Landing pages are popular in the digital marketing space. These special pages serve a variety of purposes and are used by businesses and brands to achieve specific, short-term marketing goals.

A landing page contains special content that encourages visitors to take a specific action based on what the page is meant for. You can build a landing page to generate leads, inform people about a new product, build customer loyalty, help support a cause, and so on.

Even if you have already optimized your website for search engines and built a strong social media following, you still need landing pages to help increase conversions. To achieve this goal, you need to understand what makes a functional and high-converting landing page.

Below are a few steps you can take to design a landing page that converts.

1. Be clear with the purpose of your landing page.

Before you even type the first word of your copy, determine what you’re aiming to achieve with your landing page. Is it to build your email list, market a new product, or encourage visitors to support a cause?

Knowing the end goal of your landing page right from the start is just like you holding a map in a new territory. It gives you a clear direction for your campaign and a better idea on how to craft your headline and call to action.

2. Identify your target market and their pain points.

After determining your goal, it’s time to think about your audience. It’s impossible to create an effective landing page without your target market in mind; you cannot simply sell an idea or product to everyone. Your approach will differ based on your prospects’ needs and anxieties.

Relevance is the key. Is your landing page relevant to your audience’s needs?

By knowing your prospects and their pain points, you can incorporate the elements into your landing page that will improve its conversion rate. These elements may include your message and tone, colours, and call-to-actions.

3. Take time to craft a catchy, compelling headline.

landing page elementsAs with any written content, a landing page benefits greatly from a well-thought-out headline. The title is usually what visitors see first, so make it compelling enough for them to check out the rest of the page.

Also, remember to make your headline match your ad copy. A headline that doesn’t align with the rest of the content will confuse your page visitors and increase the bounce rate.

So make sure to be witty when creating your title while sticking to the overall purpose of the page.

4. Go visual without cluttering your landing page.

It’s rare to see a landing page without at least one good image. Images in the background make a page eye-catchy, and with the right combination of colours and design elements, they help boost conversion rates.

However, be careful not to use too many or too big photos on your landing page. Otherwise, this will distract visitors from taking your desired action, e.g. clicking the sign-up button or downloading a free resource.

You may also consider a video clip for better visual engagement. Many landing pages today use short videos as these make the pages stimulating and easy to share. Video clips are also beneficial in conveying your message clearly and quickly while making the experience more valuable to the visitor.

5. Build trust with positive customer feedback.

The power of testimonials or reviews is strong when it comes to landing pages. Before purchasing a product from a physical or online store, you’d probably check out existing online reviews to know if it will be a good buy or not.

This consumer behavior is normal and to be expected. According to Mailchimp, “85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” Therefore, as a brand you can leverage the positive feedback you received from previous customers by including it in your new campaigns.

Aside from customer reviews, you can also incorporate other elements into your landing page that will help build trust. For example, you can showcase security badges, third party certifications or your client logos, ideally near your CTA buttons. This will boost conversion rate and give a prospect a nudge to finally make a decision.

landing page design

6. Create a persuasive but clear CTA.

Last but definitely not the least, you need to ensure that your landing page has a crystal-clear call-to-action or CTA. The purpose of a landing page is to make visitors take the action you intend them to do. It’s not enough that they visit the page; it’s what they do after landing on the page that matters more.

Again, your CTA will depend on the purpose of your landing page. Use simple but compelling words to prompt visitors to take action: Sign Up Now, Click Here, Check Out Our Video, Get Your Free Gift. You can be more creative with your word choices but make sure your CTA is still 100% clear to your visitors.

It’s also wise to avoid using multiple CTA buttons on a landing page. You want the prospect consumer to know exactly what you want them to do while on the page. Distract them with many other requests and you will lose the conversion.

Conclusion

Creating and optimizing a landing page that converts requires careful consideration and several steps to take. You need to use the combined power of copywriting and design to make an effective landing page.

After creating the page, don’t be afraid to edit or tweak it multiple times. Use tools for testing and compare results. You can also create multiple versions to give different sections of your market a more personalized experience.

Focus on giving value to your prospect consumers when crafting a landing page. Don’t just talk about your product or service. Build the page with your audience in mind.

By doing so, you won’t just boost the conversion rate of every landing page you create, but your brand will gain more loyal followers and repeat customers over the long term.

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