Your first landing page gives you the chance to connect with your audience and convert them from casual visitors to interested prospects or even paying customers.
It's your chance to show them how you can use what you have to offer to improve their lives or solve their problems. However, this opportunity is frequently wasted...
What exactly is a landing page?
Your landing page is similar to a first impression—you only get one chance to get it right!
A standalone web page, usually NOT designed for search engines, but rather for humans
A landing page is designed to entice a visitor to complete a specific task, such as filling out a form, buying something, or signing up for a newsletter.
Conversion-optimized landing pages are usually not geared towards search engines (SEO) but rather focus on web traffic through google ads or other online marketing channels and prioritize effective benefit driven storytelling and to increase conversions.
Imagine it as the ideal way to promote your product or service and a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy, okay?
The great thing about landing pages is that you can make as many as you want, even for the same product. You can test different offers, headlines, copy, and pretty much any aspect of the page.
Many companies have increased their conversion rates over time by A/B testing different variations of their landing pages. We'll go over this in greater detail later.
What is the significance of a high-converting landing page design?
As the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover". The same cannot be said for landing pages. This is why:
Your landing page's UI/UX design is critical to its success in converting visitors into customers or leads. It's similar to picking out the perfect outfit for a first date—you want to look good and make a good impression.
A well-designed landing page will accomplish the same thing for you. It emphasizes what the visitor should do while lowering any distractions that might cause them to leave the page.
How to create a high converting landing page
In this article, we'll break down ten tricks to making landing pages that will knock your visitors' socks off! We'll go over objectives, catchy headlines, and text, plus make sure your page looks awesome on mobile. Get ready to hear your visitors say "Yes, please!"
Here's how to give your landing pages an extra oomph and skyrocket your conversion rate! Ready to take off?
1) Clearly define the landing page's goal
Make Your Objective SMART
Before creating your landing page, it's critical to establish a clear goal. I suggest you use SMART goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound.
Instead of simply saying "I want to generate leads", a SMART goal would be "I want to generate 50 leads from my landing page by April 30, 2021."
This goal is specific, measurable (50 leads), achievable (a realistic number), relevant (it aligns with your business objectives), and time-bound (by April 30, 2021).
What's the upside? This offers you an obvious objective to strive for, plus a way to assess the success of the page. This goal can be utilized to craft the page's design, text, and other components.
Say, if you're looking to generate leads, make sure you add a form to the page so visitors can submit a request for additional information.
Examples of Common Landing Page Goals
Some common landing page objectives are:
- Collecting leads (Lead gen pages): This can be done by having visitors fill out a form to request more information, sign up for a newsletter, or download a free resource.
- Selling a product or service: If you're selling a product or service, your landing page could be designed to persuade visitors to buy.
- Promote an event and encourage visitors to register: A landing page could be used to promote an event and encourage visitors to register.
- Encourage visitors to download a mobile app: If you have a mobile app, you can use it to encourage visitors to download it.
Remember to choose a goal that is aligned with your overall business objectives. One that you can measure in some way.
Doing so will assist you in determining whether or not your landing page was successful.
2) Create a Captivating Headline and Subheading
Your Headline Is Like a Book Cover
The headline of your landing page, like the cover of a book, is the first thing visitors will see. It's your chance to pique their interest and entice them to learn more about what you have to offer. A strong headline should be clear, and concise, and promise the visitor something.
Instead of "Our Product," a more compelling headline might be "Transform Your Workout with Our Revolutionary Fitness Product," which includes actionable language (transform) and a benefit (revolutionary fitness product).
The subheading is similar to the back cover summary.
The sub-title is comparable to a book's synopsis on the back cover - it offers more insight into what the user can anticipate from your product or service. The subheading should enhance what the headline guarantees and give more information about what the visitor will acquire.
For instance, for the headline "Transform Your Workout with Our Revolutionary Fitness Product," a subheading could be "Experience the benefits of our creative design and advanced technology."
This subheading emphasizes the headline's promise (transform your workout) and supplies precise info about what makes the product distinct (creative design and advanced technology).
3) Keep the design simple and clean
Less is more in this case.
When it comes to designing a landing page, less is more. An uncluttered layout can improve the visitor's experience by helping them focus on the most essential elements of the page.
Tips for a Simple and Uncluttered Design
- Use whitespace: Whitespace, also known as negative space, is the empty space around and between page elements. It aids in the creation of a sense of balance and allows the eye to focus on specific elements.
- Limit the number of elements on the page: A page with too many elements can be overwhelming for the visitor. Keep it simple with a headline, subheading, image, and call-to-action (CTA). Focus on the key elements.
- Make your copy clear and concise: Keep your copy brief and to the point. To break up long blocks of text, use bullet points or numbered lists.
