The design and creation of an effective landing page can be a tricky egg to crack in the world of web development. With a wide variety of considerations such as design, its purpose, functionality and choosing the appropriate copy to fit your message, it can feel like an overwhelming task. We want to ensure that is not the case. By following these eight landing page tips you’ll be able to increase your conversion rate in no time to gain some amazing results.
Before we can get a full grasp of the nuances that come with building the best landing pages to increase your conversion rate, we should define what a landing page actually is.
High-converting landing pages
A landing page works as a standalone web page for the sole purpose of enticing a user to perform an action – whether that be booking a consultation, downloading a brochure or buying a product. The concept seems straightforward enough. However, to get the best results from your landing page, you’ll want to consider the following tips to increase your conversion rate.
1. The hallowed header
First impressions are everything. Just like finding the right title when writing blogs for a service business, what your target audience sees as soon as they open your landing page will define whether they will act or not. For a landing page, we’re not just referring to the title, though. For an effective landing page, you’ll want to consider the full header space that a user initially sees after clicking through.
Some of the components you should contemplate include:
- Your choice of imagery – is the image appropriate for your service or product?
- The choice of colours – does it match your branding and does it help your message to stand out?
- The size of your copy – make your key message big and bold.
- You call to action – is it prominent and enticing your audience to engage?
2. Make your call to action obvious
What’s the purpose of your landing page? What exactly do you want to get out of it? Those are the questions you’ll need to consider to ensure a user will be more inclined to act. You should take into account the placement and the wording of your call-to-action. A landing page should be peppered with a button, number or specific detail that reminds your audience to commit.
3. Design: horizontal vs. vertical
It can be tempting to fill your landing page with all that valuable information vital to understand your services/product without any consideration of its design. The overall aesthetic is important, but you will want to consider the benefit of designing for the purpose of increasing conversions. A general rule would be, the more work a user has to do the less inclined they will be to perform an action on your landing page. This can be as simple as filling the page with so much information that a user will need to scroll and scroll endlessly.
There is a solution. When designing a page for desktop view, you can chunk your information into sections by setting them out in rows rather than lengthy columns. This allows your audience to take in more information over a shorter time span.
But what about on mobile? Won’t my landing page look squashed together in rows? It’s common during the development process of a landing page that differences will be found between the look of a desktop view and a mobile view. In its simplest form, it should go: design horizontally for desktop and vertically for mobile. One thing to remember is that a high proportion of web traffic originates from handheld devices, especially mobile phones.
4. Disconnect it from your site’s navigation
As previously mentioned, a landing page’s sole purpose is to entice a user to act and it is important that everything from design to functionality is taken into account when urging them to do so. The same can be said for the navigation bar.
As a recommendation, have away with your typical ‘Home’, ‘About’, Contact Us’ navigation structure and ensure that your landing page only contains options that direct users to a specific location on the page. The more pages a user has to work through, the less likely they’ll be to act.
5. Use pictures effectively
There are ongoing debates on whether or not it is okay to use stock images in social media content but the debate extends to the world of web development. What imagery should you be using? A picture speaks a thousand words so the imagery you choose to show off your product or service should make someone think, I know exactly what I’m being offered and I’m in! If that means using a stock image that you feel gives off the right impression then go for it!
6. Keep it simple
It will be a great benefit to your landing page’s success if the information you provide is offered in its simplest form. Conciseness is key and you should keep that in mind when writing the copy, thinking about the layout and choosing your call-to-action. The more you write, the more chance there is of confusing your visitor and them leaving the page.
7. Offer something to your audience
Audiences don’t always want to be sold something. So, keep the question in mind: is there anything we can offer our audience? Whether it be a free consultation, a short how-to guide or a discount on a product, your audience will feel more inclined to engage if they know they can benefit. If you are using your landing page to sell, make sure your value propositions are front and centre so all the benefits to potential customers are clear.
8. Maintain consistency with your ad campaigns
Once a landing page is complete, it’s time to pin down how you will drive your audience towards it. Whether it’s through Google Ads PPC or Facebook advertising, you should maintain a level of consistency throughout the whole process. The copy and imagery (where appropriate) like the landing page itself should follow the rules of keeping it simple, containing a clear call to action whilst still persuading them to click through and convert.
We’re sure that by following these 8 simple tips, the success gained from your landing pages will greatly increase. If you can check each step off your list, then your conversion rate will be given a much-needed boost. If you’re looking for assistance in the creating of a landing page, feel free to get in touch with us today to discuss how we can create the perfect one for you that will increase your conversion rate. We’re always happy to help.
