Ask any marketer and they’ll tell you: the first crucial step in establishing a professional online presence is having a great website. But how do you start gathering people to view your page? Landing pages.
And to create a landing page can be a mystery. However, businesses shouldn't be afraid of creating a design to grab the attention from the people they are targeting. You can do this with a fancy image or offer only found on the web. However you choose to create a landing page, we've got the guide to get you started and finished in no time.
Table of Contents
- All About a Landing Page and Its Importance to Conversion
- The Steps to Creating a Great Landing Page
- Things to Keep in Mind When You Create Landing Pages
- Common Landing Page Mistakes
- Choosing a Landing Page Builder
- What's Next?
All About a Landing Page and Its Importance to Conversion
In online marketing, landing pages are used to drive visitors towards conversion by getting them to click through to a specific action. That action could be anything from encouraging users to make a purchase on your online store, to subscribing to your mailing list, or countless other actions. Most importantly, when building a landing page, there should be the most important marketing element: the call to action (CTA).
As opposed to a full-blown professional website, a landing page is a single page with a highly specific target: getting visitors to click through to your end goal. When done well, a good landing page can hugely up your chances of success.
In order for the landing page to fulfill its purpose, you first need to drive traffic to it. This can be done in a few different ways:
Utilize the power of email marketing to send the landing page to your subscribers via email.
Post a link to your LP on social networks like Instagram or Twitter (with or without paying for an ad campaign).
Add a link to the LP within a blog post. If you don’t already have one, this can be a good opportunity to start a blog.
Optimize your landing page for search engines, by implementing advanced SEO features that can help boost your chances of getting found by organic (non-paid) search.
How can businesses benefit from connecting a great landing page to your website? Here are a few things you can expect when you build a landing page and deploy it.
- More leads and sales: Higher conversion rates mean more purchases, sign-ups, free trials, you name it. In fact, businesses with more than 30 landing pages generate 7x more leads than those with fewer than five.
- Higher ROI: Whether you’re spending on ads, your website, email service, or something else, you’re getting more results for the same price— just by changing the URL the visitor goes to.
- Increase brand credibility: Whether it’s influencer endorsements, partnership badges, reviews, or stats, the trust signals you use on your landing pages build your credibility, regardless of whether the user actually converts.
- Create a memorable experience: Because landing pages are specific to an offer and even the user, the copy, imagery, and messaging are highly customized, making for a personalized and memorable experience.
Types of Landing Pages
You may have little idea of what you want to first offer the people to direct them to your business page. Even if you have no idea what your landing page message will be, you can grab the attention of audience members with landing page templates.
Here are the most common landing page types. Hopefully, these will inspire your business to create unique content and get the most out of your landing page.
Long-form
Long-form landing pages, also known as sales letters, are the infomercials of the digital marketing world. They focus on the benefits of the product, and they repeat the benefits over and over until the reader is convinced that they have to purchase what the business is offering. The long-form landing page explains every part of the offer to the visitor.
The longer a person spends on this type of landing page, the higher the chance that they will convert. Great copy pulls the visitor down the page and reassures them that they are making the right decision. Ideally, the words will have an exciting tone and the visitor will experience a fear of missing out while reading the content. The solution to this, which is the landing page’s offer, should be clear to the visitors.
Short-form
If you’re looking to increase the number of leads overall, then using short-form landing pages are the key to achieving your goal. Short-form pages feature less information, which means fewer distractions that deter a person from signing up.
When you make the signup form, remember to keep it short. Doing so makes it is easier for a person to fill it out and become a lead.
Typically the goal of short form landing pages is to entice visitors to download your premium content. Short- form pages are ideal when you are offering a free resource, like a case study , ebook, email newsletter, or other low commitment action that won’t cost a visitor anything but some information to take action.
Squeeze Page
The squeeze page is the quintessential landing page. Also known as a lead capture page or an opt-in page, the squeeze page aims to squeeze information out of the visitor. This information is typically personal data, such as a name, email, and/or phone number. In exchange for the personal data, the user often receives some type of offer. The offer could be a:
- Free trial
- Downloadable content, such as an e-book, white paper, infographic, podcast episode, or price sheet
- Email list sign-up
A squeeze page usually contains a call-to-action button for the visitor to submit their information and no other navigation. The business can then use the visitor’s details to target them with email marketing, text message marketing, or social media marketing campaigns. A squeeze page usually has a headline, copy, one or two images, and a form.
