Your landing page is the backbone of your marketing campaign. It’s one of the most critical components in getting people to take action on your offer.
Many in-house marketers spend days on end trying to get their landing pages perfect, and yet they still don’t produce results.
If you spend too much time tweaking little details without actually understanding what it takes for someone to convert, then you’re wasting valuable resources.
Creating a landing page that converts starts with these five steps:
1. Create a compelling headline that draws visitors in
Your headline is the first thing that people see before they click your ad, so it needs to be short and catchy. For example, Aston Martin’s clever ad reads, “Protected by more prenups than any other car.” That’ll get your attention!
The goal of this step is to get as many people as possible to click through so that you can qualify your prospects.
Along with a compelling headline, you’ll also need a desirable call to action. It doesn’t matter how well-written or visually appealing your landing page is if no one actually takes the steps you want them to take (e.g., giving their email address and/or signing up for a trial or product).
To make it easy for visitors to take these desired steps, you have to think like your customers. This means making the process as simple and straightforward as possible so that they can’t say no – without making it so simple that it doesn’t provide any value.
The best way to figure out the perfect mix is by A/B testing different versions of your landing page and measuring which one performs better based on conversions or signups.
2. Include an attention-grabbing image and relevant text that tells visitors what they need to know before clicking “buy now”
People often make quick decisions based on an image before reading anything else, so choosing the right image for your ad and landing page is of utmost importance.
In addition to including a relevant photo, make sure your page includes related text that tells visitors what they need to know before clicking “buy now.”
For example: If you’re selling a webinar, your landing page should include the date and time of the event next to two buttons – one labeled “Register” and the other labeled “No Thanks.”
Similarly, if you’re offering an ebook or downloadable resource, your landing page should include a description of the content and what visitors can expect to learn.
If your product is physical (such as a wearable fitness tracker), then it makes sense to have more descriptive images so people know exactly how it looks.
This step is crucial because it gives people a means of comparison to make their final decision.
3. Ensure all forms are visible on the landing page itself
One of the most common mistakes people make when building a landing page is forgetting to put the form on the landing page itself.
This mistake can be best illustrated through an example: Someone clicks on your offer, which takes them to another site before bringing up a new window with your request for their email address and other information.
The worst thing you can do is to take visitors away from your offer and ask them for their information on a different page.Â
Instead, make it easy by placing the form right next to the “buy now” button, so that all necessary steps are in one place.
4. Make sure your landing page is designed to be scannable
Most landing pages are designed with a single goal in mind: to have people take a desired action and complete your offer.
To ensure this happens, you need to design your page in such a way that visitors can quickly scan through what you’re offering without having to read a paragraph or two.
You can do this by including the most important details of your offer in bold text at the top, then progressively adding more details farther down the page in small sections.
5. Create a plan for conversion that includes subsequent visitors
A successful landing page must have a plan for conversion.
It needs to be clear what you want the visitor to do and why they should take that action – not just on their first visit, but also after subsequent visits.
For example: If someone comes to your offer once and doesn’t buy anything, then coming back to the offer later might be a good time for you to show them an additional discount.
In this case, your plan would be to give them another opportunity or incentive if they came back and didn’t buy anything again – such as free shipping on their next purchase of $50+ from your site.
This way, you’re offering them something of value every time they come back without being pushy or aggressive.
You can also use an exit popup to remind people that their trial period is almost over, or offer a new promotion on the products they didn’t purchase from your site before.
The key here is to never stop trying and to always be thinking ahead.
Always stay ahead of the marketing game by hiring Bizzuka to help with your landing pages. Schedule a free 45-minute strategy session with us today, and our team will work with you to develop the perfect landing page that will help you meet and exceed your goals!