Landing Pages are designed to convert visitors into leads. They are typically standalone web pages that are created specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign. The main goal of a landing page is to encourage visitors to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a free ebook, or requesting a demo. Landing pages are often optimized for conversion by including persuasive copy, clear call-to-action buttons, and minimal distractions to keep visitors focused on the desired action.
Landing Page Best Practices for Small Business
As a small business owner, you know that every product or service you offer deserves a great landing page. Landing pages are designed to provide a dedicated space for driving conversions, making them an essential tool for any marketer. However, it’s not enough to simply create a landing page. You need to optimize it for maximum impact. In this article, we’ll explore the best practices for building a good landing page that converts, including design, copy, and SEO. Let’s get started.
What are landing pages and why do they matter?
Definition of landing pages
Landing pages are standalone pages designed to encourage visitors to take a specific action. This often involves filling out a form or making a purchase, but can also include downloading an eBook or signing up for a newsletter. The key is that landing pages provide a focused experience, without any distractions from navigation or other offers.
Why landing pages are important for small businesses
For small businesses, every visitor to your site matters. Landing pages allow you to make the most of those visitors by providing a clear path for conversion. This not only boosts your conversion rate, but helps you build a relationship with potential customers through effective lead capture.
How landing pages differ from homepages
Homepages are designed to give visitors a broad overview of your business, and are often cluttered with various calls-to-action for different products or services. Landing pages, on the other hand, provide a focused experience for a single product or service. They are designed to be stripped down and free of distractions to help drive conversions.
How to design a great landing page
Follow landing page best practices
When it comes to designing a landing page, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. First, make sure your page loads quickly – nobody likes to wait for a slow site. Second, use contrasting colors to make CTAs stand out. This can help draw visitors’ attention to the action you want them to take. Finally, make sure the page is optimized for readability, with a clear headline and concise body copy.
Design best practices
The design of your landing page should be focused on the user experience. Use clear and simple navigation to make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. Limit the number of form fields to avoid overwhelming people – in most cases, three or four fields should suffice. Also, use images that are relevant to your product or service, and make sure they are high quality.
Mobile landing page best practices
In today’s world, a majority of internet users access websites from their mobile devices. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that your landing page is mobile-friendly. Use responsive design to make sure the page looks great on any screen size. Additionally, make sure the page loads quickly, as mobile users are often browsing on-the-go and have less patience for slow load times.
Minimal Distractions
Keep your landing page focused on the main objective and avoid any unnecessary distractions that might lead visitors away from taking the desired action. Remove navigation menus, sidebars, or any other elements that may divert their attention.
Clear and Easy Form Fields
If your landing page includes a form, keep it simple and only ask for the necessary information. Lengthy or complicated forms can discourage visitors from completing them. Use clear labels and make it easy for users to submit their information.
Creating persuasive landing page copy
The importance of headlines
Your headline is the first thing visitors will see on your landing page, so it needs to grab their attention. Use clear and concise language to communicate the value proposition of your product or service. Make sure it’s clear what the visitor can expect by clicking through to your page.
Writing persuasive copy that converts
The body copy on your landing page needs to be clear and concise, but also persuasive. Highlight the benefits of your product or service, and use social proof such as testimonials to build trust with potential customers. Make sure your copy is tailored to your target audience and speaks to their pain points.
Using social proof and testimonials on landing pages
Social proof can be a powerful tool for boosting conversions on your landing page. Use testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust. It’s also helpful to include data points or endorsements from reputable sources to further support your claims. This helps to build trust and credibility, reassuring visitors that they are making the right decision by engaging with your business.
Optimize your landing page for conversion
The role of calls to action (CTAs)
Your CTA is the most important element on your landing page. It’s what drives visitors to take action and convert. Make sure your CTA is prominently placed on the page and use persuasive language to encourage visitors to click. Also, test different copy and designs to see what works best for your audience.
Clear and Concise CTAs
Your landing page should have a distinct and compelling CTA that clearly communicates what action you want visitors to take. Whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a form, the CTA should be prominently placed and easy to understand.
Compelling Headline and Subheadline
Your headline and subheadline should grab the visitor’s attention and quickly communicate the value proposition or unique selling point of your product or service. Use concise and persuasive language to clearly convey the benefits of engaging with your offering.
Using contrasting colors to make CTAs stand out
As mentioned earlier, using contrasting colors for your CTA can be an effective way to draw visitors’ attention and encourage action. Use a color that’s different from the rest of the page’s color scheme to help the button stand out. However, make sure the color still fits with your overall branding.
Eye-catching Visuals
Incorporate visually appealing images, videos, or graphics on your landing page to convey your message effectively. Visuals can help create an emotional connection with your audience and make your landing page more engaging.
How to optimize CTAs for different stages of the buyer’s journey
Your CTA language and design should be tailored to where your potential customer is in the buyer’s journey. For example, if they are at the initial awareness stage, use language that focuses on educating them about your product or service. If they are further along in the journey, use language that speaks to how your product or service can solve their pain points.
Best practices for SEO on landing pages
Choosing the right keywords
When creating your landing page, it’s important to choose the right keywords. Research what your target audience is searching for and incorporate those keywords into your page copy and metadata. This can help your page rank higher in search engine results and drive more traffic.
Designing landing pages for search engines
Search engines like Google look at more than just keyword density when ranking pages. They also evaluate the structure of your landing page. Make sure your page is organized and has a clear hierarchy of headings. Use descriptive URLs and metadata, and ensure that your page is optimized for mobile devices.
How to optimize landing page elements for SEO
There are several elements of your landing page that can be optimized for SEO. Use header tags to organize your content and include variations of your keywords throughout the copy (without overdoing it). Use alt tags for your images and include internal and external links to related content. Finally, create a thank you page for visitors who complete a form or make a purchase – this will help improve your bounce rate and show search engines that visitors are both engaging with your page and taking the desired action.
By following these landing page best practices, you can create a page that converts and drives business growth. Remember to test your landing pages regularly and make adjustments based on what works best for your audience. A well-designed landing page can effectively captivate and convert potential customers, resulting in increased lead generation and sales.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and check your landing page, optimize it with these ideas and share your experience with us! Not ready to dive into designing your landing page on your own? Schedule a 15 minute consultation call with our team today!
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Founder & CEO of ThinkFlame, Shelly Patrick, trains individuals and companies to understand how their marketing affects their sales conversation and how to integrate marketing into their yearly plans for consistent growth.