When connecting with potential customers online, you only get one shot to make a good impression. You have to project competence and trustworthiness while also positioning your brand as the best choice to deliver the specific benefits your potential customer is seeking.
When someone clicks a link and winds up on your landing page, they’ve shown at least some interest in what you’re offering. However, you only have a brief window to truly capture their attention. Every aspect of your landing page design should drive them forward towards taking a specific action and moving forward towards a conversion.
Don’t worry if you’re new to creating landing pages, and aren’t sure where to start, because our complete guide includes everything you need to know. With just a few simple techniques, you can convert customers more effectively than ever before!
What is a Landing Page?
Let’s start with the basics.
A landing page is a static webpage designed to encourage users to take a specific action. It’s different from a home page, which presents a broad array of info on the entire site.
Landing pages play a key role in expanding your customer base and taking your business to new heights. However, in order to be effective, they require specific UX deliverables, word choice, and more.
Woorise is the easiest way to create lead generation landing pages, forms, quizzes, surveys, viral giveaways and popups to help you grow your business from a single platform. Explore templates
Instead, a landing page has a singular focus, such as:
- Purchasing a specific item
- Signing up for a free trial, newsletter, contest, etc.
- Encouraging a donation
By limiting the page to a single idea, landing pages create a clear value proposition along with an immediate call to action. Everyone who lands on the page immediately understands what’s being offered and how to get it.
Types of Landing Pages
There are different types of landing pages you can use. Which one you choose will depend on the action you’d like your website visitor to take.
Let’s take a look at some of the different types you can consider:
Squeeze Page
If your goal is to capture your website visitors’ email addresses, this is the type of landing page you want. By gathering their contact information, you can bring them into your digital marketing funnel and start building a relationship.
Squeeze pages offer something of value to website visitors in exchange for their email address. You might offer bonus content such as an ebook, white paper, or report. You could also offer access to an online course, training video, or even a free trial of your product. This is called a lead magnet.
Splash Page
The splash page is an intermediary page that appears usually when someone clicks on a content link, such as on a social media post. The primary goal of this type of page is not always lead capture. It can also be used to share an announcement or update, or to present an advertisement.
The example above is from Dreamforce. The landing page is used to inform website visitors that the company’s event is cancelled.
Lead Capture Landing Page
Lead capture landing pages are similar to squeeze pages. With lead capture landing pages, however, you try to get more information from your website visitor. So instead of just asking for their email address, you might also seek to get information about their work, interests, or geographical location.
For that reason, you wouldn’t usually use a lead capture page for first-time website visitors who are just entering your sales funnel. This type of landing page is for those who have already expressed an interest in your product. In the above example, this type of page is used for those who have expressed interest in a free trial of Salesforce.
This form is quick and easy to fill in, but gives us enough information about our prospective customer that the right member of the team can get in touch with tailored communications.
The primary purpose of lead capture landing pages is to collect leads. You can generate more sales-qualified leads with pay-per-click, paid, and display advertising, which you can incorporate into your landing pages. These lead-generation strategies bring immediate gains, especially for pay-per-click ads per dollar spent.
Image-based ads must include your brand logo to boost brand awareness. You may promote ads across your digital channels and email marketing for existing newsletter subscribers to spread the word, and monitor metrics, such as open and click-through rates.
In addition, Google Ads Management can help generate new visitors to grow your business and see more than a 500% return on your investment. To maximize results, professional Google ads agencies strategically refine your campaigns for optimal performance. Placing your ads on your landing pages, social media pages, and website partners can attract new, more diverse leads and customers.
Coming Soon Page
If you’re launching a new product or redesigned website, or have something else exciting in the works, then you should send your visitors to a Coming Soon landing page. This page aims to inform and to create excitement surrounding the upcoming release or event.
You can also use this type of landing page to capture contact information. For example, you might ask for an email address so that you can notify the visitor when the new product is released.
Make your Coming Soon page attractive by launching a timer similar to those used in holiday countdowns. If you’re in retail or e-Commerce, such a countdown timer can excite consumers as they wait for your biggest promotions of the year. Note that this timer should accompany your announcements across your social media pages and other online platforms.
