The landing page is a very useful and valuable tool because it allows you to capture consumers’ attention, clearly and conspicuously communicate the value of your offer, and maximize conversions.
To succeed in all this, you need to know perfectly how to design and optimize a landing page. Before that, however, you need to know exactly what we are talking about. Ready? Let’s get going!
What is a landing page and why it is critical for conversions
The landing page is a critically important element for anyone who has to design a Web site and is grappling with a conversion-oriented marketing strategy.
In practical terms, it consists of a “landing page” (or “destination”) where users arrive after clicking on an ad or link. The landing page has the express purpose of welcoming site visitors and converting their clicks into concrete actions, be they leads or direct purchases. Unlike the homepage and other more institutional site pages, the “landing page” is therefore built around a single Call to Action, with the goal of guiding users to conversion, avoiding distractions or alternative paths.
Key elements of an effective landing page
The CTA, or Call to Action, is not the only element present within a landing page. The others you are about to discover in the next few lines.
Catchy and clear title
The first key element of an effective landing page is its title, which must be catchy and clear.
In fact, the first words that a user who lands on the landing page are used to establish an initial contact that can evoke emotion and focus interest in the offer. Remember that if you are not able to capture the user’s interest in a few seconds, they may abandon the page and find what they are looking for elsewhere.
For a headline to be effective, it must be specific and present a short, clear and direct message. The language used should be that used by your target audience, with terms and phrases that are familiar to them and address their needs or desires.
If the title (concise and impactful) is meant to capture attention, the subtitle is meant to keep that attention on a high level, prompting the user to continue reading to learn more.
Call to Action (CTA) clearly visible
The aforementioned Call to Action (CTA) must be prominently displayed within the landing page.
Remember that the more options you give the user, the more confusing it will be, complicating their next moves. Therefore, the CTA must be one and only one, and it must stand out clearly and prominently within the page, both in terms of structure and content.
For it to be effective, the CTA must be clear and specific and must communicate a tangible benefit.
Visual design and supporting images
Visual and multimedia elements play an important role in the success of a landing page. Nowadays, in fact, the time users spend on a web page is very low, just as low is their attention threshold. It becomes crucial, therefore, to capture their attention right away, with sharp images, clear graphics and engaging videos that can tell stories, show products and present testimonials even more powerfully than words.
Always keep in mind the words of Andrew Davis:
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are based on trust. Trust drives income.”
Social proof and testimonies
The testimonies just mentioned represent particularly powerful tools in this area. They consist, in fact, of “social proof” of the benefits that the offer is capable of securing. Remember, in this regard, that testimonials must be authentic and reviews must come from recognized third-party platforms.
How to design a landing page that converts
Now that you know what the key elements of a landing page are, you also need to know how to design one that will convert. There are four steps to follow.
Identification of the target audience
The first step is to identify your target audience, so you can then shape the tone of voice and user experience to their characteristics. Let the Buyer Personas guide you and find out all the needs, wants, doubts and expectations of your target audience.
Creation of a clear value proposition
Creating a strong and clear value proposition makes the difference between failure and success. The value proposition, in fact, is the message that communicates what your offering stands for and why (or reasons) the user should choose it.
Structuring content to maintain attention
Regarding how to structure the content of a landing page so as to maintain high attention, many experts suggest placing the Call to Action “above the fold,” that is, in the visible portion of the page without the need to scroll down. However, this does not always turn out to be the winning approach: for example, in the case of longer and more detailed content, it may be more useful to place it at the end.
Regardless of location, what is most important and what you must keep in mind is that the CTA is easily distinguishable from the other content on the page, which must orbit around it. Visual content is important but avoid filling the page with images, links and other elements that might distract the user.
Optimization for mobile devices
There is one more aspect to consider: nowadays, most visits to websites come from smartphones. For this reason, you necessarily need to optimize the landing page for mobile devices, making sure that the elements are placed within the page structure correctly even on cell phones. Not only that, the page must also load quickly because, if it doesn’t, the user may decide to close it and turn elsewhere to fulfill their needs or desires.
