Success: the feeling you get when someone fills out your opt-in form, completes a purchase, signs up to your email, or whatever the desired end goal is on your website. You created the perfect landing page and got your visitor to sign up. Congrats! But what else did you do? Did you take full advantage of that conversion? Likely not.
Typically, when a visitor completes an action on your site, they’re immediately sent to a thank you page. Most websites, however, have lackluster thank you pages that barely meet the expectation of the visitor.
They also miss the chance to further engage with visitors, move them along to another section of the website, make a sale, make it easy for them to follow the brand on social media, and so on.
All those missed opportunities that could have been taken advantage of with a good thank you page. A simple “thanks, and here’s your ‘whatever’” just doesn’t cut it. A visitor who has already completed an action on your website is much more likely to go a step further but if all you offer is thanks, you leave them hanging.
In this article, I’m going to show you what you need to create the perfect thank you page. From the simple “What is a thank you page?” to ideas on how to optimize your thank you page for engagement and conversions, I’ll cover it all.
Let’s do it:
What is a thank you page?
First up, what is a thank you page?
Simply put, a thank you page is a page that website visitors are sent to directly after they’ve completed a goal on your website.
That could be signing up for your newsletter, opting in to receive your free guide or ebook, completing a purchase, reserving a spot in your webinar, etc.
Whatever the end goal is, your visitor should be directed to a thank you page immediately after completing the required action (likely filling out a form).
Why do you need a thank you page?
So why do you need a thank you page?
The most basic function of a thank you page is to confirm the action the visitor just completed (i.e. “Thanks for signing up to our newsletter!” or “Your order is confirmed”).
But, in reality, it should do much more than that.
Have you ever filled out a form or completed a purchase then were directed to a page that was unclear, unorganized, or unprofessional?
Maybe a simple white page that just says, “Thank You” or “Order Confirmed”.
We all have.
What kind of feeling did that page inspire?
Did it draw a reaction? Did it leave you feeling reassured you made a good decision? Did it make any connection with you?
Likely not.
A page like that fails to connect with people and, ultimately, leaves your visitors left high and dry.
It leaves a huge opportunity on the table and all that effort and energy trying to get that person to convert is wasted.
Not only that, a poor thank you page can leave a bad feeling in your visitor’s stomach. A page like that fails to reassure the visitor that they made a good decision (typically referred to as “buyer’s remorse”).
They may even decide to forgo engaging with the thing they just signed up for (if it’s guide, maybe they end up deleting or never reading it, if it’s a product, maybe they decide to cancel the order).
It’s clear that the visitor is engaged with your offer and your company. They went so far as to complete whatever action you required of them. So why wouldn’t you put more effort into your thank you page?
A thank you page is an opportunity for so much more.
To propose that question again, why do you need a thank you page?
It’s not to just simply confirm a completed action, but also an opportunity to engage with your visitors more and ultimately, a chance to move your visitors along and deeper into your sales funnel.
But not only do you need a thank you page, you need a good one.
So, let’s cover what you need to start:
What your thank you page should include
First, your thank you page should include the obvious, “thank you” in one form or another (thanks, congratulations, order confirmed, etc.).
This confirms the visitor has completed the desired action.
Next, the page should include clear instructions on how to proceed. If they just signed up for a free ebook, let them know that it’s on its way to their inbox and they can expect it shortly. Or, include a clearly-stated, easily visible button that says “Download your guide”. Whatever it is, make sure the visitor knows exactly what to do.
Finally, it should include a strong call-to-action (CTA). Your CTA should be easily visible, well-defined, and move the visitor to the next step. This might be a further resource (like a blog post), checking out your product, or even just sending them back to the homepage.
To reiterate, your thank you page at the very least should include:
- Thank you (to confirm)
- Exact instructions on how to proceed
- A strong call-to-action
But, that’s just the start.
A good thank you page offers more. It offers a way to further connect and add more value. It can be an opportunity to drive traffic to other content, nurture leads, get someone to purchase something, acquire customers, and so on.
So let’s move onto some ideas for doing just that.
Thank you page ideas (to increase engagement & conversions):
Below, is a list of ideas to consider adding to your thank you page. At the very least, you should include the points I mentioned above (and will further detail below).
Beyond that, think about how these ideas will work for your company and how you can implement them into your own page. Don’t go overboard adding every last idea. Think about what you want the visitor to do next after visiting your thank you page and go from there.