- Choose a simple color scheme: Use a limited number of colors and a color palette that is consistent.
4) Use eye-catching, high-quality images
A picture is worth a thousand words
Visuals play a huge role. Appropriately selected pictures can aid in relaying your message while also making the page more attractive. Unfortunately, subpar images can be an eyesore and lessen the page's effectiveness.
Tips for Choosing the Best Images
- When selecting visuals to advertise your product or service, make sure they are relevant and linked to the product or service you are trying to promote. Steer clear of generic or random pictures.
- Use high-quality images: Low-quality or pixelated images can make your landing page appear amateurish. Invest in high-quality images or use reputable stock photos.
- Use images that tell a story: Your images should help to tell the story of your product or service in addition to being relevant and high-quality. They should aid in conveying the visitor's benefits and value.
Visual elements of a good landing page design
The most important aspect of any landing page is the copy. However, visuals are also essential. To improve conversion rates, including the following elements on your page:
- Strong hero image
- Trust badges that depict guarantees, data security, and payment methods
- Customers' logos (if you have them)
- Good typography and visual design that is inviting and simple to understand
- Call-to-action buttons that are distinct from the rest
You can use images to improve the effectiveness of your landing page and make a strong visual impact on the visitor by following these tips.
5) Use Persuasive and Benefit-Driven Landing Page Copy
Words Have Power
The copy on your landing page is the most important part in persuading the visitor to take action. It should be persuasive and focused on the user's benefits from your product or service.
Consider it a sales pitch in which you want to persuade the visitor that your product is the best solution to their problem or need.
Writing Tips for Persuasive and Benefit-Driven Copy
- Use strong and actionable language, such as "transform," "revolutionize," and "maximize," rather than weak or vague language that fails to convey the value of your product.
- Focus on the user's benefits: Instead of simply listing the features of your product, emphasize the benefits that the user will receive. Instead of saying, "Our product has a long lifespan," say, "Our product will last for years, saving you money in the long run."
- Include testimonials from satisfied customers to help build trust and credibility. This and can be more persuasive than even the best-written copy.
Continue reading to the end for our bonus section on persuasive copywriting and three tried-and-true formulas for crushing your conversion rates on landing pages in your marketing campaigns.
6) Include a Convincing Call-to-Action (CTA)
Your CTA is the last push...
The final push you give the visitor to take action is the call-to-action (CTA). It could be a button, a form, or a link that is clear and compelling.
The CTA should be the page's focal point, standing out from the rest of the design. The visitor may leave the page without taking any action if there is no clear and effective CTA.
How to Make an Effective CTA
- Use actionable language: The CTA should be written in a way that tells the visitor exactly what to do. "Sign up now," "Download for free," and "Begin your free trial" are some examples.
- Make the CTA visible and easy to find: The CTA should be visible and stand out from the rest of the page. To make it stand out, use a contrasting color or a larger font size.
- Variations should be tested: It is a good idea to test different versions of the CTA to see which one performs the best. This could include experimenting with different language, colors, and page placements.
7) Use Social Proof to Increase Trust
The Influence of Others is strong.
Potential customers are more likely to act if they see others doing so. It is the psychological phenomenon that causes us to seek advice from our peers on how to behave in certain situations.
On a landing page, social proof is an effective tool for establishing trust and credibility (and persuading visitors to take action).
Social Proof Examples
Here are some examples of social proof that you can use on your landing page:
- Customer reviews: Displaying positive customer reviews can help to build trust and credibility, as well as persuade visitors that others have had a positive experience with your product or service.
- Testimonials: Customer testimonials can be more persuasive than even the best-written copy. Show testimonials that highlight the benefits and outcomes that the customer obtained.
- Displaying the number of followers on social media: This can be a form of social proof if you have a large following. It demonstrates that other people are interested in your product or service.
8) Make the page mobile-friendly
First and foremost, mobile
Now, most people use their smartphones to access the internet and it's absolutely critical to optimize your website design and development for mobile devices.
Sidenote: Google's search algorithm now favors mobile-friendly websites, so if your landing page isn't mobile-friendly, it will also hurt your search engine rankings.
This isn't as important for landing pages since they are not usually optimized for search engines so much but it helps to illustrate the point.
Tips for Mobile Landing Page Optimization
- Use a responsive design: Make sure that the page adjusts to fit the screen size of the device being used. This is important to fit the page on a small screen and make it easy to read and navigate.
- Make sure the page loads quickly: A slow-loading page can be a pain for mobile users and result in a high bounce rate. Make sure to speed up the page by compressing images, minifying code, and employing a content delivery network (CDN).
- Simplify the design: As mentioned in Tip #3, the design should be simple and uncluttered. This is especially true for mobile, where a cluttered design can make navigation difficult on a small screen.