You can expect more prospects with this landing page strategy combined with a massive digital promotion that amps up the excitement about forthcoming deals.
404 Landing Page
When something goes wrong on your website and a page is not available for some reason, you can direct your visitors to a 404 landing page. But this page can do much more than just inform them that the page is broken. A 404 landing page can also work as a lead generation tool.
Check out Optinmonster’s 404 landing page, above. This page takes the opportunity to offer website visitors a free case study in exchange for their contact information.
Thank You Landing Page
If your website visitors complete any of your desired actions, such as filling out a contact form, you can direct them to a landing page that thanks them for that action. You can also use this page to generate leads. The page pictured above from Orbit Media, for example, tries to entice website visitors to sign up for its monthly newsletter while they’re on the site.
Now that you know some of the types of landing pages you can use, let’s discuss some landing page best practices.
How to create a landing page
Consider the following scenario for a second:
You search for dog beds on Google search, and here are the options you get to see:
So you click on the first link…:
…which redirects you to Pedigree’s landing page…:
…where you can browse for a host of dog food options and complete the purchase:
Sounds simple enough, right? But the catch is this: There is a lot of effort that goes into ensuring that your brand emerges on top of the Google search list. In fact, most brands with the best landing pages don’t use their “Homepage” or “About Us” page as the landing page.
They strategically design a ‘separate’ page to create conversions by eliminating any and all kinds of distractions (read: competing links, navigation, alternate options, etc.). In the end, the idea is to capture the user’s complete, undivided attention.
In technical terms, we call this ‘effort’ landing page optimization. So why should you optimize your landing page? Here is what the data tells us:
- When targeted correctly, a landing page can boost conversion by up to 300%.
- Around 48% of top landing pages are ranked in Google Maps and organic search query results.
Long story short, your ‘landing’ page is an integral piece of the marketing puzzle. At this point, you might be wondering about what a landing page entails. Simply put, a landing page is characterized by two key elements:
A. It can be any website page that has a specific purpose–primarily, to convert website visitors into qualified leads and boost conversion rates.
B. It typically comprises of two types of pages:
- Lead generation: It captures the visitor’s contact information (think: name, email ID, phone number, etc.) using a lead form in exchange for offers such as free eBook, webinar access, etc.
- Click-through: It throws light on the brand’s product/service/offers and tries to convince the onlooker to make a purchase using a CTA button (in the following example, the CTA button would be the ‘orange’ button, “Email Agent):”
Now that you have a fair understanding of what a landing page is, let’s look at some time-tested, expert-approved landing page best practices. Keep reading.
1. Create Clear Headlines
Headlines are important throughout your website but especially so on a landing page, where people expect immediate information on whatever led them there.
Keep the headline clear and direct. For example, you have a landing page focused on a contest to win a Playstation 5. Make sure the headline tells the reader this page is where they enter.
- Ineffective Headline: Do You Want a Playstation 5?
- Effective Headline: Enter Today to Win a PlayStation 5!
Also, notice how it’s immediately clear what you could win. While that’s natural for a contest, make sure you’re also applying it to other types of landing pages. For example, say you’re trying to build an email list by creating a daily newsletter about stocks.
- Avoid: Sign Up for Our Newsletter
- Use: Sign Up for a Daily Stock Tip Sheet Delivered Right to Your Inbox
Uber’s headlines on this landing page for would-be drivers illustrates this point:
They don’t spend time confirming the page is for those interested in driving, because the marketing funnel that brought them here has already filtered them as such. Instead, Uber immediately pushes the idea of flexibility and the ability to earn as much (or as little) as you want.
2. Keep All Headlines And CTAs ‘Above The Fold’
First off, let’s breakdown what we mean by ‘above the fold.’ Basically, you need to ensure that your Call-To-Action buttons, headlines, and all the other important sections are visible as soon as someone lands on your landing page. Why?
