How to create effective landing pages

So you‘ve been running ads, and are getting clicks, but the sales just aren’t what you thought they’d be. In this article we’ll talk about some key items to creating landing pages that convert. I wish I could tell you that there’s some secret design that works for all businesses, but unfortunately every business has different needs, users, goals, etc. The good news is that there are a few basic items you can apply to help give you the edge on creating pages that work for your business.

What is a landing page? In gereral terms, a landing page is a page that someone lands on after clicking your ad, email, or other form of marketing you’re using to generate traffic. This could be a page designed specially to measure results of a specific marketing channel or a homepage. Before you put your designers and developers to work, you must do a little strategy.

Gather your marketing team around, and let’s do some planning. The first thing we need to establish is the purpose of the page. What is the goal you’re looking to accomplish with the page. Are you looking for subscribers, appointment bookings, email addresses, webinar sign up, purchases? There are any number of reasons to create a page to drive traffic to, but your design must have a clear purpose. Maybe you have several goals that you’re looking to accomplish, but aren’t sure which one to focus on. My advice would be to look at each marketing channel and establish the purpose of the channel. For example, if you’re sending an email campaign and driving traffic to a specific page, the purpose could be webinar sign ups. When someone lands on whatever page you drive them to; whether it’s your homepage or a page specifically built to monitor your marketing channel results, you must have a clear goal. This should be done by having the correct CTA, also known as, call to action.

This brings me to my next point, be sure your CTA is clear and precise. You want to guide your users down to the next step in your process. I recommend only having one primary CTA, so that you don’t confuse your users. For example, if you’re looking to have someone “Add to Cart” you wouldn’t want to place a CTA next to add to cart CTA that would distract your users from completing the goal of the page. An example of this would be to “Save for Later.” You could place “Save For Later” somewhere else on the page, and not as a button. You want to be sure the CTA tells your users what the next step is. In my experience, you want to create the path of least resistance.

Another key component is good copy. Everything from your headline to your CTA must be well written and thought out. Once someone lands on your page, you are limited with time to keep their attention. The headline should be direct, benefit driven, and not overbearing. You want to keep in mind that your headline should be precise. If there’s anything I’ve learned over the last several years, it’s that a good headline doesn’t have to be complex. You can also use your sub-headline to confirm your headline statements and continue to build value. As far as copy, you want to ensure you have a good copywriter either on your team, or hired from outside. Copy on your site plays a bigger role than you probably know, and bad copy can be a killer for generating the results your hoping for.

Placement of key items is essential. Because we live in the age of mobile, we have even more limitations on the average time someone will give us to feel a connection to what we are offering. You want to maximize all of your content above the fold, and limit the amount a user has to scroll to digest your offer. You want to be sure that the most relevant information is listed early, along with having your CTA always in view. Some items you want to consider are: bulleted benefits, videos, photos, social proof, and CTA placement.

Social proof is key! Another key element to your page is social proof. We live in a world where in the online world, our trust has been broken. In general, people want to know that if they perform the action you’re requesting from them, that they aren’t the first and there are others who have had great results from

performing the action on the page. Be clear with your your users on where the proof is coming from. Is it content generated from other users? Is it some sort of award or recognition for quality? This is one of the most effective ways to build trust. Be selective in the proof you’re showing. Does it appeal to your target audience?

Just remember, keep it simple and don’t overthink the process. You’ll want to create a solid foundation and then build from there. If you’re new to marketing, it may be helpful to consult with a specialist to help you get things started. These are just a few basic guidelines to follow to help get your process going.

Have a great week!

Thanks, Elizabeth