Thank or confirm
I want to reiterate to actually include a thank you or confirmation message of some sort.
This should be as clear as possible. This lets the visitor know they’ve completed the required action and they can expect whatever it is they’ve signed up for.
Provide clear instructions
Going along with the first point, you need to make sure you actually provide the value you promised and the visitor knows how to get it.
If it’s a free guide or ebook, include a large button on the thank you page that says, “Download your free guide” so the visitor knows right away how to get it.
Or, if you’re sending it via email, tell them exactly that and when to expect it: “You will receive your free guide in your inbox shortly.” Also, think about including a contact email if they having any trouble downloading it or never receive it.
Restate value of original offer
Next, you want to restate the value of the original offer. If it’s an ebook, state what it is, what is included inside the book, and what the visitor will learn by reading it.
You want to make sure the visitor actually reads the ebook they just signed up for. You, or someone within your company, likely spent a lot of time creating it. Plus, it’s a chance to educate your audience and position yourself as an authority.
Also, if this free offer is part of your sales cycle, you will likely have an easier time reaching out to them if they actually engaged with your content and found it useful.
By restating the value, you can curb any hesitation or “buyer’s remorse” the visitor may have, and make sure they take advantage of the resource they signed up for.
Recommend additional articles or other resources
Your thank you page can be a great way to direct people to further content. They already found your offer enticing enough, they will likely be interested in others you have to offer.
You may consider adding some of your most popular posts to the page or you can get a bit more specific like adding content that relates to the offer they signed up for. For example, if they signed up for a landing page optimization guide, you can direct them to your post on landing page design tips.
Additionally, if the visitor just signed up for your product or service, you may include resources on how to get started, FAQs, or other help related pages.
Finally, you may even want to consider how your thank you pages fit into your overall content strategy. For instance, you may want to create content specifically for these visitors (optees) only. This might be an article (related, helpful tips), a further free offer (like a template), or an exclusive video course. By offering an exclusive piece of content to only those who signed up, you can create a stronger connection and give the visitor a feeling of being valued.
Add social sharing buttons
This is a place where a lot of pages fail, surprisingly, since it’s so simple to set up.
Adding social sharing buttons to your page makes it easy for visitors to share your offer. Even if you included social buttons on your landing page, it’s a good idea to include them on the thank you page as well.
The visitor may not think about sharing until after they sign up or they may want to complete the form to see the next step before sharing with a friend or colleague.
Ideally, you want to set the social sharing buttons to share the original landing page and not the thank you page.
Invite them to follow you on social media
This too is another simple one that I’m surprised more companies don’t implement. The visitor is already engaged with your content and your company. Thus, they are much more likely to follow you on social media.
By simply including a few links to your social media profiles (choose a select few, don’t list every single network out there), you give the visitor a chance to easily follow your brand and get updates on your new content.
Refer a friend bonus
This method was instrumental in helping Dropbox grow to the hugely popular cloud storage platform it is today. The idea, essentially, is to offer the visitor extra value for referring a friend and getting them to sign up too.
In Dropbox’s case, they offered (and still do) additional storage space for free if you referred a friend and that friend signed up for a Dropbox account.
This created a viral campaign that helped Dropbox explode in popularity.
However, it’s a strategy that you could implement into your thank you page. By simply offering added value (like a coupon code, free sample, extended free trial, extra credits, even additional free content) in turn for referring a friend, you encourage the visitor to share your offer, engage with your company more, and get some “free” promotion in the process.
The example below encourages visitors to refer friends and earn free products. They make it easy for them to share by including a copy & paste link as well as Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons.
Include social proof
Remember when I said that a poor thank you page can sometimes leave you regretting your decision (resulting in “buyer’s remorse”)?
One of the best ways to curb that feeling, and let visitors know they’ve made a good decision, is with some social proof.
By adding positive testimonials (from real people, don’t make them up), the visitor can get real feedback and confirm they’ve made the best decision.
If your offer was a free ebook, then include some testimonials from people who read it and found it useful. This lets the visitor know it’s worth reading.
You may also include testimonials about your business (like how great your customer service is) or product as a whole. This can encourage visitors to move further along in your sales funnel and check out your product.
Add comments
It may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but adding comments to your thank you page can be another way to engage visitors.
Let’s say you’re offering a free ebook, by allowing comments on your thank you page, you can give readers the chance to comment what they thought of the book, share their own ideas, or ask questions.
