To have a website for your business is one thing. To create a high-converting landing page is another.
This is your ultimate guide to make your site visitors do exactly what YOU want them to do. As you get ready for your next landing page design inspiration, learn from some of these outstanding websites in 2017…
What is a Landing Page?
As many of us know, a landing page is a web page set apart from your website upon which visitors can arrive, or “land”.
Two major types of landing pages:
- Click-through landing pages
This type of landing page is designed to take visitors to the product page. In other words, the actual sale won’t take place on the landing page itself. The visitor will click through it to get to the product/service page where the transaction will occur. - Lead generation landing pages
Your email list grows through lead generation or ‘lead gen’, right? That’s what this type of landing page is for. It is also called a ‘squeeze page’.
It captures data from your site visitors the moment they ‘opt-in’ your sign up forms. Common data collected are names, email addresses, and phone number so that you will able to communicate with them through email campaigns, newsletter, and so on.
Purpose of a Landing Page
You can say that you have a successful landing page when visitors take ACTION. Your goal is to make sure they make it to the end of the page where they click on your call-to-action (CTA) button/s.
Your landing page’s purpose is to encourage visitors to:
- Buy something
- Sign up/subscribe for something
- Visit another target page
- Visit a physical location
- Take some other action (that will fulfill your ultimate goals for this page)
Top Tips to Create an Effective Landing Page
Here’s a sample from WordStream of what an ideal landing page looks like and some samples of best converting landing pages…
Source: WordStream.com
1. Clean and Organized Design
Whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a form, downloading a PDF, or signing up for a newsletter, always make sure for a visitor to convert.
A smart use of the following will help you design attractive landing pages:
- Theme colors
- Eye-catching images or videos
- CTA button colors, placement, and size
- Menu, sidebar, and other widgets
Here’s an example from Hotels.com
Source: Hotels.com via Buffer Social
2. Clear Call To Action
The mantra of your landing page should be as simple as ‘ABC’: Always Be Closing.
Buy Now. Learn More. Sign Up. Contact Us. See Our Samples. These are just some of the CTAs that are pretty straightforward. What do you want your visitors to do? That’s what you should be asking them, persuasively.
Don’t distract them with lots of other requests.
Below is a sample from Pocket. Notice how your eye goes right to the CTA?
Source: getpocket.com via Kissmetrics
3. Detailed But Well Packaged Information
Rich and informative content will give your page an SEO boost and helps people who need to know more about your business before handing over their information.
Source: Unbounce via Hubspot
4. Broadcast Offer Value Using Header
The headline and sub-headlines is broadcasting opportunity to promote the value of your offer.
For example…
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Remember, you have about 8 seconds to convince users your offer is worth pursuing. Click To TweetSome landing pages choose the main headline to contain their main value proposition and use the sub-headings to discuss the actual offer. So it’s absolutely important that your value is clear and convincing.
5. Neat and Enticing Opt-in Forms
Take a look at WebDAM’s landing page. The form itself has an excellent contrast of colors and neat features like the little icons next to the info you need to put in. The form is also shaped like an arrow pointing down as a cue that you’ll progress to the downloadable guide.
Source: WebDam via Hubspot
6. Narrow Focus – Keep It Simple
Research shows that the more choices you offer people, the longer they take to make a decision.
- Keep copy brief and make sure everything is relevant to its purpose
- You don’t have to send all of the visitors to your home page. Create dedicated landing pages for your marketing programs
- Use visuals to keep the focus on the most important features of the page
- Set off the core space of the page with white space and move admin links to the footer
- Make sure any header or side links don’t distract from the main purpose of the page
Source: Salesforce via Kissmetrics
See how Salesforce did it. There’s no navigation bar at the top, the few company links are placed at the bottom, and the CTA is a bright, catchy, offer. Even the social links are small and grayed out so that the focus is narrowed to the form.
7. Testimonials and Trust Signals
Trust badges and user testimonials give visitors impression that your offer and brand are trustworthy. It works best if you display logos of well-known brands you’ve worked with in the past, certain endorsements and recognitions you’ve received, or groups/associations that you are a member of.
Source: WordStream.com
8. High-quality Resolution Layout
Always keep in mind the user experience and how visitors would see your landing page. Keep the most essential parts of your message such as the logo, headline, CTAs, at the center top of the screen, with supporting features on the rest of the page.
Think of an inverted pyramid where the most important elements are at the top. H.BLOOM’s landing page is an eye candy because it uses high-resolution photography and lots of white space.
Need guidance on crafting effective landing pages? We’re here to help! Our virtual assistant service will provide you with a dedicated web designer so you can see the most important features of your business come to life in PC, mobile, or tablet. CALL 1-866-596-9041 to learn more.
We would love to hear if these ideas worked for you! If you have questions or any website related success stories, please leave a comment below.
Reference:
wordstream.com
blog.kissmetrics.com
blog.bufferapp.com
blog.hubspot.com