The logic is simple. If you are going to expect the user to scroll through and search for meaningful information, you might as well say goodbye to them. People need to understand “What’s in it for them” from the get-go instead of mindlessly browsing a page that may leave them confused, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Here’s an excellent example of a landing page that highlights the important CTAs (Schedule a demo and Talk to a Specialist), the brand USP, the contact information, etc. above the fold:
3. Write Relevant, Clear, and Strong Copy
Maybe you’ve heard of solution-selling. Until quite recently, it’s been the backbone of advertising copy. With solution-selling, you attempt to understand what the customer is trying to accomplish and present reasons why your product is superior to the competition.
However, this approach doesn’t apply to today’s consumers. Harvard researchers discovered that solution selling is no longer effective. People have access to all the information they need to learn about the solution your type of product provides.
Instead, potential customers want to learn about the benefits of whatever you’re pitching. Tell them the specifics of how your product works, and they’ll decide on their own if it meets their needs.
For example, check out this landing page from Jaybird Headphones:
They make headphones for enthusiasts of outdoor sports. While they touch upon why you want certain features in outdoor headphones, they mainly trust that’s the info you already know. So, they dive right in by detailing its wireless capabilities, weather-resistance, and other factors the audience already knows to look for.
4. Remove Distractions
First, identify the clear goal of your landing page. Do you want customers to download an ebook? Do you want them to buy a holiday-themed product? Stick to the point of your landing page, and don’t deviate from it.
This tip can feel counterintuitive. After all, the person on the landing page is already interested in one item or service you offer. Doesn’t it make sense to showcase what else your brand has to offer?
Actually, it can feel misleading. People wound up on your landing page for a specific reason, and anything besides that can feel like a bait and switch.
Check out the simplicity of Pocket, an information storage platform:
The moment you land here, you’re instantly told what the site is and how it works. Plus, the still video image next to the text features the logos of prominent companies, quickly implying endorsement and prestige.
5. Maintain Brand Alignment
Even if your landing page is about a specific event, make sure all design elements reflect your brand’s look. Use the same fonts and style as your existing pages. You don’t have to use the exact same colors, but they should be close.
For example, check out this Valentine’s Day page from Target:
As a standalone image, you might not necessarily know it’s a Target page. However, imagine you clicked on a link in an email you received from the retailer. If you’re expecting Target, the logo makes a lot more sense, and the red in the letters becomes more apparent.
The purple tones further establish that the person has landed where they intended. Of course, the title says “Valentine’s Gift Ideas,” but the addition of purple tells us that this is a special event because it’s deviating slightly from the traditional Target color scheme.
When brand alignment is done well, it’s not something most people notice. Instead, they quickly, perhaps even subconscious, confirm they’re in the right place. However, imagine clicking on a link to a Target site only to land on a page loaded with blue and yellow. You’d probably think you landed on something related to Wal-Mart!
6. Use Visual Images, Videos, and Graphics
While the words on the page help drive the reader towards an action, images capture a visitor’s attention first. The human brain processes the basics of an image in as little as 13 milliseconds. Your landing page should have an image that instantly conveys two ideas:
- The brand
- The specific focus of the page
Zales has an excellent example of image use:
The rotating slideshow shows bright, clear images of different rings. Plus, the slideshow effect helps emphasize how these rings are customizable. Each high-resolution image presents different features that you can mix-and-match to build your own unique ring. It’s an excellent, well, marriage between a type of visual (rotating slideshow) and the information it’s meant to convey (you can select any of the features shown).
Additionally, images provide an opportunity for SEO benefits. Give each image a descriptive title and alt tag. For instance, avoid titles like IMG_123.jpg. Instead, go with Zales_Pink_Diamond.jpg.
The average visitor might occasionally see these titles, if they hover over the image, but real people aren’t the target audience here. Instead, adding descriptive titles to images helps improve your site’s placement in search engine results. Search engine spiders consider all of the text when ranking a page, including titles and alt tags.
7. Include Social Proof
Social proof can have a tremendous effect on your business, both positive and negative. People look for trust signals when evaluating a business, and the presence of people using a business (or lack thereof) is highly influential.
Personal referrals still play an important role, but most social proof is internet-based. It takes several forms:
Customer Reviews
Even if you do everything right, you’ll likely still have to deal with at least some negative reviews on sites you can’t control, such as Yelp and Google Maps. The best strategy is to engage with negative reviews head-on.
