Crafting a captivating and convincing landing page isn’t as
easy as throwing an offer up and driving traffic to it. There are several
different factors that go into creating a page that speaks to your
audience and motivates them to take action.
And while there's an incredible amount of variation among
audience, purpose, intent, product, angle, focus, industry, niche, perception,
buy-in, cost, messaging, value proposition, testimonial approach, shipping method,
and a host of other factors, the components that make up a successful landing
page are often the same.
Here are the essentials for a landing page that converts:
□ Killer Headline
A headline is where everything begins — interest, attention, and understanding.
It should be short but catchy enough to grab readers' attention while
informing them about your offer.□ Persuasive Subheadline
While the headline makes them look, the subheadline makes them stay. Normally
positioned directly under the headline, the subheadline should be persuasive
and take the concept of your headline one step further. □ Eye-Catching Images
The brain processes image 60,000 times faster than text, making your imagery
immediately impactful. Pictures should be crisp, relevant, and attention-grabbing. Make sure your images are high-quality and appropriately sized; try to avoid obvious stock
photography.□ User-Oriented Explanation
The user needs to understand what you’re offering. Explanations are functional,
but functionality should be focused on the user's perspective.□ Value Proposition/Benefits
The value proposition basically answers the user’s question, “What’s in it for
me?” Many landing pages list benefits in a bulleted list or with subheadings and short paragraphs. Remember, features aren't the same thing as benefits. □ Logical Flow
A logical flow is just as important as the actual content of your landing page.
Start with your explanation, continue with your benefits, include testimonials, and end with your CTA.
You don’t need to be subtle about your
landing page organization. In fact, if you augment the logical flow with
design
flow features, you can improve visual/cognitive coherence.
□ Solve a Pain Point
Every product or service can help to alleviate pain in some way. If you can
cause the user to think about their pain, they will subconsciously seek relief
from that pain, and therefore be more likely to convert.
□ Trustworthy
Testimonials
A landing page’s testimonials are one of its most important signals for
social proof.
A user wants to know that they can trust the product or service. Use
testimonials from real people, and if possible, accompany them with real photos of
those people.
□ Contact Information
At the most basic level, providing ways to contact you assures users that you’re a real company. Some of the most persuasive landing pages still
include multiple contact methods — a phone number, a physical address, an
email address, and a contact form.
□ A Guarantee
A guarantee, regardless of what it is, can give potential customers a sense of
ease about taking the next step, whether that's making a purchase or filling out a form. If you can’t offer an explicit
product guarantee (e.g., satisfaction, money back, etc.), you can provide a
different type of guarantee: e.g., “100% No Games Guarantee.”
□ Powerful
Call to Action (CTA)
Possibly the most important element in your landing page is your CTA. Your CTA
should be a button that's very noticeable in size and contrast. Make your CTA
copy compelling. Don’t use the word “Submit.” Instead, use something enticing,
exciting, and persuasive.
Building Your Landing Page
One of the best ways to ensure your landing page will be
successful is to start with a proven, high-performing template and then customize them to your business and your audience. ClickFunnels is a landing page
builder that offers mobile-responsive landing page templates for every industry
that are tested and ranked by the highest converting.
Another great option is to build your own landing page and host it on your site. While it may require more time and resources, like hiring a web designer, the advantages of DIY are that you have more control, drive traffic directly to your website, and get SEO value from the page.
Capture Leads with Automation
Once you’ve created a landing page, you can connect it with a marketing automation tool, such
as HubSpot, Salesforce, or ActiveCampaign. This type of system allows you to automatically follow up with
every lead you get to ensure you’re maximizing the ROI of your landing pages.
Schedule your free discovery call now with Sales & Marketing Technologies to see how we can increase your landing page's visibility and conversions.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.