A landing page is what your prospects land on after clicking through from a display ad, an AdWords search ad, or any other type of promotional link through an email marketing campaign. (You might also want to read Getting started with successful email marketing campaigns.) These hyper-focused web pages are designed for just one purpose: to convert visitors. What then are the secrets of designing a highly converting landing page ?
Whether that conversion goal is to get people to buy a product, or to book a consultation, it can be accomplished by strategically arranging different persuasive elements on your landing page. A good landing page provides a clear pathway for visitors into your virtual store. But creating a landing page isn’t as simple as putting your product or service on a pretty page. So… what are the essentials of designing a highly converting landing page ?
10 essential elements in designing a highly converting landing page
There is no standard manual on the creation of a perfect landing page but here I am explaining some essentials designing a highly converting landing page.
Essential Element 1: Killer Headlines
A headline is where everything begins — interest, attention, and understanding. The headline is your first and most critical action of a landing page.
Here’s what it needs to accomplish:
- The headline should grab the reader’s attention.
- The headline should inform the user what the product or service is all about. Note: If your headline complements an image that explains the product/service, then you’re good.
- It should be short — never more than twenty words, and preferably only ten.
Essential Element 2: Pictures
The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. A user will be affected by the images on your landing page immediately.The pictures should be large.The pictures should be relevant to your product or service.
If you are selling a physical product, it is essential that your landing page contain an image of the product.If you are selling a service, then the primary purpose of an image should be to grab attention, and demonstrate relevance to the product. Make sure that pictures are of high-quality.
Essential Element 3: Keep Your Headline Consistent
One of the worst things that can happen to a visitor when they land on your page is seeing something completely different from what lead them there in the first place. Make sure your headline matches your message.
What you should do:
- Consistent headlines across pages and platforms
- Keep titles to 70 characters
- KISS — Keep It Simple and Straightforward
Essential Element 4: De-clutter for max Clarity
Having too many links and images can clutter up your landing page. Include links such as sales and promotions to take visitors to the relevant parts of your website and show them all the images and videos. Remember, a landing page is merely a stepping stone to your website and clearly has a conversion objective, so stick to what you want to achieve.
What you should do:
- Only the most significant images and links should be on your landing page
Essential Element 5: Mind the Fold
The fold is the point beyond which the visitor must scroll down to see what’s on your landing page. Keep all important parts of your products and services above the fold so that the visitor can see what’s important before they leave.
Leave most media below the fold with teasers above so users will want to scroll down for a better look. Too much media can be distracting, so keep it simple. For example you can make a short mention of your offers above the fold with invitations to scroll down and / or click to see more.
What you should do:
- Keep your call to action (CTA) and lead capture form above the fold.
Essential Element 6: Write Better CTA’s
The CTA is your invitation for visitors to dig deeper. Make sure your potential customers know what will happen when they click the button. A good CTA is short yet conveys its message clearly. Having a CTA that is easy to see and read will help guide visitors through your conversion funnel.
What you should do:
- Start with an action (“Get Started” rather than “Signup Form”)
- Make this short and sweet: 3–5 words max
- Make it the most prominent feature of your web page: use contrasting colors
- Keep your CTA above the fold
- Try to avoid the boring “Submit” button
- Some examples are Get Discounts, Save Now, and Get Your Free Copy
Essential Element 7: Optimize Your Lead Capture Form
The lead capture form is the section of the page where visitors usually have to fill in their personal information such as name, email address, etc. Because people who fill in this form will most likely be interested in your product or service, having their information can help with further marketing efforts like email marketing.
As online marketing consultant Mona Elesseily puts it — “a form is…a process of easing into a relationship — and not a sudden event.” Forms that are too long may scare prospective leads as the form will look tedious.
What you should do:
- Keep forms short 3–5 fields to fill in like name, email, etc.
- Immediate visibility is very important: it is ideal that this form is above the fold
- Show you have a privacy policy — many people will be reluctant to share their private information so ensure your visitors that they can trust you with their information
Essential Element 8: Invest in a Real Visitor
Your landing page may be the first time a visitor has seen your page. You want to optimize it for visitors by testing your landing page thoroughly.
Ensure that all links lead where they should. In-house testers, though experienced, may not have the right perspective since they already know what’s coming. When conducting a usability test, share only the basic information with them and let them navigate as they would as a visitor. Then closely monitor and request them to point out any difficulties faced, including any ambiguities. Ask them to predict what a button would do and see if they are right.
What you should do:
- Hallway testing
- A/B testing
- Expert review
- Remote usability testing
- Automated expert review
Essential Element 9: Create Separate Landing Pages
So what now? You’ve created your landing page with great organization, easy to fill in forms, and an enticing CTA, what’s next? Keep your landing pages separate for each channel, product, offer etc. Alternatively, you can create separate tags for each channel, so that you can understand your referral traffic and find out what is working well for you.
Compartmentalize and segment your market. For example you may have a separate and highly targeted landing page for email marketing, while your landing page for Facebook page may display all categories of products you offer with each category leading to a specific page on your website.
What you should do:
- Create a landing page for each channel
- Create tags to identify each referral channel to your pages.
Essential Element 10: Make Your Landing Pages Shareable
This is optional, but it’s another great way to drive more visitors to your landing pages. Include social media sharing links or a social sharing widget on your landing pages so visitors can easily share that content with their own personal networks, and in turn, drive more opportunities for converting leads.
Conclusion:
A landing page is the place where all your efforts come to fruition. This is the place where customers click, people buy, and you make revenue. make sure you do it right You need to spend significant efforts in designing a highly converting landing page. You can implement each of these 10 essential ideas, as you do so. And once you’re done, do some A/B testing, and keep improving. The process of creating a landing page is never finished.
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