Politely apologize, offer to provide solutions, and then guide the person towards direct messages. Even if you can’t solve the situation to that person’s satisfaction, future customers will read your replies and appreciate your commitment to problem-solving.
Testimonials
Place short quotes from happy customers throughout your website. Make them relevant to the content. For example, place a quote praising your company’s excellent customer service on your Customer Service page.
Get proactive by eliciting testimonials from customers. If you’ve delivered great service to a client, ask if they’ll write up your praises. In return, offer them a discount on a future order.
Zendesk, a widely-used customer service management platform, offers a robust and engaging testimonials section on their site. You can search by industry, so you can find people who have used the platform in the way you plan to.
Case Studies
Case studies are a more elaborate type of testimonial with detailed specifics on the customer’s experience. They’re often ideal for more complicated services that aren’t necessarily easy to see. For instance, if you create marketing campaigns for websites, a case study helps illustrate the tactics you use to increase brand awareness for your clients.
8. Optimize Your Lead Generation Form
Do you have forms on your page? Every detail matters.
First, always remember the customer’s POV. People will only fill out forms if they’re clearly getting something in return. Place the benefits of signup in a headline directly above the form.
- Don’t Use: Join PokerPlayers Today!
- Use: Get Free Poker Tips Daily!
Reiterate this information on the button. Instead of “Sign-Up,” use more descriptive language such as “Sign-Up for Your Free Daily Tips.” Even better, instead of buttons, use clickable images (along with descriptive text).
Do you have a fairly extensive signup process? Consider multi-step forms. They present one question at a time, which must be answered to move forward to the next. It helps prevent an intimidating wall of queries that many users will balk at. When using a multi-step form, make sure to include a progress bar along the bottom.
Kickstarter does form design at a superstar level. Setting up a Kickstarter project seems complicated and time-consuming, but their signup forms let you hit the ground running.
You select a basic project category, write a 135-word description of what you want, select your country, and attach some payment information. A three-step form is all it takes to turn someone from a landing page visitor to an account holder.
9. Create a Clear Call to Action
No matter where in the conversion funnel this visitor is, the Call to Action (CTA) button is where they take the next step, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or otherwise connecting more with your brand.
Make the CTA button stand out. While it shouldn’t overwhelm the page, make it large, colorful, and clear. Also, use exciting and dynamic language – and include a verb. For example:
- Try for Free
- Start My Free Trial Now
- Send Me More Info STAT
As far as placement goes, the rules have changed. Place the CTA at the bottom of the page – that classic placement will never go out of style. But you also want the CTA immediately visible when someone first lands on the page. Many designers put the CTA along the side of the page, too, so it’s always at the ready.
Finally, limit your CTA to a single idea. For example, a visitor shouldn’t have the option to sign up for a newsletter and order a free ebook.
PetAmberAlert is a service that broadcasts an emergency missing pet notification throughout a targeted area. As you can see, their CTA is quite compelling. It uses active, emotional language that clearly states the benefit. Plus, the bright yellow box stands out immediately from the black background.
10. Optimize for Multi-Device
Get this: There will be over 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world by 2021. Goes without saying that not designing your landing page and making it compatible across devices and screen-sizes–especially the mobile–will be a ‘missed opportunity’ of gigantic proportions.
That said, the customers today are increasingly going omnichannel in the way they browse and shop online–they may start with the buying experience on their desktop, move onto their mobile while on-the-go, and end up on their tablets. According to Google Research, an overwhelming 98% of Americans switch between devices on the same day.
All in all, as a brand, you should strive to convert leads through your landing page no matter which device your visitor is using to connect with your product/service. To that end, here are the top-5 tips to follow when it comes to multi-device landing page optimization:
Design a different, standalone page for every device for an optimal viewing experience (as shown below). A standard design across all pages will not fit the bill:
Make sure to factor in key design elements such as screen sizes, resolutions, and formats for all device types. Keep the design neat, clean, and simple as SquareSpace does across its landing page and mobile designs:
Ensure that the content is short and the headlines are pithy. Keep in mind that the page loading time across every device is fast, no matter the type of content, or you will risk losing customers:
11. Add a Live Chat Widget to Reduce Bounce Rate
If your visitor has made an effort to click on an ad and land on your landing page, they should be equipped with the best kind of customer service possible. And one sure-shot way of delivering an exceptional customer experience is by making use of intuitive live chat software.