Splash Page
A splash page is there to grab a site visitor's attention as it appears on your screen before arriving at the expected end destination. "To make a splash" means to attract a great deal of attention. Unlike most other types of landing pages, splash pages are not focused on conversion but rather to fulfill a specific goal.
They’re commonly used as an intermediary page to make an announcement, such as to inform about a conference, event or promotion. Other times, a splash landing page is used to ask a visitor's age or language preference and then proceeds to let the visitor enter the site.
Businesses should make sure they are not writing a lot of copy in their builder for this type of landing page.
Lead Capture
Sometimes referred to as Squeeze pages also, these pages focus on lead capture more than a regular squeeze page. The purpose of lead capture landing pages is to gather personal data from the visitor, usually beginning with their name and email address. A true squeeze page has absolutely no exit path from the page, no links or navigation – only a button to submit your details. An incentive is typically offered in exchange for this personal data.
The reason a company would use a lead capture landing page is to build an email list of relevant potential customers. This list will then be used to market to these people in the future.
Launch Announcement Page
In this day and age, we're always stretched for time and have a million places to be. Therefore when you're hosting an event, or have a new announcement of a product, people want to know why it's beneficial for them to invest their time and add a product or service to their cart.
To do so, create an launch announcement landing page that includes all relevant details and information, as well as how to buy a new product perhaps. Or give people an opportunity to schedule an event or sign up for your newsletter about whatever this new announcement may be.
The Steps to Creating a Great Landing Page
As mentioned earlier, the ultimate goal of a landing page is to get viewers to click, but where is that click taking them?
Will they be redirected to a shopping cart? An online form? An inner page within your company’s main website? Think carefully about the next step and create an easy path for viewers to get there with a single click.
Here's an example of a great landing page with clear headline and though-out design.
In terms of content, the landing page has one simple message to convey. It promotes the desired action and sticks to explaining the benefits of performing this action.
The design of the page needs to focus on supporting this objective and nothing else.
The ultimate goal of a landing page is to make site visitors click. Both the design and the text of the page need to reflect that, so make sure that all buttons are labeled with clear copy and that they stand out against the page’s background.
The anatomy of a landing page, as its name may suggest, is made up of one single page. You can divide it into separate sections, but you should stick to just one page that preferably isn’t too long.
Headers, subheaders, buttons and images need to represent the page’s message in a powerful and effective way, while ensuring that all elements remain cohesive.
Here are the basic steps of creating a landing page.
- Select a landing page template.
- Give your landing page a name.
- Add your unique content.
- Include striking images.
- Choose a relevant domain name.
- Make sure all your links and CTAs are working.
- Complete your meta description and SEO title.
- Publish!
Decide on a Landing Page Design
Ask yourself what you want to put on your landing page. This will determine your overall design, such as:
- What headline and subheadlines to use
- What website page or blog to connect it to
- Whether you should use landing page templates or not
- How often you want to communicate with your leads (via email immediately, automatically, etc.)
Design Elements
Design elements to a landing page, even if there are simple drag and drop widgets to build one, are three-fold. They should have a clear purpose, showcase the strength(s) of the business, and entice visitors to click or fill out the signup form because of its message and great design.
Aside from deciding if you want a landing page connected to your blog or how many different colors and images you want, there are more overlooked items in business landing pages that need attention.
Consistent Branding
It’s important for your landing page to look like it belongs on your website. This doesn’t mean it needs to look exactly like the rest of your website or have a complex design – in fact, simple is best when it comes to landing pages – but they should have consistent branding. Having your company logo at the top of every landing page ensures that visitors know where they are and who is providing the content.
Limited Navigation
Unlike websites where there are multiple journeys for a user to take, a landing page should have a specific path for the user to take to easily accomplish the actions you’ve anticipated. Since you want to keep the user on a specified journey, it’s also best to exclude any exit links and to limit navigation. Having a menu and other secondary links may lead users to abandon the landing page.
Compelling Headline
Your headline should be clear, direct and explain exactly what the offer is. It should also be consistent with the copy that was used in the original call-to-action or email that promoted the landing page. The headline is usually the first thing visitors see when they land on your page, so it should be catchy and attention-grabbing but still clearly state the purpose.
As a complement to the heading, a subheadline should be written to persuade the user to stay on the page and encourage them to take action.
