In the past I’ve critiqued a lot of Google ads and landing pages on this blog.

But, like they say, everyone’s a critic.

So I’d like to try and take a different spin on this: I’m not only going to critique a landing page, I’m going to redesign it.

And I’m going to try and do it in 20 minutes or less.

Here we go…

First I Googled “Accounting Software” which triggered this NetSuite ad…

This is important because it provides context, and you need context to be able to offer fair criticism of a landing page.

I clicked on the ad and was brought to the landing page below.

The Original NetSuite Landing Page for “Accounting Software” search

 My 20 Minute Redesign…

Note: It’s a stretch to say I “redesigned” NetSuite’s landing page.  I simply used an existing Unbounce template and changed a few colours, text, and moved things around a little (view my version here).  The purpose of this exercise is less about design, and more about making changes that I think can increase conversion.

What I Changed…

• Design: The original design is too text-heavy and seems to be trying to squeeze everything “above the fold”.  I tried to space things out a bit more while keeping the main call-to-action (CTA) front and centre.  I made the images of the actual software larger because I think people want to see what it looks like at a glance.  I also got rid of the too-alarming red testimonial and buttons.
• Logo: I didn’t change the logo, but moved the “#1 Cloud Accounting Software” near it, like a tagline.  The purpose of this is to highlight exactly what NetSuite is, at the same time as lending credibility of being #1.  Most importantly, anyone who Googles “Accounting Software” and lands on this page will know they’re in the right place.
• Headline: The original headline (#1 Accounting Software) is about the company, NOT the customer.  I rewrote it to “Accounting Software that Isn’t Another Cost” as it now describes what it is (accounting software) and it’s main benefit (not another cost but a business enabler).  As a bonus, the intended audience (accountants and business owners), will appreciate things that aren’t just adding more costs to their financials.
• Main blurb: The original landing page main text (More than 20,000 organizations….etc.) has too much text.  I condensed these to highlight the most compelling benefits into four lines of text.  The key is that they “lead-in” to the main CTA by saying “find out how” to do these things (by taking a two minute tour).
• Call-to-action: The original page’s main CTA was “Free Product Tour”.  I don’t know what that means, am I signing up for a webinar or am I going to be taken to a recorded webinar?  Also, business owners and accountants don’t have a lot of time, how long will this tour take?  Assuming the product tour is a video (and assuming it’s short), I changed the CTA to “Take a Two Minute Tour”, as it’s more clear, concise, and let’s users know how much of a commitment they’re making.
• New “Second Section”: I added a somewhat new section where it says “Business is Sweeter on NetSuite”.  All I did was copy and paste those text-heavy points from the original page, but displayed it with icons to make the information more visual (note: these icons are from the original template and don’t match the actual text).
• Testimonials: Ugh, text only testimonials don’t lend a lot of credibility.  I copied and pasted the original testimonials into the template that has actual pictures of people! (note: the images of the people are from original template, they are not actual people who gave the NetSuite testimonials).

What I’d Test…

By no means is this redesigned landing page perfect (nor is any landing page).  Here’s a few things I’d recommend NetSuite try testing:

• SMB vs Enterprise: The problem with both the original ad and the landing page is that it doesn’t identify who NetSuite is for?  If it’s not for SMBs, NetSuite is wasting a lot of its PPC budget by not identifying it as an “enterprise platform” or accounting software perfect for companies of X size, because smaller companies are still going to click on ads if they thing it’s for them.  And if NetSuite is for every type of business, there should be a different landing page (and even demo) for smaller businesses that those of larger organizations.
• Explainer video:  Sometimes explainer videos can help increase conversions, and sometimes they can hurt conversion.  I’d test one on the homepage, but making sure to keep it short and entice people to want to learn more.
• Images of people:  I’d test using a big main image of maybe someone smiling, or someone working on their accounting.  Sometimes making a human or emotional connection can do more for conversion than a software screenshot.
• CTA:  I’d definitely try testing different CTAs (not to say NetSuite isn’t doing this already).  Is there a free trial available, a case study, or a white paper?  Try them all, test them all, see what works best.
• Form on page:  If you click on the “Free Product Tour” in the original landing page, you’re taken to a long sign-up form on a different page.  I’m not a huge fan of making people click off a landing page just to go to another one, so I’d try adding the form on this page, or perhaps the form appears in a lightbox instead of on another page.

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