Just be sure to provide some text encouraging visitors to comment and allow them to come back to the page so they can comment later.
The example below by Social Triggers uses this method. The page allows people to comment with their excitement and what they think of the book. It’s also a chance for further communication between them and Social Triggers.
Ask to sign up to newsletter
If your opt-in process did not automatically add visitors to your email newsletter, then this would be a good time to do so.
They already find your content useful and are engaged with your company, by simply including a signup form for your email newsletter, you can get additional signups and grow your list.
Add to calendar option
If you’re offering a free webinar, or maybe even a free event, adding an “add to calendar” option on your thank you page is a must.
Often, people can sign up for a webinar and never actually attend. They get caught up and forget all about it.
However, adding an “add to calendar” option, for say Google calendar, can ensure the event is put on their schedule and they won’t miss it.
Sign up for a webinar
If you offered a free piece of content like a guide or ebook, you could also include a related webinar you have on your thank you page.
The visitor already found your content useful and enticing enough, they will be much more likely to sign up for your webinar add this point.
Create an account
If your visitors landed on a thank you page because of a purchase they just made, then this can be a good time to get them to sign up for an account for your site.
For instance, if you’re an e-commerce site, you may include a form for visitors to create an account immediately after purchase (if they did not create one during the buying process).
However, make sure to educate them on the value of doing so. You may include something on them having the ability to check the status of their order, see tracking info, or earn rewards. This will make it more likely they’ll sign up.
The example below does just that. After completing a purchase, the visitor is presented with an option to create an account. There’s even a strong indicator (in the form of an arrow and large, orange box) directing the visitor’s attention to the signup. They tell the visitor they can earn loyalty points and receive future discounts to encourage signups.
Include related products or up-sell
Again, if you’re an e-commerce site, you want to take advantage of that precious space on your thank you page, rather than simply confirming the order.
Now is a good time to showcase any related products or products that go hand in hand with the one the visitor just purchased. For instance, if someone just bought a grill, you may show a few grilling accessories like a grill spatula, tongs, an apron, charcoal, etc.
These are all things they may need and including them on the thank you page can lead to another sale.
Also, you can use this opportunity to upsell a product. This can be especially useful for a SaaS company. Say a customer just purchased your lowest plan, you may offer the chance to upgrade while including some information on the benefits of doing so. Maybe you offer a special offer or discount at this point to get them to upgrade.
Or you may offer an a-la-carte option to go on top of their subscription plan. For instance, if you have an email tool that allows users to find email addresses, and the lowest plan includes finding 50 emails a month, you can include an option to buy another 25, 50, or 100 emails.
Include a survey
You can also use your thank you page as a feedback and research tool.
By including a survey, you get can some much-needed insight into your customer’s problems and whether you’re helping to address them.
Visitors are already engaged at this point, so they’re much more likely to provide some feedback or fill out a survey.
The example below from Harry’s includes a simple one question survey at the bottom of the thank you page. However, visitors are more likely to answer the survey at this point and Harry’s gets some customer feedback that can help them decide what type of subscription plans to offer.
Offer a coupon code
Offering a coupon code on your thank you page can be a good way to push the visitor deeper into your sales cycle and get them to make a purchase.
Also, it may be an added value they weren’t expecting when they signed up for your offer. Thus, creating a feeling of excitement.
If visitors aren’t acting on the offer, you may include an expiration date or countdown timer to encourage them to act quicker.
Include video
Video can be a great way to further connect with your visitors. Video offers you a chance to represent your company or get across a point that you just can’t do with text.
For instance, if you want to give the visitor a deeper understanding of your brand culture, video is a great way to showcase the personality and characteristics of your team.
Or, you may use this as a chance to educate the visitor about your product.
Video also tends to convert better. In fact, including a video on a landing page can increase conversion up to 80% and 64% of visitors are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video (Source).
Include a low-price offer
Another idea is to include a low-price offer. Customers who purchased from you before are more likely to purchase from you again than a 1st-time buyer. Repeat customers also tend to spend more.
You can facilitate this process by offering a low-price item on your thank you page. It’s an easier decision for the visitor to make and they get a chance to see the value you provide, how you deliver the goods and possibly address any other concerns they might have with purchasing from you.
The example below from Digital Marketer lists a low-price offer on their thank you page. At just $7, you can get their course on social selling. It’s way to get their foot in the door with the visitor and showcase the value they provide. A method that can lead to a future purchase of their more expensive courses.
