this page.
• Clearly identified sections such as automated emails and sign up forms help organize the information into more digestible chunks for visitors as they scan the page.
• Good use of testimonials — complete with headshot, company name, and speaking to AWeber’s value, — show prospects how the company has helped others succeed.
• The sticky footer bar with CTA follows visitors as they scroll acting as a constant reminder to start their free trial.

What the page could change and A/B test:

• Numerous escape routes including the header and footer, case studies, subscribe to blog, app downloads, and social media icons — all provide opportunities to leave the page without first redeeming the free trial offer.
• The header image doesn’t make complete sense for a free trial page even though the man is looking directly at visitors (providing human appeal). However, it doesn’t add much value in convincing them to convert.
• Adding more white space could help even more with readability and allowing all elements to breathe a little more.
• Including a video that explains AWeber’s features in more detail could help persuade prospects to convert because people would prefer to watch than read on a landing page.

Which AWeber landing page inspired you the most?

As a leader in the email marketing industry, AWeber understands that landing pages are critical to their marketing campaigns success. Some pages are more optimized than others, but each one attempts to establish a great impression for the company.

To create a great first impression for all of your offers, get started with Instapage today. Start creating your dedicated post-click pages by signing up for an Instapage Enterprise demo today.