Landing pages: What are they and how do you create one that drives conversions?

Unlike your website's homepage, or other pages where you can find a variety of links directing customers to various places, a landing page is designed for one specific purpose. It's often created to persuade people to take a specific action, such as registering for an event, downloading an ebook, or signing up for a trial. Ideally, it features one prominent call-to-action button, along with a form to collect user information in exchange for an offer. 

Why are landing pages effective?

Let's say you run an online advertising campaign for a new product you're launching. If you route visitors who clicked on your advertisement to your website's homepage, they may end up browsing around and consuming more information than necessary. This lengthens the conversion path and takes the user's attention away from the reason they clicked on the ad in the first place. But when you send them to a landing page with targeted and distraction-free messaging, it will be easier to persuade them to take a desired action.

While there are many good tools out there that help you build and customise landing pages from templates, here are seven best practices to keep in mind while creating a landing page on your own. 

Craft a good headline

Your headline will be the first thing a user notices when they arrive on your landing page, so you need to ensure it sparks enough curiosity to keep them hooked. After all, a landing page is meaningless if a visitor leaves the page immediately without attempting to read further. Make sure that your headline is:

• Short and crisp

• Clear and informative—it should outline the value you're offering

• Not clickbait, so it doesn't mislead the visitor

Keep your content concise

The rules for headlines also apply to your copy. Your content needs to be clear and to the point, with all the essential information needed to prompt your visitor to take the next action. Landing pages convert better if your copy and main image are above the first fold. Whether you're writing a brief paragraph or using bullet points to highlight the key benefits of your product/service, ensure that your content includes appropriate keywords and is free of any distractions.

Use a strong call-to-action (CTA) button

Your landing page must have one specific goal. And to make sure you attain that goal, you need a clear call-to-action button that encourages the user to perform an intended task. 

Here are some tips for creating an effective call-to-action button:

• Position your CTA button strategically on the page.

• Use a striking colour for your button so that it stands out from the background.

• Use active words in your button to prompt the user to take immediate action. For example, if you're trying to get people to sign up for a business event, you could say, "Reserve your spot now!" instead of the more standard, "Register." 

Simplify the process

Though getting detailed customer information can help your business in many ways, your landing page isn't the right place to do that. Your chances for conversion will be drastically reduced with the more personal information you ask. A study analysing 40,000 landing pages found that on a form, reducing the number of text fields from three to two can significantly improve conversion rates. The next time you use a form on your landing page, make sure there aren't too many fields for the user to fill out.

Highlight your best testimonials

We've always emphasised how important customer testimonials are, and how effective they can be in promoting and growing your business. Getting people to see others' positive experiences with your brand may influence them to take the desired action. In fact, Nifty Marketing found that most of the top-converting landing pages on the internet have social proof as a common element.

Optimise your landing page

Page loading time plays a crucial role in user experience. This is important to keep in mind for your landing page. The longer a person waits for your page to load, the more likely they are to leave. That's a conversion lost. In fact, according to Neil Patel, even a one-second delay can reduce your conversions by 7%.  Consider compressing your images and making your website both mobile and desktop friendly so that your landing page is easy to consume.

Try A/B testing

Once your landing page is ready, it's time to test it out. To maximise your conversions, try A/B testing your pages to refine them and determine which versions perform better. Try changing the CTA button, its placement and size, your headline, or your main image to find the arrangement that works best.

We hope this blog helps you create great landing pages for your business. Are there any more topics you'd like us to cover? Let us know in the comments below.