Enticing Visuals or Video
Content including images improves engagement and can make your offer more exciting. Images and icons on your landing page could be interactive, tell a story, or even give directional cues that point a visitor towards your call-to-action.
Simple and Direct Copy
Your landing page copy should be short and to-the-point, and it should be relevant to the call-to-action. It should explain exactly what the prospect will learn or what value they will receive from your offer.
Bullet points or bolded words are a great way to get your point across quickly. Use benefit-oriented language that speaks directly to your visitors, and while the copy should be concise, you can also personalize it so it’s less generic.
Standout call-to-action (CTA)
Your landing page needs a clear call-to-action button that demands attention. To increase effectiveness, use a contrasting color (which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bright color) and an actual button, as users have been trained to expect one. Design the page without clutter or distractions, and make the button big enough so there’s no doubt where to go to redeem your offer.
You can take into consideration the F-Pattern and Z-Pattern of eye movement when deciding where to place the button. Be sure to use only one CTA per landing page so you don’t confuse your visitors.
Trust Indicators or Reviews
Consider including a few elements that add credibility to your offer such as statistical evidence, testimonials and reviews, or trust badges, like awards or customer logos. Social proof can also be effective in increasing conversions, as people are 71% more likely to make a purchase if referred by social media.
Things to Keep in Mind When You Create Landing Pages
We went over the basic design elements you would want to keep an eye on when creating landing pages. Let's elaborate on how you can look deeper into the content and layout of your landing page (or any web page for that matter).
Keywords
Keyword research lets you see what people are searching for as it relates to your product or service. Your should also be able to access data and analytics from your website platform to help personalize your landing pages.
Additionally, you can use segmentation to carve up your visitor and contact lists to better target their needs. Segmentation is a marketing strategy that subdivides contacts or target markets into smaller groups with common needs, interests, pains, etc. (for example: middle-aged men who use expensive grooming products, love soccer, and live in Northern California).
Using segmentation, you can build landing pages with the best combination of copy, images, and CTA that will appeal to chunks of your audience.
Make It Mobile Friendly
Mobile users in the United States spend up to five hours a day on their mobile devices, which is about 20% of their day.
Landing pages are no exception—your clients are looking for answers to their problems on their phones. Mobile is now a vital part of the research and purchase phase. Be sure your landing pages are mobile-optimized for a variety of screen sizes (tablets, for example) and devices (phones vs e-readers and tablets) to avoid losing out on valuable leads.
Images
Images have a powerful effect on our brains. We’re more likely to retain information when it’s paired with imagery.
Choose images that reflect your clients’ needs. Tap into your buyer personas, and figure out what it is they identify with most. For example, if your target audience is millennial women, don’t use images of a baby boomer-aged man.
- You can also use images of real people, whether they are using your product and looking happy or simply an image of real people who have a review of your service or product. Studies show that pictures of real people attract more attention.
- Have a cool product? Of course you do! Show it off and invest in great pictures of your product to place on your page.
White Space
What you leave off your landing page is almost as important as what you put in. By leaving some unused space on your landing pages, you can lighten up the feel of the page.
When every space is occupied, the page can feel congested and actually invite your audience to bounce.
White space improves readability and helps your visitors focus on the most important parts of your landing page.
Common Landing Page Mistakes
When you create you first landing page, you may find it is hard to get people to click on the page, let alone sign up for whatever you are offering. Don't get down in the dumps. It happens to nearly every business who's ever put an image or form online.
Simple mistakes mean simple solutions. You just can't forget about them! Here are some tips on making sure your landing page can perform well on the web and grab the attention of your audience.
Slow Loading Speeds
This should be a major consideration before your landing page goes live. Make sure your landing pages are loading quickly and with high quality by testing your website speed.
Too Much Going On
Be conscious of how many fonts you use on your landing page. Two fonts that work well together is the best choice. Too many fonts on a single page can look chaotic, messy, and just plain not professional.
Failing to Do A/B Testing
Your landing pages stand a much better chance of success when you can put a little science behind them. Unless you split test your landing pages, you won’t know if you’re actually optimized for your audience.
Testing your landing pages can save you some serious cash and increase your conversion rates. This is known as conversion rate optimization (CRO). You can do this by creating different versions of the same landing page (same message or offer) and seeing how well each of them does with traffic and getting visitors to interact or sign up using the form on your page.
