First impressions matter. This goes for a lot of things in life, but in the current digital marketing world, a company’s website can be its main source of driving business. Sometimes, the first impression of that website is the landing page. It’s true that the “perfect” landing page looks different depending on the business. Though, there are many components that have proven to be effective in attracting traffic and driving it where you want it to go.
Compelling Copy
The number one thing that can make or break a landing page is the copywriting. The very first thing the user will likely read is the page’s headline. Because of this, make sure it’s something that catches the eye and encourages them to want to stick around. A good headline is customer focused, clear, relevant, and, depending what you’re promoting, contains some sort of action verb.
If the headline makes the user want to stay, the rest of your page’s copy should be just as persuasive and concise. You don’t want to overwhelm the user with a lot of flowery language and text. On the flip side, you also don’t want to use so little words that it leaves them confused, bored, or suspicious. Avoid talking about yourself as a business using pronouns like “we” and “our” and “us,” and instead focus on what your business can provide, meaning lots of “you.” Remember that this page is all about what you’re doing for them, not the other way around. While you don’t want to sound like you’re bragging, you should still use language that makes you come across as confident in your business’s product and abilities.
Call to Action
Every good landing page absolutely needs a call to action, which is a few words or a short phrase that guides the user to perform a specific action. Basically, whatever it is you want them to do next, which is arguably the whole point of the page. Call to actions vary depending on what you’re offering, but the best CTAs will get people to click by creating a sense of urgency and excitement, establishing why taking the next step is beneficial, and incorporating imagery, graphics, or color to stand out. The CTA is usually what drives conversion.
Some common examples of call to actions are phrases like “Get Started”, “Register Now,” “Start Free Trial,” or even “Add to Cart.” These are all simple but incredibly effective at getting the user to act. However, simple isn’t always better. Call to actions like “Download” or “Submit” or “Subscribe” are all a bit overused and not very persuasive.
Clear Value Proposition
It’s very important to keep your company’s overall main marketing messaging in mind as you’re creating your landing page. A value proposition makes clear what products or services you’re offering and why the customer should choose you over competitors, and it should be communicated effectively on your page. As with everything in marketing, there’s different ways to do this–you can make it big and obvious in a catchy slogan headline, or you could repetitively sprinkle it throughout your copy. Either way, the user should come away from that landing with a clear idea of what you do and why they should care.
Design
We all know humans are visual creatures, so while of course what the page is saying is of utmost importance, a well-designed and easy-to-navigate landing page can set you apart. The main goal of the landing page is to drive conversion, so all elements of the design should work together to make that goal as simple and user-friendly as possible. Contrasting colors, eye-catching imagery, and minimal distraction all add to the effectiveness of the landing page. Make sure the areas you want the user to click make sense in regard to what’s around them, but also so they stick out. For example, the call to action link or button should be placed somewhere after the user has been convinced they should click it—if they see it too soon they will be much less likely to come back to it.