9) Use A/B testing to test and optimize the page
The Scientific Approach to Landing Pages
A/B testing, also known as split testing, compares two versions of a landing page to see which performs better. You can determine which version leads to a higher conversion rate by testing different elements of the page, such as the headline, CTA, or layout.
A/B testing is a useful tool for improving the performance of your landing page and increasing the return on investment of your marketing efforts over time. It's also a great way to learn what's working and what not.
Guidelines for A/B Testing
- Select a single variable to test: It is critical to test only one variable at a time in order to accurately determine the effect of that variable on the conversion rate. For example, you could test two different headlines while keeping the rest of the page the same.
- Use a large enough sample size: It is also important to test with a large enough sample size in order to obtain accurate results. This ensures that the results are statistically significant and not a fluke.
- Analyze the results and make changes: Once the test is finished, check the results to see which version performed the best. Change the winning version and test again to keep improving the conversion rate.
10) Use Analytics to Track and Measure Page Performance
It is absolutely essential to track and measure the performance of your landing page in order to optimize its performance.
Understanding how visitors interact with the page, what drives conversions, and where there may be room for improvement are all part of this.
You can gain valuable insights into the performance of your landing page and make data-driven decisions to improve its effectiveness by using analytics tools.
Tools for Monitoring and Analyzing Landing Page Performance
There are many tools available for tracking and analyzing your landing page's performance. Among the most popular choices are:
- Google Analytics: This free Google tool provides a wealth of information about your website's performance, including the number of visitors, traffic sources, and conversion rate.
- Hotjar: Hotjar shows you how visitors interact with your landing page, such as where they click and what they're interested in.
- Crazy Egg: Crazy Egg generates heatmaps and scroll maps that show you where your visitors spend the most time on your landing page.
Tips for Using Analytics to Improve Landing Page Performance
- Set goals and track your progress: Set goals for your landing page using analytics tools, such as increasing conversion rates or decreasing bounce rates. Then, over time, track your progress to see how you're doing.
- Identify areas for improvement: Use analytics data to identify underperforming areas of your landing page. For example, if you notice a high bounce rate on a specific page, you may want to make changes to improve the user experience.
- Test and optimize: Use your analytics data insights to inform your A/B testing efforts and optimize the performance of your landing page.
Use the proper landing page builder tools
There are many landing page builder tools available to help you quickly create a well-optimized landing page and generate leads or sales.
There are various solutions that can be the best fit when building your landing pages depending on your skill level. Here are my favorites:
Landing page with Webflow
Webflow is great if you want complete design freedom and are familiar with HTML and CSS. Although it is a visual website builder, it still employs the same terminology and concepts. There is some learning involved, but once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are limitless.
Landing page with Squarespace
Squarespace is ideal for users of all skill levels. It includes a plethora of pre-made templates and features to assist you in collecting leads and selling products.
Landing page with Instapage
Instapage is devoted to landing pages and claims to be the best landing page platform for marketers. Instapage is not free, but it includes many useful features such as A/B testing for experimentation, pre-built effective landing page layouts, and collaboration.
Landing page with Unbounce
Unbounce is comparable to Instapage. In comparison to Instapage, they provide more AI-based tools. Finally, it comes down to personal preference (and your wallet). Unbounce provides a 14-day free trial.
Landing page with KickoffLabs
Kickofflabs focuses on interactive giveaways and waiting lists. You can create buzz by allowing people to move up the waitlist by referring friends and earning points in your contest. Many startups have used this strategy to generate leads and momentum prior to their official launch.
Recap of the Top 10 Strategies for Creating High-Converting Landing Pages
We discussed ten tips for creating high-converting landing pages in this article:
- Clearly define the landing page's goal.
- Use a catchy headline and subheading.
- Maintain a simple and uncluttered design.
- Make use of eye-catching, high-quality images.
- Make use of persuading and benefit-driven copy.
- Include a strong and clear call to action (CTA)
- Use social proof to increase trust.
- Make the page mobile-friendly.
- A/B testing is used to test and optimize the page.
- Use analytics to track and measure the page's performance.
- Encouragement to Implement These Suggestions
Now that you have these tips in your arsenal, it's time to put them to use and begin creating high-converting landing pages.
Remember that the most effective landing pages are those that are focused on the visitor's needs and goals and use persuasive and benefit-driven copy to persuade the visitor to take action.
Bonus Section
What is the average landing page conversion rate?
According to Larry Kim, the industry average conversion rate for lead generation landing pages is 2.35%. This, however, is a low average. The conversion rate of high-converting landing pages is as high as 5.31%. The top 10% of unicorn lead generation pages convert more than 11% of visitors into leads.
That is quite astounding when you consider how much some businesses need to grow. It basically means that if your conversion rate is 1.5%, increasing it to 3% will allow you to double your business (which is still low).
