Starting a new campaign? Then you’ll need a landing page.
Landing pages are individual pages specific to marketing campaigns where you send your audience from an advertisement. They’re laser focused on a specific product you’re selling. To be effective, they must be highly targeted.
After looking through many successful landing page examples, here are the top elements I’ve found in every high-performing landing page.
Structuring Your Landing Page
Before you start to put together the color schemes or decide on a headline, you need to choose the right structure. Choosing the outline of your landing page will help you know how to best fill in the gaps.
Here’s what you need to include in the structure to your landing page.
1. An Attention Grabbing Headline
You need your reader’s attention if you want to get your point across. The first thing your audience should see when landing on your page is a prominent, compelling headline. This should be unmistakable and impossible to miss. Place it at the top before any copy, imagery, or videos. Use it to keep your audience reading.
2. The Fewer Links the Better
Landing pages are meant to drive a person to a specific goal. They aren’t intended to let a person explore your website. You want your audience to take a very specific action when they land on your page. Focus on the next step by eliminating as many links (if not all links) as possible.
3. Imagery
After your headline, your images are the next thing your audience will notice.
Your page should look inviting. Without images, it’ll look daunting and intimidating. Use pictures and videos to break up the text and make your page skimmable. Your audience is busy. The more imagery you can use to get your point across, the better.
4. Social Proof
Chances are, your audience won’t want to take your word for it. They’ll want to hear from others who have had an exceptional experience with your product.
Add in testimonials for social proof. If you can use a picture of the person who made the comment, even better! Show the person what they can expect out of buying from you by telling their story through someone else.
5. Pay Attention to the Fold
On a website, the fold is anything below your user scrolling down. Most people will expect to receive all the information they need before the fold. Any information that requires scrolling should be supplementary.
Put all your key points up top. Keep them simple and concise so they’re easy to read.
6. A Clear Call-to-Action
You’ve used headlines, images, and testimonials to sell your reader, now what? Now, you want them to buy.
Make your call-to-action prominent. Your reader shouldn’t have any doubt about where to click or what to do next. Use colors, buttons, and compelling copy to drive your audience to the next step of the buying process.
Case Study: H.Bloom
Take a look at the structure of this landing page from H. Bloom. The copy is short and easy to skim. The design is attractive and in line with their brand. The call-to-action is prominently placed at the top. There’s no question about the process or how the visitor can get started with their floral service.
Writing Copy That Converts
Now that you’ve come up with the layout for your page, it’s time to fill in the gaps with compelling copy and an attractive design.
The copywriting usually comes first. The message you’re trying to tell will lead into the type of images and colors you want to use. It’ll also help you define your overall goal with the page, which is important for the designer to know when putting the finishing pieces together.
The best copywriters know how to convey a point quickly and concisely. Here are some of our best copywriting tips to help you do the same.
Ditch Cliches and Jargon Filled Phrases
Cliches and jargon are unhearable (or in this case, unreadable) words. People skim over them without thought. Surprise your reader by adding elements of intrigue and breaking away from the expected. This is especially true in your headline.
Keep It Short
You could talk about your product forever. You love what you sell and you want the rest of the world to love it too. The best way to make people fall in love with you is to keep your copy short.
Start your copy off with a short, gripping introduction. Then, list out the three bullet points you want your reader to know about why you’re the best option. The faster you can convey your point, the more likely you are to be heard.
Focus on the Outcome
While writing, don’t focus on the features of what you’re selling – focus on the outcomes. What will happen to your buyer when she purchases what you’re selling? How will your customer’s life be better? What specifically will she get out of working with you?
The more specific you can get with the outcomes, the more effective your copy will be.
Read It Out Loud
Once you’re finished, read the copy out loud. Does it read well? Is it crisp and easy to understand? This is the final sniff test.
A helpful hint is to ask someone else to read it out loud to you. You wrote the copy, so you already have the cadence and style in your head. Will your reader? By getting a colleague or friend to read the copy out loud to you, you’re sure that what you wrote will be interpreted in the same way as you intended.
Case Study: Industrial Strength Marketing
This website is rich with short, crisp copy. Check out the headline and how quickly this company conveys their point with short sentences and text.
Making it Look Good
The images and colors you choose make a big difference on your landing page’s success. Pictures have differing connotations for people. They set the tone for your brand and speak to a specific target audience.
Here are some elements to consider while deciding on the design for your landing page.
Are the images helpful or distracting?
When choosing imagery for your page, make sure it contributes to the overall aesthetic of your landing page. If they’re distracting, your message will get lost causing your conversions to plummet. If they’re helpful, you’ll strengthen the overall success of the landing page.
Examples of helpful imagery include:
- The product
- A customer using the product
- Simple pictures
- Pictures that tell a story
Distracting images won’t add value to the page and instead will confuse your audience.
Is the Call-To-Action Noticeable?
Your call-to-action is perhaps the most important element on your landing page. It has to be noticeable for it to be effective.
Look at the colors of the buttons, the size of the call-to-action, and the placement. Is it crystal clear what you want your audience to do?
Remember, the call-to-action is the hero of your landing page. It should take center stage.
Highlight Your Brand’s Colors
Your landing page might be the first time a person has seen anything about your business. You must grab their attention with your brand’s colors and aesthetic.
The design should complement everything else the person will see about your brand. If your audience leaves your page to do research about what you’re offering, you want to have a consistent image across the web.
Keep all design in line with your brand and focused on driving conversion.
Case Study: Basecamp
When you look at this landing page, you think Basecamp. It looks like all their other websites but it’s designed in a way that drives action. The hand-drawn figure is pointing at the first step the company wants the visitor to take. The copy is short, the design is brand-centric, and it’s clear what the business wants you to do next. Supplementary text is below the fold so it does not distract from the call-to-action.
What Happens Next?
Once you’ve created your perfect landing page, the work is not over – it’s only just beginning.
Test, tweak, and test again. To find what your audience wants to hear from you, try out different formulas, headlines, and colors to see what works the best. Let the market tell you exactly what they want from your business. Learn, grow, and evolve for the biggest landing page success.
