Everything you wanted to know about Landing Pages
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a web page created by a brand or company to capture information about a visitor. Usually, it comes with an offer, such as a free resource, template, ebook, or video.
Many people are hesitant to give out personal information like this, but a well-crafted landing page with a solid copy and format will get most people to submit their information.
According to Hubspot, landing pages are the least popular type of sign-up form, but they have the highest conversion rate (23%), and 62.6% of leading landing pages already use them.
In any case, the most popular forms use email address and name (7%) and email address and birthdate (5.7%) as a combination.
But first things first, why do we need a Landing Page?
Businesses that use landing page optimization software typically experience a conversion rate of 30%.
By eliminating distractions, you can capture the full attention of your visitors. That means they can be directed to fill out your lead form.
You don’t simply want people to visit your page. You want them to take action once they are there.
Each page has its purpose — to inform, to act as a gateway to the rest of the site (as in your website homepage), or for other reasons.
And, customers love personalization.
So, having personalized CTAs perform 202% better than the basic CTAs!
Now that we know why we need a landing page, let’s move on to all the elements that are required to make one.
Elements of a good landing page
Creating a good landing page isn’t rocket science, but it does require work and certain specifics.
Let’s unroll the recipe and find out what the right ingredients are for creating the perfect landing page.
Headline
Out of 10 people that visit your landing page, at least 6–7 will bounce off the page. To keep that number low, you need to work out what incentive/benefit you are offering to your visitors.
A benefit-focused headline that communicates the purpose and offers works best.
Visuals
Now, that’s a no-brainer!
Do you know that our brain processes image 60,000 times faster than text!?
It means that the landing page images will affect your visitors immediately. And hence, the visuals need to communicate a purpose, a feeling that your visitors resonate with.
Compelling Copy
Okay, the copy is important but don’t spend too much time on crafting the perfect headline lest it might fall flat accompanied by your CTA.
The copy must guide the visitor towards the action that you want them to take.
Also, many landing pages are a big turn-off for customers because of excessive copy! According to Unbounce, customers prefer sales strategies that are direct and to the point.
CTA
The CTA (call-to-action) is the entire purpose of the landing page!
This component will encourage conversation, and it should stand out. In terms of colors, design aesthetics, and layout. You must be clear about what you would want the visitors to do and spell it out — action words like “submit”, “download”, or “get it now”.
Keynote speaker Marcus Sheridan spoke about using videos to increase landing page conversions at the Inbound 2019 Marketing event. He further talked about addressing the obvious buyers’ reservations to increase the conversion rate by almost 80%.
Offer
Consider your landing page as a part of your customer’s journey to your ultimate offer. This is the offer that you are giving in exchange for the customer’s information. It needs to be compelling enough for customers and yet relevant to your business goals.
Form
You might be tempted to get all the information possible about your potential customer, but how much you ask for depends on certain factors.
Ask for as little info as you need in your form to create a low barrier to entry. A name and an email are more than sufficient to nurture a new lead.
Optimize for Search
You are driving customers towards your landing page through emails, social media posts, and other marketing methods, but the page also needs to be optimized with target keywords for organic search.
When someone puts in a search for your key phrase, they should find your landing page. The same goes for target keywords with paid ads.
Key Tips to Create High Converting Landing Pages
Whichever way you choose to create your landing page, remember, that there’s always a better way to do it. Regardless, here are some key tips that will help you do a good job.
Landing Page Builder
There are quite a few landing page builders available with their features and functionalities. Choose one depending upon your requirement and skill level. For instance, if you are a beginner, choose a builder that has preloaded landing page templates — it’ll be easier.
Irrespective of your level, it is wise to access analytics and A/B testing. That is required to keep a tab on page views, click-throughs, and other metrics.
A Portent study revealed that the faster your website landing pages load, the better they’ll convert. Pages with a load time of fewer than 2 seconds converted significantly better than their slower counterparts.
Bestselling author, marketing guru, and entrepreneur Neil Patel says:
“People feel more comfortable with brands that they can put a face behind. Even though you might purchase a product exclusively online, having a phone number on your site and the ability to talk to a real person (who cares) in turn makes you feel more comfortable taking out your wallet (or recommending someone else) for this brand.”
USP
“What’s in it for me?”
The USP of your landing page will answer this question that comes from the page visitor.
And when it comes to your landing page, this answer needs to be featured prominently.
The value proposition of your landing page doesn’t need to be a standalone element. It can be a part of the other elements on your page.
Your landing page should have a clear focus on benefits for the customer.
You need to emphasize that the visitor will be awesome with your offering, rather than simply blowing your own trumpet!
Keep it simple
Don’t overstuff your landing page with everything you got! It will be confusing and overwhelming for the customer.
The simpler your landing page design, it will be easier for your visitors to navigate, and then convert.
Social proofing
According to Hubspot, 71 percent of millennials are more likely to purchase something if it has been recommended online.
This is where social proofing comes in!
Showing potential customers that you have a big fan base on social media will help you win them over.
Here’s what all you can do:
- Add testimonials
- Use real photos
- Put in specific details and not general praise
By featuring exact statistics, you can take things way beyond a single generally positive review.
A/B testing
Once your page is ready, don’t just sit there and wait for people to come.
Look at the metrics and see what works. Gather information on your page performance by looking at heat maps, scroll maps, and timely refinement.
By A/B testing your landing pages over time, you make sure you get the best performance out of your traffic — and the monies!
Grow Better
A high converting landing page represents that all your efforts have come to fruition.
So do not mess it up!
With the vast number of tweaks, additions, and variations you can implement, there is no reason why you can’t have a landing page that converts well.
If you still need help with your landing page, connect with me at manish@studio4.online