Advanced strategies to increase conversions
In addition to what has just been said, you should know that, to increase conversions, there are also other more advanced strategies.
A/B testing to improve performance
To improve the performance of your landing page you should, first of all, resort to so-called A/B testing. You should, in essence, compare two different versions of the same landing page that differ from each other in only one detail (e.g., the title), in order to find out which of them performs better.
Remember that using A/B testing tools on an ongoing basis allows you to improve your page and maximize your conversion rate based on real data.
Use of colors and visual psychology
Improving the performance of your landing page also comes through the choice of its colors.
When you create your “landing page,” you must already know what emotions and feelings you want to arouse in users. Color psychology defines the latter as visual processing generated by nerve signals, which can generate different emotional responses and psychological attitudes.
In this regard, it may be very helpful for you to know that:
- warm colors (orange, yellow, red) are considered stimulating and positive;
- cool colors (white, gray, brown, black) are elegant, but detached and passive colors;
- soft colors (light blue, green) are reassuring and inspire confidence.
Customization based on user behavior
If you want to make your landing page even more effective, you should, then, create and send personalized content to users, based on their behaviors. Remember that not all leads are the same and not all, consequently, have the same interests or needs. Adopting a Marketing Automation strategy could be particularly useful to you.
Examples of successful landing pages
Some practical examples of successful landing pages can help you better understand what has been said so far.
Spotify‘s landing page, with the clear and prominent wording that reads “Take advantage of 3 months of free premium” and the two buttons prominently displayed (“Take advantage of 3 months free” and “View all plans”) is a classic example of a sober and effective “landing page.”
Aruba‘s landing page is also clear and uncluttered, although it contains several elements within it. There is, in fact, an effective message (“Space for your site at an unbeatable price!”), simple and intuitive graphics showing the various subscription plans with their prices, and a useful bar thanks to which the user can immediately check whether the domain of his choice is available.
Audible‘s example, on the other hand, can help you understand the importance of creating empathy and engagement to prompt the user to take the requested action. The writing, in light font on a dark background, highlights the message (“It’s a lifetime you have to hear about everything. Now, choose what to listen to.”) and plays on the hear/listen dualism, suggesting positivity and freedom to the reader.
How startups can benefit from landing pages
A well-curated and effective landing page can offer specific benefits for startups as well. Out of all of them, we have chosen three.
Quick validation of business ideas
Validating business idea a quickly is often an imperative need for startups. The landing page plays a decisive role in this process because it allows you to quickly verify the potential interest of the solution you have designed in response to the target audience’s problem or desire.
Generation of qualified leads with minimal investment
A landing page, if built the right way, allows you to get sign-ups from users who are really interested in your product or service, with a relatively low investment. All you have to do is optimize the communication for your target audience, after you have defined it precisely.
Create targeted marketing campaigns
The third main benefit that landing pages offer startups is the ability to create targeted marketing campaigns, thanks to the valuable visitor data that these particular pages make available to those who create and manage them.
Common mistakes to avoid when creating a landing page
Before concluding this guide devoted to landing pages, it is necessary to point out (or remind you!) some mistakes that those struggling with the creation of pages of this type generally make.
Overload information page
The first mistake is a direct and obvious consequence of what we have said about the features that a landing page must have, which, we remind you again, must clearly and prominently display the Call to Action, without unnecessary distractions: do not overload the page with too much information because you risk confusing the user and complicating his or her path to the click you hoped for.
CTA unclear or hidden
We said it earlier: the Call to Action must stand out within the landing page. Placing too many elements within the page risks hiding and making the CTA inconspicuous to the user’s eye, with all that follows in terms of a lower chance that he will arrive to complete the requested action.
Don’t test performance
The third mistake on this list will also come as no surprise to you, if you have read the previous lines carefully: not periodically testing landing page performance precludes you from all the benefits that this simple but very valuable expedient offers, from being able to more accurately assess the effectiveness of the page to possibly making timely changes to correct the course.
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