When you want to promote a product or service, move people along your sales funnel, or even introduce an audience to your brand, a landing page can make all the difference. Your landing page can be the reason people choose to buy from you – or navigate to a different website.
This page should have a clear goal of driving conversions, whether that’s encouraging visitors to sign up for your email list or buy your new course. Point an audience to this page, and you should feel confident that it’ll do its job.
What Makes a High-Converting Landing Page?
A landing page is only as good as its content, and that content will vary depending on factors like:
- Your goal for the page (lead generation, purchase, etc.)
- Your audience and their needs
- Your business and industry
Your landing page needs to win over the people who you want to see it. How can you tell whether a landing page is doing its job? Through its conversion rate, or the percentage of visitors that take the correct action on your page.
To create a high-converting landing page, you need:
An Engaging Design That Matches Your Brand
Screenshot via Codecademy.com
Many of your visitors will get their first impressions of your brand once they hit your landing page. Be sure to keep its colors and design in line with your brand while making it engaging for your audience. You’ll want to optimize your design and layout for mobile users, too, as mobile internet usage continues to increase.
Use similar elements as you would an organized blog post, such as:
- An eye-catching headline
- A sub-heading that further explains the headlines
- A focal image, even if that’s your headshot
- Contrasting colors (especially with links and call-to-action buttons – you want them to stand out!)
- Clean, simple fonts that are easy to read on multiple screens
- Headers, tables, and bullet points to break up text in long-form landing pages, like a sales page
Also, implement user-friendly navigation by guiding your visitors where you want them to go. You can do this by creating a story throughout your copy or adding menu links at the top of the page that signal what to do.
Empathy
Screenshot via ThePracticalMommy.com
People will visit your site because they saw something – an ad or headline, perhaps – that triggered them to do so. That means that you can probably fulfill a need they have. You’ve already locked into people who are interested in what you have to say, so now it’s time to convert.
That’s where empathy comes into play. Storytelling on landing pages can be impactful, especially when you empathize with your audience’s needs.
Let’s imagine you’re a home organization guru. Your audience needs help getting their kitchens, mudrooms, and playrooms organized. You tap into their frustrations by telling the story of how your home clutter sparked a desire for change and simplicity, inspiring you to embark on a journey of minimalism.
Then, you move onto your trusted methodology for tidying up spaces and point visitors to purchase your home organization course with 1-on-1 personalized training. The fact that you have been in their shoes and have made lemonade from lemons is the perfect selling point.
Testimonials and Trust Elements
Screenshot via Shopify.com
Your landing page probably won’t convert if your audience doesn’t trust what you say. Some people may have already had interactions with your business, but you should always approach a landing page as if they haven’t.
Trust elements are necessary to prove that you’re the real deal. Testimonials can be compelling, especially if they’re from other high-profile people in your industry. Stats that highlight the number of existing customers who use an app or take advantage of a service can be compelling, too.
Security is a big consideration for many consumers, so be sure to highlight applicable information that shows your website is secure or that your company won’t share or sell customers’ personal information, such as your email address, when they sign up. You’ll also want to add several ways to contact you on your page, whether it’s through email, live chat, or an online contact form, so visitors know there’s a real person behind the business.
Finally, consider giving your audience incentives for buying from you. A free trial or a money-back guarantee after so many days can go a long way toward convincing buyers that their money is safe with you.
A Simple and Clear Call-to-Action
Screenshot via DoorDash.com
Your call-to-action (CTA) needs to be visible from the moment your visitors land on your page so they know what action they should take. If your landing page causes people to have to endlessly scroll to figure out what the point of it is, you’ll probably lose most of them quickly.
Make your CTA as transparent and straightforward as possible. Here are a few good examples:
- “Click here to get the free training”
- “Sign up here”
- “Get your free 14-day trial”
- “Subscribe”
- “Try it for free”
- “Join the list to get notified”
- “Get started”
- “Download the guide”
Each of these statements makes it clear what the user should do. Place the CTA button before the fold of the page and at least a few more times throughout the copy of a long-form landing page.
Landing pages can promote a sale, get more people on your email list, and give you new leads for your business. When you set them up correctly, landing pages continue to convert passively for you.
Don’t forget another critical piece of your website: share buttons! It’s free to install our social media share buttons, which give your audience a way to share your content (again, passively!) and boost your traffic and potential leads.
