A landing page is the page a person “lands” on after clicking on an ad or a link. Unlike most other pages on your website, the landing page focuses on achieving a single goal — conversion. Everything about it, from layout and design to the carefully crafted copy, exists for that sole purpose.
A well-made landing page can be an integral part of your digital marketing strategy, encouraging visitors to take that last step. Here, we’ve got your guide to creating compelling landing pages that work.
Why You Need a Landing Page
A landing page gives your customers a direction, provides essential (and convincing) details, and makes it easy for them to do what you want them to do. There are minimal to no distractions, and the page devotes everything to a CTA (call to action).
Those traits make landing pages an incredibly effective tool for converting visitors into leads (lead generation), boosting sales, gaining more registrations for a webinar, or any other specific digital marketing goals. Staying focused on the CTA and crafting thoughtful copy can also help increase the perceived value of your offer while decreasing your acquisition costs at the same time.
How to Create a Landing Page
Whether you want to learn how to create a landing page on WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, or Wix, let’s take a look at the general steps for creating an effective landing page:
1. Choose Your Software
While you can build a landing page yourself, a software solution can make the process easier. There are plenty of options on the market, many with drag-and-drop features, templates, and A/B testing. Popular landing page builders include:
2. Determine Your Goal
Your landing page can’t succeed if you don’t know what you want it to do. Before you start building, you’ll need to figure out what you want to achieve. Are you trying to sell something, or are you looking to collect more leads? Do you want more registrants for an upcoming virtual event you’re hosting? Remember, the entire focus of your landing page is achieving that goal. You're going to structure your CTA around that, and you're going to funnel users to that end.
3. Give Thought to Your Design Elements
There’s a lot that goes into designing an effective landing page. Here are a few quick tips for success:
Color
- Use eye-catching colors.
- Keep them consistent with your brand.
- Use a contrasting color to highlight your CTA button.
Copy
- Write content visitors can scan quickly for essential details.
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point.
- Bullet points can be particularly beneficial.
- Speak to your visitors’ pain points and communicate the value of your offer clearly.
- Explain your offer, list key features and benefits, and show social proof.
Images
- Any images should reflect your brand.
- Images should speak to your target audience.
- Use high-quality original pictures.
- Video can help increase conversions.
White Space
- Leave unused space on the page to avoid crowding.
- White space also improves readability and keeps visitors focused.
4. Make a Compelling CTA
Your call to action is the most important component of your landing page. It should be big, stand out, and provide clear direction. Your visitors should know exactly what they’re supposed to do. Think about using language like:
- Schedule Your Demo
- Subscribe Now
- Book Your Appointment
- Click to Purchase
- Download Our Free Guide
- Get 3 Months Free
5. Link Your Landing Page to Your Ads
After you finish your landing page, determine which ads will link to it and which platforms you'll serve those ads on. Be sure that all of your advertising meets the platform’s policies. If you already have an ad up that links to your homepage, exchange the URL so that it connects to your new landing page. Otherwise, you can create a new ad and link your landing page to it.
Places to advertise your landing page include:
You can also promote your landing page by sharing it in email campaigns.
6. Track Results
After creating your landing page, track its results. Keeping an eye on its progress will let you know if it’s working. Keep an eye on the following metrics:
- Clickthrough rate
- Conversion rate
- Traffic source
- Landing page views
- Time spent on page
- Form abandonment rate
- Bounce rate
Use industry standards to set some benchmarks. Each industry is different, so make sure that your expectations are set with your industry in mind. If your landing page isn’t performing well, adjust and keep testing.
Landing Page Mistakes to Avoid
If your landing page isn’t producing the results you want, take another look at it. It might be that you're making one of these common mistakes:
Poor User Experience
The user experience is everything online. Just like the rest of your website’s pages, your landing pages should load quickly. The longer they take, the higher the average bounce rate. You’ll also want to ensure that your landing pages work seamlessly on mobile devices.
But load speed isn't the only thing that makes for a poor user experience. Watch for issues like too many different fonts, large walls of text, and inadequatewhite space. These can all make your page look jumbled, chaotic, and confusing.
It Fails the “Blink Test”
Your visitors are going to judge your landing page in seconds. It needs to be engaging, clear, and it should grab their attention. If it takes more than one blink for this to occur, you’ll need to make some changes.
You Forgot Key Content Details
Landing page copy needs to have a clear purpose, and it should tell visitors what they need to do. It should also convey your unique selling point—what sets you apart.
The Colors Aren’t Ideal
Choose your contrasting color with care. Pick colors that match your brand's existing style.
Optimizing Your Landing Pages for the Best Results
Just as you optimize the rest of your website, you’ll also want to optimize your landing pages to make sure it gets in front of your target audience and does its job. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Target relevant keywords.
- Make it mobile-friendly.
- Keep your design simple and clean.
- Keep the essential details above the fold.
- Add testimonials for social proof.
Measuring the Success of Your Landing Pages
A/B testing is a great way to try different versions of your landing page to see what produces the best results. Data-backed decisions are the best decisions, after all. You can test many things, like:
- Headers
- Color scheme
- Amount of copy
- CTA button size/color
- Page layout
Craft Landing Pages that Convert
When you want your online visitors to do something specific, you need a solid, well-designed landing page. Relevant imagery, compelling copy, and a clear CTA can inspire them. However, for your landing pages to be successful, you need to optimize, test, and repeat. With careful planning and tracking, you’ll create powerful landing pages that convert.
Do you need help making more effective landing pages for your B2B company? With Cleverly, you get a team of experts that can combine persuasive messaging with great design to create a landing page that grabs attention, piques curiosity, and drives conversions. We’ll also test the results to help you get the best results.
Are you ready to get started? Schedule your free consultation with Cleverly today.