With customers already pretty used to Facebook and Instagram live chats, they have come to expect speaking to a customer agent in real-time–be it for getting their queries addressed or simply getting more information about the products/services available. This allows you to capture leads and connect with people instantly, more personally, and in real-time. Here’s an example of a great live chat post-click landing page that makes use of a catchy headline, informative video, and eye-grabbing CTA button:
12. Keep The Navigation Simple
The power of simplified navigation cannot be stated enough. All users want today is a simplified, minimalistic navigation style. In fact, many brands do away with the navigation bar altogether, allowing the reader to singularly focus on the information at hand or engaging in a specific action, without any unnecessary distractions:
Unsurprisingly, the second variation (with no navigation) led to an increase in the conversion rate by 100%.
13. Optimize PPC Ad Headlines
Imagine if you’re running an ad on social media about running shoes. Your user clicks on the landing page and suddenly is greeted with information about athleisure clothes. No points for guessing that your users will be left confused, bound to leave the page and never come back again.
In contrast, look at the following example where the Facebook ad and the landing page design are in sync with respect to the messaging, the overall aesthetics, and the design.
The point we are driving home is this: You need to align the goal of your ad campaigns with your landing page content, design, and messaging in order for it to be effective.
14. Update The Landing Page Regularly
This one’s a rather obvious suggestion, but it needs to be said in print: Your landing page should always be updated. In other words, presenting outdated information can be off-putting for your customers.
When we say ‘updating,’ we mean you can play around with the background colors, font style, imagery, CTA buttons, etc. The idea is to remain fresh and prevent fatigue in the user’s mind.
15. Make It SEO-Optimized
SEO optimization for your landing page is an absolute must if you wish to remain on good terms with powerful search engines such as Google. To that end, here are a few best practices to keep in mind when drafting an SEO-optimized landing page:
- Make sure that your landing page’s URL is unique and uses the right keywords based on your target audience.
- Keep changing your “Title” tag (which is different from the Header tag) using SEO-optimized keywords.
- Use your landing page headline (in a more concise manner) as the content for the header tag.
- Create a stellar copy for the meta description that can help readers understand exactly what the page entails.
- Name your images using relevant keywords that explain the purpose of using said image/graphic.
- Make sure to backlink your published page across your website/blog/other third-party vendors so that Google can authenticate its veracity.
16. A/B Test Different Versions Of Your Landing Pages
Whether it is the content of your page, the images, the layout, or the CTA, A/B testing your landing pages is vital to understanding how well your page is performing and converting users. Perhaps your headline isn’t up to the mark. Or maybe, users can’t understand where your CTA button is. The more you test, the better you’ll understand what’s working and not working when it comes to your landing page.
Making informed decisions based on data and numbers can provide real results. Moreover, you can use heat maps to understand how your users are interacting with the landing page, which sections they are visiting, how long they’re staying on a particular page, etc.
Final thoughts
A well-crafted landing page is a powerful tool that can significantly boost your business’s online conversions. By focusing on clarity, minimizing distractions, and providing a clear call to action, you can guide visitors toward taking the desired steps—whether that’s signing up, making a purchase, or learning more about your services. Remember that the key to a successful landing page lies in its simplicity and singular focus on driving action.
As you design your landing page, it’s essential to implement best practices like optimizing for multi-device compatibility, using strong headlines and relevant imagery, and ensuring that social proof and compelling copy are present. Incorporating features such as live chat widgets and keeping the page aligned with your brand will further enhance user experience and build trust. Regular updates and A/B testing will allow you to fine-tune your landing page over time for the best results.
Ultimately, a successful landing page can turn casual visitors into leads and leads into loyal customers. By following these guidelines and continually optimizing your page, you’ll create a dynamic marketing asset that not only captures attention but also drives sustained business growth.
