A recent study by marketing automation platform Omnisend found that, compared to other types of signup forms, landing pages have a conversion rate of 23%, which makes them one of the more effective tools in generating conversions. A landing page is an extension of your main website that houses some kind of offer like a white paper, brochure, or guide that can be downloaded in exchange for contact information. This helps generate leads that you can then nurture with additional sales and marketing content.
Traffic to landing pages can be directed via email marketing, organic social media, or pay-per-click (PPC) ads, to name a few channels. However, not all landing pages are optimized for conversions, and a landing page that isn't can be a missed opportunity — and a waste of money if you’re paying for ad traffic. Here, we’ll lay out some key things to keep in mind to optimize your landing pages for conversions.
What to consider when designing a landing page
Before getting into the components of an effective landing page, let’s take a high-level look at what to consider when building a landing page designed to make visitors convert. First, you want to account for message match and attention ratio. An ad and its corresponding landing page need to match in terms of the messaging and visual look or feel. To do this, include a matching phrase or image that is featured in both the ad and the landing page. This reassures the visitor that they are in the right place for the offer that was advertised.
As for the attention ratio, make sure it is 1:1 — design your landing page to have one goal, whether that is to prompt visitors to sign up for a newsletter, download a white paper, or buy a product. A landing page that has multiple goals can be distracting to the visitor, which could reduce your conversion rate.
What are the components of an effective landing page?
Now that we understand what a landing page is and what it should do, let’s look at the individual components of a landing page that can entice your target audience to take a desired action.
- Unique selling proposition. A unique selling proposition (USP) has two parts: the headline and the supporting headline. The USP demonstrates why your offer is unique compared to similar offers. The headline is the first thing visitors will see when they visit your landing page so it is essential that this describes what visitors can expect from your offer. A great headline is short (around fifteen words or less), grabs the visitor’s attention, and informs them about your offer. The supporting headline adds some extra information to the headline. It can either provide additional information or a persuasive message that is related to the headline.
- Hero shot. A hero shot is likely to be the first visual on your landing page — it could be an image or video of your offer in context. For example, a company that sells athletic sneakers may have a video of someone putting on a pair of sneakers. This is the first impression visitors will have of your offer, so use an image or video that is on-brand and informative.
- Benefits and features. The benefits and features section is the part of the landing page that gets into the specifics of your offer. Consider the top two or three needs your buyers have and how your offer is the solution for those needs. Once you’ve established that, describe the benefits of your offer and back those benefits up with the features your offer provides. The benefits of your offer can appeal to the visitor’s emotions, and the features provide the logic for the visitor to buy your offer.
- Social Proof. Social proof is a way to demonstrate your brand’s credibility to the visitor. There are many ways to display the social proof such as testimonials, media that your brand has been featured in, before and after statements from past buyers, and an FAQ section. An FAQ section is particularly useful because it can help create a sense of trust and credibility in your landing page visitors.
- Call-to-action. Finally, provide a call-to-action button so that your landing page visitors have the opportunity to complete the desired action. Place the CTA button near the top of the page so that visitors don’t have to scroll through the rest of the landing page to find it. When designing your CTA button, be sure to use action words and bright contrasting colors to grab the attention of the landing page visitors.
BONUS: How to add a little extra wow to your landing pages
Now that we’ve covered the components of a landing page, let’s review some bonus elements you can incorporate into your landing page to take it above and beyond.
Consider adding an explainer video to your landing page. An explainer video is a short video that highlights aspects of your offer, how it works, and how to use it. According to Wyzowl, 96% of visitors watch explainer videos, and 89% reported that watching a video convinced them to purchase a product. Additionally, an explainer video can be used in other marketing campaigns and shared on social media.
Another tool to keep visitors engaged is an exit-intent popup. This popup is triggered when it seems like a visitor may leave the page and it provides an offer to draw the visitor back to the page. These offers can include discounts, downloadable content, or signups for newsletters when visitors provide some information like their name and email.
To spur quick action from visitors, implement a countdown timer that displays when an offer will begin or end. Countdown timers can help create a sense of urgency or scarcity surrounding your offer to prompt a visitor to make a purchase. Be careful though; do not implement a phony countdown timer — this could negatively impact the way visitors view your company and/or offer.
With these tips and techniques, you can create landing pages that are more likely to generate conversions and help grow your database of contacts. We also have insights on how to optimize your website for organic search and how using high-quality images can help increase the SEO value of your website. You can also drop us a line and we’ll connect with you soon.
