Creating a high-converting landing page is not as easy as you might think! Sure, you can pick any domain name and use your favorite platform to create your landing pages, but that’s tough.
It takes time to build up an audience, which is why the first thing most people don’t do when they launch their business is designing a solid landing page. They offer their services free or for cheap, and hope people will like them enough to make a purchase later.
That’s just bad marketing — it creates no faith in your product or service. So, before you start designing, you must determine your main goal for this site.
Is it lead generation? Are you trying to gather emails from potential clients? Or are you looking to foster relationships with your peers? All three of these things require different styles of landing pages and messages.
This article will go into more detail about all three types of landing pages and some tips and tricks for each one. But first, let me tell you how much money you can save by using our best practices here.
We’ll be talking about paid versions of these types of sites below, but for now, we’ll focus on the free ones only.
Make sure the landing page is the right length
Even though you can create a short landing page with no other components, it is not recommended to do so unless the content is very solid and has enough messages to keep people coming back to view more of it.
Too short could make your visitors leave quickly if they are looking for more information or action items. This would be like going into a restaurant and only ordering one item–you need both food and actions to stay longer!
Landing pages that are too short could also negatively affect your conversions. If there isn’t anything significant happening, then why should someone pay money to access the rest of the material? Some users will simply choose another site at this point because there isn’t much incentive to visit yours.
The ideal length for a landing page is around three paragraphs at most. Three main points per page are the maximum number of opportunities an audience member will give you their attention before moving on to the next thing.
Use a strong theme
Your landing page should tell your audience what you offer, why it is important, and how to use you or your product for success.
If your landing page does not clearly state these things, people will search for them.
Landing pages that do not clearly explain their mission are confusing at best and misleading at worst. This can cost you business as potential customers may give up before making a purchase.
The strongest themes in marketing typically focus on offering a solution to an issue (for example, “Best Job Search Tools” or “Effective Time Management Systems”). These solutions always make a clear claim and promote consistency by staying within this frame.
This takes away some room for interpretation because the solution being discussed has already been predetermined. It also helps create continuity, which makes the reader feel more comfortable.
Your landing page doesn’t have to be about jobs to make a good first impression — but it should! A common mistake most marketers make is putting too much content into their message and/or using the wrong tone.
Avoid anything with lots of flashy features or advertisements; stick to simple and direct messages that appeal directly to the reader’s need for the service or product mentioned.
Focus on content of your landing page
One of the biggest reasons that landing pages fail to convert well is that they are not focused on offering valuable information to your audience.
As mentioned before, the goal of any good landing page is to get people to take action by creating a lead or buying a product.
But it takes more than just having interesting content to do this. You also have to make sure that the content is balanced and does not appeal to one side or the other.
Landing pages with only promotional material may generate some interest, but will not help you achieve your goal. If there’s nothing beyond a call to action, then what was the purpose of designing the page?
There must be enough value in the page to keep users engaged until he/she finds their ultimate goal for the site. This means ensuring that it teaches them something new or convinces them to take an action.
Does the page clearly state who the target market is? Are there pictures and illustrations that relate to the message? All of these things contribute to making the page very attractive and helpful to those looking for information.
Avoid using too many flashy features or sounds that can distract from the content. A subtle background noise or feature such as an animated GIF can add some depth to the page while still keeping it elegant.
Keep all graphics and fonts light and simple so they do not overpower the rest of the page.
Make sure your landing page is SEO friendly
When optimizing your landing page for the search engines, make sure you are not including keywords that do not relate to your business or website!
It is very important to use natural language when designing your landing pages. Try sticking to things like introductions, statements, questions, and answers. Avoid using too many adjectives or adverbs unless they are necessary.
There is an overuse of keywords in our society which can sometimes drown out what people want to read.
Test it to make sure it converts well
Testing your landing page is one of the most important things you can do before investing in production time. Make sure that you have all the components, which will include content, calls to action (CTAs), links, etc., and that they are identified!
Testing is an excellent way to weed out poor-performing designs or materials. By doing this frequently, you’ll get good at spotting problems so you can fix them.
Landing pages should be tested using direct comparisons. For example, instead of testing just your current design, test another similar design as closely as possible while changing some parts to see how effectively it conveys its message.
Use the right images
A landing page header, footer, and sidebar typically don’t need much content other than your brand name, target audience, or testimonials. But if you’re including more detail about the product or service, add an image to illustrate it.
Landing pages with no pictures are very boring. If there is not enough emphasis put on the picture, people will ignore it and skip past it.
Too many pictures can distract from creating a good experience for the reader.
Avoid using too many or heavy photos unless they enhance the message of the article. Keep them light and crisp to ensure the viewer can easily access the main topic.
Reference famous websites that use great pictures in various situations to get some inspiration. You want to make sure your photo does not look like every other one!
Interlacing colors is another way to emphasize the importance of the element. For example, red and green together create a strong color scheme.
Link to other pages on your site
One important thing about landing pages is their linking structure. Most good landing pages have an About Us page linked from the home or main page, then a Services or Products link that leads to additional pages, and finally, a team member link that takes readers directly into another area of the website.
This linking pattern helps create a flow for visitors. It gives them easy access to information by way of the links, and it reinforces the messages of the different areas of the site.
It also makes moving around the site more fluid as there are easier transitions between sections.
Make it actionable
A landing page with no clear goal or purpose will not do well because users have nothing to engage with! What does your business have that people need?
You can use your landing page to promote both internal and external products, but if you don’t know what you want to achieve then how are we supposed to help you?
Your landing page should tell us whether you aim to increase sales, collect emails or feedback, gather support, etc. If it doesn’t then why would anyone care?
If your audience can’t identify an outcome they’re looking for, then they won’t be interested in doing anything beyond checking out the rest of your site.
A good landing page gives the reader something specific to work towards, making the activity more meaningful than just clicking around. – Kaley Johnson
There are several ways to make content more actionable. One way is by using examples and stories. Stories connect better with our instinct to learn from the experiences of others.
Another way to make content more actionable is via questions. People love answering questions, so asking them is a great way to grab their attention and get them involved.
This article will talk about some simple ways to improve your landing pages’ actionability while being creative and interesting.