Free consultation/demo
Another good idea for consultants, agencies, even SaaS companies, is to offer a free consultation or product demo.
By offering a free 30-minute consultation or demo, you get a chance to interact with the visitor more and move them along in your sales funnel.
The visitor is already engaged with your content and likely finds your company reputable. Now is the time to get them to sign up.
Automatically redirect
Instead of optimizing your thank you page, you may find it’s a better option to redirect the visitor to another page a few seconds after visiting the thank you page.
This would work for additional content that may lend itself to the offer the visitor signed up for.
Thank you page examples (to learn from and copy)
Finally, let’s take a look at some thank you page examples (so you can learn from them and “steal” their ideas). First, I’ll start off with the more mediocre or basic thank you pages. Then, I’ll progressively move on to the best ideas that have taken full advantage of their thank you pages.
Let’s take a look:
This first example by Sage is presented after signing up for a free guide. The page is simple but does meet the basic requirements of a thank you page.
It thanks the visitor and provides them with the downloadable resource they signed up for. However, the overall design is very bland, and while they do have a link that directs the visitor to further resources on the Sage website, the link could be more prominent.
Sage, could instead, create a large, brightly colored button that directs the visitor to the next step (in this case, more helpful content on their site).
Additionally, while the page does include some social sharing buttons in the page footer, these appear to be more of an afterthought and are so tiny, could easily go unnoticed. Making these buttons larger and more prominent in the page body text (perhaps under the thank you message) could entice visitors to share this page (and the guide they just downloaded).
This thank you page is presented directly after signing up for the Zappos email newsletter. They touch the few basic requirements for a thank you page: thanking the visitor for signing up, restating the value the visitor is getting by signing up, and what to expect. They also provide details on how to contact the company if needed.
However, Zappos could still make better use of the page. They may consider adding extra value by offering a special coupon code just for email subscribers.
Also, while their main navigation is still present, there are no recommendations to direct the visitor further along. Zappos could instead include some graphics of different product categories for the visitor to navigate to. Or they might include a “check out our latest sales” link.
Finally, no social sharing or “follow us” buttons are present. The visitor already signed up because they’re interested in following Zappos. Therefore, they’re already engaged with the brand and would likely follow Zappos on Facebook or Twitter. However, they don’t offer an option to easily follow them, so they miss out.
Taking a look at this thank you page, presented by CopyBlogger after creating a new account, we can see they have a simple design yet manage to hit the few basic requirements. They thank the visitor for joining, include detail on what to expect from the membership, and include a clear call-to-action (in the form of a large, red button) to proceed through to the site.
However, CopyBlogger might take this opportunity to showcase a few of their featured posts rather than having the visitor click straight through. Also, it would be a good idea to include some “follow us” buttons for their social media accounts so visitors can quickly and easily follow the brand.
This thank you page is presented after signing up for a free PDF from Infamous Musician. The page thanks the visitor, lets them know how they can get their PDF (by email and downloading it) and restates the value.
Not only that, it also provides a few more blog posts to check out and a chance to comment at the bottom of the page (there is even a link in the PDF back to this page so people can return to comment after reading).
Still, the page is missing social sharing and “follow us” buttons missing the chance for free promotion and getting visitors to follow them on social media.
The above page is presented directly after signing up to Backlinko’s email newsletter. The page is basically part of a two-page process. However, I included the above screenshot because I wanted to showcase the detailed instructions.
After signing up to the newsletter, the visitor is provided with very clear instructions (with accompanying screenshots) on what to do next. There is no confusion on what to do next. The visitor knows they need to confirm their email and this ensures they don’t forget.
This thank you page by the Consulting Success is presented to the visitor after subscribing to their email newsletter. Rather than simply saying thanks, the founder, Michael, greets subscribers with what to expect from signing up.
The video offers a more engaging medium than simple text. In addition, the page also provides a clear call-to-action with a large, blue button that states, “Learn how to attract more clients.”
It’s an enticing offer that directs visitors to the next step, keeps them on the site, and moves them further along in their sales funnel.
The above thank you page by Neil Patel is presented after signing up for one of his webinars. Rather than just thanking visitors for signing up, he also provides additional details on what to expect from the webinar and the value you will get by attending it (in text and video).
He also includes options like “add calendar reminder” and text message notifications to ensure visitors don’t miss the webinar.
