Building a landing page and getting it up and running has never been easier. You could do it in mere hours. But building a landing page that works is a different story. That takes the best practices for landing pages.
Find out the tried-and-true practices for landing pages that encourage conversions from a lead or customers and reduce cost-per-acquisition.
Make Sure Your Landing Page Matches the Ad
It’s important to send visitors to a page that aligns with their expectations. When you match your landing page to your ad copy and design, you show the visitor that they’ve made a “good click.”
For example, running an ad for budget rentals, don’t send your visitors to a page of luxury resorts. They’ll just click away. If you have an ad with multiple headlines, create variant pages or use Dynamic Text Replacement to ensure the message matches.
Craft a Benefit-Focused Headline
Some of your visitors will bounce no matter how good your landing page is. You can keep that number low by showing visitors what’s in it for them when they click on the ad, which comes from the headline. This should clearly and concisely communicate the value of the landing page and what you have to offer.
Include a Clear, Direct Call to Action
The call to action (CTA) is the most important element of your landing page – this is the element that encourages conversion. The CTA button needs to stand out, so it should be in a contrasting color with clear copy that tells visitors what you want them to do. Use action verbs like “download,” “sign up,” or “get it now.”
Keep the Offer Relevant
Your landing page is part of the journey to the ultimate offer of the product or service. However, this offer is something you’re providing in exchange for the lead’s personal information. It must be compelling enough to make the visitor want to give their information but still relevant to your business.
For example, if you sell products for off-roading, you could offer an exclusive ebook about how to outfit a Jeep for off-roading for first-timers. You wouldn’t want to include an article about towing, even if some products fit in that segment because that’s not what brought this customer here.
Keep the Core Message Above the Fold
“Above the fold” refers to the upper half of the newspaper’s front page (back when they existed). Now, it refers to the area of the page visible on the screen before the visitor scrolls down.
With both print and online pages, the above-the-fold area is valuable. Keep the headline, unique sales proposition, and the CTA above the fold, so the visitor sees them immediately. However, don’t make this page cluttered; too much will make it difficult to see the CTA.
Use Directional Cues to Encourage a Scroll
Even if the most important information is above the fold, you’re unlikely to get everything to stay above the fold. Include visual indicators that encourage the eye downward and encourage the visitor to scroll down.
You can use blatant indicators like arrows or animations or keep it subtle with copy that keeps visitors reading – and scrolling. You should use similar indicators to help visitors find the CTA, such as bold, contrasting colors or clear, obvious buttons.
Include Visuals for the Product or Service
The landing page is a great place to show off your product or service in a real-world context to help the visitor visualize it in their daily lives. Use photographs, step-by-step animations, demo videos, or infographics to hold the visitor’s attention and make them want to learn more.
Include Social Proof
Modern consumers are savvy. They know when they’re being sold to. Social proof can add authenticity to your landing page and claims to help sell the product or service.
But it has to be authentic. Avoid using fake reviews from names like “Satisfied Customer.” Include personal details to help them feel more real, such as full names, jobs or industries, location, date of purchase, and portraits.
Only Ask for What You Need
Getting as much information as possible about your lead is important, but that depends on several factors. The information you include should be based on where they are in the buyer’s journey, how much trust you’ve built, and how acquainted they are with your company. A name and email are enough for many customers to nurture a new lead.
Eliminate Distractions
Exceptional landing pages have one conversion goal. The last thing you want to do is have a lot of links and distractions that can take your visitors elsewhere on the site. Eliminate site navigation, extra CTAs, links back to the homepage, or links to other product pages. Let your landing page stand alone.
Use Compelling Copy
Good copy doesn’t read like copy. It should always be clear, straightforward, and readable. Some products may need longer copy, but most are best with short, impactful copy in few paragraphs with bulleted lists.
Improve Loading Times
According to the Page Speed Report for Marketers from Unbounce, 70% of consumers said that loading time influences their desire to make a purchase.[1] If your pages take more than three seconds to load, they’ll click away.
This is a simple fix – remove unnecessary elements that will slow it down. Keep everything on the landing page purposeful and necessary. If you have images, make sure they’re optimized.
Keep It Mobile-Friendly
It’s no surprise that many consumers browse the internet on their smartphones. The screens are smaller and more limited in interactivity. And with the wrong elements, the load times will be agonizingly slow, hurting your mobile conversion rates.
Design a mobile-responsive landing page that adapts to different mobile devices. This adjusts elements like the layout for a vertical screen, font size for clicks, and the size of images for visibility.
A/B Test Your Landing Pages
A/B testing is important for your landing pages to ensure they convert. Test different aspects of your landing page, such as your headline, CTA button size, color, location, the order of the fields on your form, and more. Make decisions about the final version with the data, not your best guess.
Optimize for Search
You will be driving users to your landing page through ads, email, social posts, and more, but it should also be optimized with target keywords for organic search. When someone searches your keyword phrase, they should find your landing page organically. And when you target a keyword with paid ads, those words should be on your landing page.
Say “Thank You”
Once leads complete your form, remember to say “thank you.” You could show a “thank you” message on the same page – or ignore it altogether – but that’s not good business.
Saying “thank you” delivers the offer you promised, offers additional content, and allows you to thank them for their interest. In turn, your customer will be easier to market to in the future.
Build Better Landing Pages with Full Circle SEM
Instead of struggling to get a landing page that checks all the boxes for conversions, work with a professional agency like Full Circle SEM. Contact us today to see how we can build landing pages that convert!
Sources:
[1] https://unbounce.com/page-speed-report/
