Next to your website home page, your landing page is the most important part of the entire online business marketing process. As the name implies, your landing page is where users, well, land from an external website. Whatever you have to offer, the user will see it on the landing page and from there make the decision to explore your site further and maybe become one of your customers.
The question is, is your landing page well-written, nicely-designed and purposeful enough to attract customers and help you get closer to your conversion goals? If you’re not too sure, here are some essential tips for creating your landing pages that hopefully will help you become an effective online marketer.
Deliver what readers want to deliver on your conversion goals
Your landing page, like all other pages of your website, can certainly use smart copywriting tactics, but you have to treat it differently. That’s because users who land on your landing page are not there to find what they want. They already know what they want, and your landing page’s job is to make sure they get what they want after being led there by a search result listing, pay-per-click ads, an email, links from within your own site as well as from another website. In other words, you have to deliver some instant gratification for readers right there on your landing page.
Write clear headlines that stand out
We do tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to showing off our copywriting skills. The landing page, however, is not the place to do that. Always keep in mind that whatever made your visitor land on that page, be sure to say it again with your headline so that it will connect with his expectation. If the link your visitor clicked promised a user-friendly video editing software, your headline should say something along those lines. That way, you are giving your visitor an assurance that he landed on the right page.
Don’t wander off
One mistake many website owners make on their landing pages is they try to cross-sell and end up wandering off the main subject, the one your landing page is all about: your offer. Your offer is what your reader came for in the first place, so serve up the information the reader needs, nothing more.
On the same vein, navigation bars, sidebars, footers and other links to other parts of your website should not be seen on your landing page. All that page’s focus should be on the offer itself.
Verb-alise
The copy on your landing page should be filled with verbs that will help them get what they went there for. To grab the attention of the user and make him decide to click through, pepper the landing pages with phrases that begin with “Find out…”, “Learn how….” and “Download the…”, among other action words.
More tips for creating your landing pages
Drive the value of the landing page home
So you have successfully led a visitor to your landing page. Is that already a win? Have you already hit your conversion goals? Well, not quite, not just yet. While your visitor’s being there means he’s interested, you haven’t really gotten a lead until they’re done filling out your form. So what can you do to convince them to do just that? Showcase the value of the landing page, of course.
Repeatedly highlighting on your landing page the value of your offer is a good way to do that. To make sure that your visitors will see them, emphasize the value of your offer using captions and subheadings placed in strategic spots on the page. It also wouldn’t hurt to make bold, even out of this world statements about the value of your offer. If you can be specific about the amount of time and money they are going to save if they take up your offer, then do it.
Streamline the form
Speaking of your form, it would certainly be better if you keep it streamlined, because, let’s face it, no one really likes filling forms out, electronic or otherwise. If possible, reduce the number of required fields, because that would likely boost the number of leads you’ll capture. The easier it is to find and fill out your form, the better your chances of hitting your conversion goals would be.
Get to the point
Unless you have an undeniable reason to ramble on on your landing page, always keep it short and sweet. Beating around the bush on a landing page turns a lot of people off, so always get to the point and give your readers directions that will get them to what they came for in the shortest possible time.
You would also do well to use a clear, second-person narrative in your landing page pitch. Use the word “you” as often as you can, and refer to your company not by name, but by “we” or “our”.
Bulleted lists
Nothing can make you rattle off the benefits of what you’re delivering better than bullet points. This is in keeping with keeping things short and sweet, as bulleted lists give your readers an overview of what they’re getting without having to read through walls of text.
Prove it
Your readers need proof that they are indeed going to get the benefits your landing page is promising, so give it to them. A brief testimonial from one satisfied customer ought to do it. If you can, feature a testimonial from a satisfied customer who also happens to be one of note or high-profile.
Show it
So you promised your visitors something when they clicked a link that got them into your landing page. So show it to them. Nothing would catch their attention better than an image of the “prize” and a one-sentence caption that is basically a summary of what the entire landing page is all about.
Write good CTAs
A Call-To-Action (CTA) plays a critical role in getting your conversion goals—which are basically what a landing page is all about. Usually, a CTA comes in the form of a standalone button on a click-through page for some or as part of a lead generation form for others. Whatever you do, don’t go for the easy “Click here” or “Submit” calls to action. Write good specific calls to action, like “Get your $25 dollar discount” or any other CTAs that will clearly state what they are going to get if they click through.
A landing page, as previously stated, is all about conversions. Follow the above tips for creating your landing pages, and your chances of hitting your conversion goals are likely to get better.