What distinguishes a bad landing page from a good one?
High-converting landing pages adhere to a set of "landing page best practices" in order to increase conversions and generate more leads or sales.
A great landing page will address a specific target audience and provide a clear value proposition for how the advertised product or service can help them solve their problem or challenge. It can be a separate web page or a component of your overall website.
For a new founder, creating effective landing pages can appear to be a daunting task. But it doesn't have to be that way. Take these three simple formulas and apply them to create a high-converting, optimized landing page for your product or service:
3 Proven Methods for Creating High-Converting Landing Pages
1) Enter the conversation in the minds of your prospects.
Write an autobiography about your prospect, putting yourself in their shoes and going into all the details.
Where do they live, what is a typical day like for them, how many children do they have, where do they work, and how much money do they make?
Go beyond that and create a persona that includes how they feel and where they get frustrated, anxious, or waste time.
This exercise will assist you in feeling what your customers are feeling and truly understanding their needs and desires.
We can write something super specific and relevant to their reality once we understand who they are, how they think and talk, and what their struggles are.
2) Incorporate the AIDA Formula into your landing page.
- Attention: A strong headline, to capture the reader's attention.
- Interest: Explain what your product does in the most simple way possible.
- Desire: Explain how you can assist them in resolving their problem and why they should buy from you, the seller.
- Action: Make it simple for them to take the desired action by providing a single clear call-to-action button (buy now, sign up for a trial).
3) Incorporate These Crucial Elements Into Your Landing Page
- Headline (Attention)
- What is the big promise in the beginning? (Interest)
- Credentials (Authority) (Authority)
- Testimonials (Social Proof) (Social Proof)
- Bullets (Combination of Benefits & Features to build desire) (Combination of Benefits & Features to build desire)
- Choose one (What distinguishes it and makes it unique to this location?
- Offer (An offer is your product package with all the conditions, bonuses, special price, etc) (An offer is your product package with all the conditions, bonuses, special price, etc)
- Urgency (Why does the prospect need to act now, eg: Offer is limited to 10 spots or 48h) (Why does the prospect need to act now, eg: Offer is limited to 10 spots or 48h)
- Price
- Guarantee (Remove the risk with eg: 30 day money back guarantee) (Remove the risk with eg: 30 day money back guarantee)
- Invitation to action (CTA)
Answer These Bonus Questions
- What distinguishes this (your product)?
- What makes this product or opportunity so unique that it is only available here?
- What is the benefit to the buyer?
- Make a specific promise about how it will improve your prospect's life.
- How do I know it's true?
- Testimonials
- Study of Cases
- quotations from third parties
- Scientific research
What's stopping them?
Show the reader the true issue that is holding them back. The Magic Formula for Conversion:
- The real issue + the new mechanism = hope
- Expose the real (unknown) reason for their failure.
- Show them the tried-and-true solution to their problem.
- According to P90X, the problem is the plateau, and the solution is muscle confusion.
Who or what is at fault? (Common foe)
- Apple vs. PC battle (Windows & PC is the common enemy)
- The usual suspects include the government, the media, the IRS, Wall Street, the FDA, Big Pharma, a rigged game, and so on.
Why now?
- What is the reason they need to act now or they will miss out or something bad will happen?
Why should I believe you? (This concludes the emotional Sale.)
Don't bother with a resume. Use one of these story lines...
- The Expert
- I wrote four best-selling books.
- As seen on television
- How many tasks did he complete?
- The legend of Robin Hood
- Person was an insider (e.g., Wall Street) who learned a secret, then left, and now shares the secret with the rest of the world.
- I've walked in your shoes.
- How you found yourself in the same situation as the reader
- You faced the same difficulties.
Now you'll take their hand and lead them through the journey, showing them what to do.
How does it function? (The logical part)
- More evidence, as well as an explanation of the process or mechanism
- Specific Herbs in a supplement is an example of a health product.
What should I do to get started? (offers section)
- Introduce the service and describe how it works.
- Display testimonies
- False close (others have paid ten dollars for this, but you're not paying anything close to that today; don't reveal the price yet)
- Bonus
- Value stack with final price
- Guarantee
What have I got to lose?
- remind them that they must act if they do not want to be left out
- Don't come across as desperate.
- Use the Push-Pull method (Maybe this is not right for you)
- The traditional three options (Do nothing, do it yourself, let me do it for you)
Conclusion
Landing pages are essential components of any marketing campaign. If they don't effectively convert visitors into leads, you're throwing money away.
As a result, make sure to create a compelling offer, copy, and visuals. Remember to make it responsive and usable on mobile devices.
Today's website visitors connect via their phones and expect a flawless experience, so make sure to make your site responsive with mobile first website design and development.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products I’ve personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice and is for entertainment only. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.