A landing page is defined in digital marketing as a standalone webpage created expressly for advertising or marketing purposes. This page is typically where website visitors “land” once they click on a promotional link in an email, on an ad from a social media site, or on any similar link they find on the web. Landing pages are designed with a single purpose in mind—that of converting site visitors into potential clients or customers. To this end, landing pages usually contain a call to action (CTA). The CTA might come in the form of a simple button that moves visitors into the checkout flow or a fillable form that collects their contact information.
Naturally, internet users who find their way to your company’s landing pages won’t simply give you their money or sensitive personal information willy-nilly. You’ll need to craft a targeted, well-designed page that will incentivize visitors to do as you ask them to do. Working with companies like SearchWorks that offer not only web design services, but also other complementary digital marketing services, is a surefire way to produce high-converting landing pages for your business.
The following best practices can help you create a standout landing page that’s sure to capture visitors’ undivided attention:
Clarify the Goal of Your Landing Page
As mentioned above, landing pages are created to drive conversions. Hence, before all else, you’ll want to identify the type of conversion you want a particular landing page to generate. The following are among the most common conversion goals for corporate landing pages:
- Facilitating sales – These landing pages aim to encourage quick purchases by featuring a specific product. Users are then given the option to add the featured product to their cart or go directly to check out from the landing page.
- Generating leads – These landing pages collect the contact information of internet users interested in the company’s product or service. Members of the company sales team can then follow up with these prospects to facilitate their eventual conversion into paying customers.
- Raising brand awareness – These landing pages encourage users to add themselves to mailing lists, blog subscriber lists, or any other groups in which they can learn more about the company and its offered products and services. The aim of this type of landing page is to help build relationships with prospective customers by granting them access to engaging content.
Write Clear, Concise, Persuasive Copy
A compellingly written copy is vital for encouraging site visitors to complete your CTA. One important principle to bear in mind is that your copy should be as succinct and direct as possible. Assume you only have a few seconds to capture visitors’ attention and guide them toward the action you want them to take. With this in mind, communicate how your brand and offerings can benefit these visitors in clear, accessible language. Using second-person pronouns, “you” and “your,” instead of writing completely in the third person will give the impression that you’re addressing them directly and make them feel more engaged.
Incorporate Attention-Grabbing Visuals
People tend to process images faster than text, so adding equally compelling visuals to your landing page can work to your advantage. For example, using a header or banner image can help communicate important ideas such as your brand’s message, its target audience, and its key objectives. Images are also great for eliciting emotional reactions from viewers, which can help secure their investment in your brand.
One important tip about incorporating visuals is to make sure that they’re just as responsive on mobile devices as they are on desktop. The last thing you want is for mobile users to navigate away from your landing page because it loads too slowly. Compressing your images is one way to make sure your landing page looks good on all devices without sacrificing loading speed.
Position Important Information Above the Fold
Devices with varying screen sizes will naturally display your loading pages differently. Hence, you’ll want to always place essential information like your headline and your CTA “above the fold”—that is, towards the top of the page. This guarantees that visitors can’t miss it, no matter the size of their screen or where the bottom of their browser window ends up.
This is not to say, of course, that you shouldn’t place any content below the fold. On the contrary, once your above-the-fold information grabs the attention of visitors, engaging below-the-fold content will encourage them to keep scrolling and learn more about your brand.
Remove Navigation and Competing Links
Your landing page should focus solely on urging your visitors to heed your call to action. Any additional navigation and links, including those that go to other pages on your website, will distract them from doing so. It’s best to simply remove your website’s navigation bar from your landing page and keep it free of any internal and external links that might serve as exit opportunities for visitors.
While it might seem like there’s a lot to keep in mind for designing a single page, the conversions you stand to get from well-built landing pages will make the effort worth it. Start by implementing the basic principles mentioned above and you’ll be converting more visitors into customers before you know it.