Finally, he includes a survey at the bottom of the page to get feedback from visitors to answer their specific questions and provide the best possible experience.
Overall, the page offers good detail and further engages the visitor. However, Neil might also think about including some social proof (in the form of testimonials) possibly from past webinars. This would help reassure the visitors they made a good decision to sign up and encourage them to show up to the webinar.
Also, he might think about including social sharing buttons to encourage visitors to share the webinar with friends, colleagues, or members of their team.
This thank you page by Freshbooks is presented after signing up for their free ebook, “Breaking the Time Barrier”. Rather than thanking the visitor, they congratulate them for signing up for the book.
Not only that, they provide social proof for reading the book. Positive testimonials from those who have read the ebook reassure the visitor that they’ve made a good decision and should proceed with reading the book.
People can sign up for these ebooks but never commit to reading it. The added testimonials give the sense that the visitor needs to read the book and that it’s worth dedicating their time to doing so. Ensuring the ebook (that someone likely spent a ton of time creating) actually gets read and gives the company a chance to connect with readers.
This thank you page is shown to the visitor directly after signing up for a free ebook from Impact. While the overall design of the page could maybe use some work (it’s a bit bland and unappealing) the page does make an effort to move visitors further along.
In addition to providing clear instructions for accessing the ebook and a large, clearly-stated download button, the page provides additional resources the visitors may enjoy.
These resources are additional ebooks the visitor may be interested in reading. The page also has “follow us” buttons so visitors can easily follow the brand.
This thank you page is presented after signing up for a free guide from Optimizely. Instead of simply saying thanks (which they do) they also take the opportunity to present a few additional resources to further engage with visitors.
They provide an additional set of tools to download for free, give the opportunity to register for a contest they are offering and encourage the visitor to explore their community.
Also, they provide clear instructions on how the visitor will receive their new guide (via email) but also give them the option to download it from the page in the form of a clearly-stated, large blue button.
Overall, the page does a good job in trying to further connect with visitors and direct them to additional pages on their website.
However, one more thing they could consider adding are “follow us” buttons. They have some in the page footer but making them a more prominent feature on the page would encourage visitors to follow their brand.
The above thank you page by Uscreen is presented after signing up for a free PDF. The page has a similar layout to the Optimizely page above. It thanks the visitor but also uses the opportunity to offer them a free trial signup.
This is a good place to get the visitor to sign up. They are already engaged at this point and since the book is related to their service, the visitor is likely interested. By giving them an easy option to sign up and listing the benefits of their service, they can increase subscribers.
Here is another great thank you page example. This one is presented directly after signing up for a free guide from WordStream.
The page hits all the basic requirements: it thanks the visitor and tells them how to download the guide by putting “click here” in giant lettering.
However, it also provides additional detail to further engage with visitors. First, they offer a video to learn more about their product and the benefits they provide.
They also include an additional form to receive a “Free Adwords Performance Report” that is clearly visible and drawn to by the large, bright, orange button to the right.
This allows WordStream to further engage with visitors who may be potential customers and put them into a lead nurturing process.
Finally, they have social media icons for visitors to easily click in order to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
One of the better examples in this guide, the above thank you page by Kissmetrics is presented after signing up for their email newsletter.
The page first confirms that the visitor is subscribed. Next, they use the page to talk more about their product, what it is, the features, and the value you will get by using it. They also include a clear call-to-action to start a free trial for the product.
Finally, social media icons are present on the page (albeit in the footer) to allow visitors to easily follow the brand.
Finally, this last thank you page by Fizzle, is what I believe to be the best example on this list. The page meets basic requirements like thanking the visitor but offers a ton of a value beyond that.
First, they provide a few recommended articles (drawn from their most popular posts) for the visitor to continue onto. Next, they include a video that showcases their brand and who they are as a company.
Finally, there is a note from the CEO at the bottom with a special offer for blog subscribers.
Fizzle does a fantastic job of optimizing their thank you page to further engage with their audience. Their additional content offers extra value to subscribers and lets them get to know more about the company and what to expect.
Stop creating terrible thank you pages.
Now you know just about everything there is to know about thank you pages and what makes a good one.
So stop creating lackluster, boring thank you pages and create one that engages with visitors and moves them to further action.
You’ve got a list of ideas, and examples to copy, so go put them into action.
What has been your most successful thank you page tactic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post How to Create the Perfect Thank You Page: An Epic Guide appeared first on GetResponse Blog - Online Marketing Tips.
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