How to design a great landing page
A landing Page is a page that you land on after clicking on marketing material eg a Google Advert. The sole purpose of a landing page is to keep you on this page until you carry out the action required (ie until you convert). The action required may be to collect your email address, buy something, get you to download something eg (an e-book) or even subscribe to a service.
A landing page is usually a stand alone page rather than a specific page on your website. It is designed very carefully and it’s effectiveness can be measured (by Google Analytics). Here I am going to share my Ten Top Tips on how to create a great landing page.
1. Keep text short and sweet
Make every sentence count. Having a good use of language and grammar matters. Double check for spelling mistakes. Use action-oriented verbs like ‘Get’ or ‘Subscribe’. Use subtle persuasion and urgency in your message.
2. A Great Headline
Include a great headline that grabs the visitor’s interests and attention. A question, a surprising quote, an unbelievable statistic, a joke … This headline should be short – no longer than 10 words.
3. Use high quality visuals
Use photos, video, infographics and diagrams. These need to be large and of great quality. The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. This means that visitors will be affected by the images on your landing page immediately. Interactive animations and video will also help (if you have the budget).
4. Use social proof
Include testimonials, reviews, awards won, number of satisfied customers, number of social media followers if you can. This can help you build trust and help conversions. ‘Conversions’ just mean that the visitor has carried out the task you wanted them to.
5. A clear CTA (Call To Action)
Make it very clear to the visitor what you want them to do and how. It will usually be clicking on a button to sign up, make a purchase, download something or fill in contact details. This button should be large and in a contrasting colour to the rest of the page. It needs to stand out.
6. Multiple methods of contact
Include multiple methods of contact eg phone, email, contact form and address if you can. This builds up trust and the visitor knows that you are a real person or a legitimate organisation.
7. Less links
Take away any navigation or links that would take the visitor away from this landing page. Remember, the aim is to keep the visitor here until they convert. If they go away to another page, they may never come back resulting in a lost conversion.
8. Keep important content high on the page
All the important information should be kept ‘above the fold’. This is the area of the landing page that the visit can see without having to scroll down. Important phrases and CTA (Call To Action) buttons should be easily seen.
9. Great Design
Design clear, minimal landing pages with just the right amount of text and images. Think about the UX (User Experience). Keep your font styles clear and to a minimum and don’t use more than 3 colours. Include the use of white space. The less distracting your design is, the easier it is for the visitor to read the information and convert. A confusing and overwhelming page can alienate your visitor and they will leave.
10 – A/B Test your page
Make sure you are set up with Google Analytics. Once your landing page is created, look at data to see how it is performing. Test different designs against each other to understand which page performs better. By A/B testing over time, you are making sure that your landing page is performing at its best thus making you more money.
A high converting landing page can be a great marketing tool and may well determine the success of your business. If you require a landing page for your next marketing campaign, we can help. We can walk you through the whole process, set up Google Analytics and run your Google Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaign for you.