Choosing a Landing Page Builder
Choosing a landing page builder is the most important first step once you decide you want to create landing pages for your business. Landing pages are essential to garnering leads, so it's vital that the landing page design and landing page copy are set up to do the job!
Let's take a look at some free landing page choices that offer all the tools, landing page templates, integrated apps, content ideas, different publish options (such as scheduling publishing at a later date), easy ways to edit your page, and a variety of design options for your form.
Free Landing Page Options
There are not a lot of software options that give a lifetime of free landing pages. It should be noted, however, that you will find nearly all marketing software will offer a free trial to help you make a decision in whether or not to continue to use a particular builder.
TruVISIBILITY
TruVISIBILITY has not one app or two apps, but five separate pieces to the platform that help with every type of business marketing need like conversational marketing, chatbots, and website creation.
You can also get personal attention on your website and landing pages with the ability to integrate your pages to social media. Here's everything offered for free for a lifetime:
- Get a website with TruVISIBILITY as the host
- 100 free chatbot conversations
- 1,000 emails to send each month
- 1 free website with a blog included
- a free SSL certificate
- Social media integration
TruVISIBILITY has the simplest platform to navigate and understand - no coding knowledge needed! Drag and drop blocks allow you to build conversations and page designs quicker on your own than most other marketing software platforms.
Other Landing Page Options
Each individual software will have their own payment policy, whether it automatically renewed every month or not. This is why free trial accounts can be sneaky. You often will accidentally be paying for the following month's service after your free trial ends.
Though some of the following platforms have free trials, some do not offer this type of account. However, all of these paid options have tools and tips that are beneficial for any business.
Wix
With Wix, you can get your own url to seamlessly attach your landing page to. Their tools are great for designing a landing page if you don't know where to start. They have four pages of landing page templates. And yes, you can start building for free.
Prices at Wix vary greatly. If you want only one page on the web, obviously you will be paying less. Options start at $16 per month but also range from $22 to $45 per month.
One last thing: Wix does seem to be focused more on eCommerce brands, and they boast that they have tools and content in their templates for product launches. It will be up to if you want to get this landing page builder for these purposes.
Hubspot
Hubspot offers a great platform for marketing purposes. A little pricier than some, it offers simple things you need for every marketing, like form automation and email automation. You will be paying more for some extras like social media integration and A/B testing. These things should already be included in a basic builder, but Hubspot adds other services to this $800 pricing option.
What's great about Hubspot's builder is that you can pay for the services in over seven different currencies, including USD, CAD, EUR, JPY, and AUD. This shows they've been around the block a while. Unfortunately, their builder and other marketing services start at $45 minimum per month. However, they have more pricing options as your business grows.
Leadpages
Leadpages is a wonderful option if you want more than one element to your landing page and also need to get the most bang for your buck (if you are planning to pay anything). Leadpages is great for marketing landing pages because that is the focus of this software. They even give you a 14-day free trial!
They pride themselves on having the best drag and drop features for landing page building. Like most software, though, this is personal preference. Hence the free trial.
But Leadpages is also affordable after the 14 days. Plans start at $37 per month and give businesses one website, unlimited landing pages, pop-ups, and alert bars. Their tools easily integrate with email as well.
Unbounce
Unbounce is one of those companies focused on innovative landing page building. Whether it is necessary or not, it's good for certain marketing teams perhaps. But their tools do give all business sizes something unique: AI-powered landing page.
Yep, Unbounce offers smart tools to help build the ultimate landing page to get leads fast. Can't find the words to write copy? No problem. AI can help. What's the cost of this special kind of landing page builder?
Packages start at $90 per month after a 14-day free trial but go up to the most popular plan of $135 per month. Need more than 25 domains while still getting unlimited landing pages and pop-ups? Expect to pay $575 per month.
Mailchimp
Sure, Mailchimp is probably best known for their email marketing services, but one of the great things about Mailchimp is that they actually offer website and landing page builders that help you create your design without limitations. This means you can put any image anywhere, write copy from scratch, move boxes around the page... the possibilities are endless.
And the thing about landing pages is... you need a great email marketing platform. Its vital to integrate your email with landing pages. How else will you get to reply to those people who sign up and like what your business is offering?
What's Next?
Who says you can't add a landing page almost everywhere? Yes, everywhere including a post on your social media channels. You can deploy a variety of landing pages as well to reach many different audiences and send out a lot of offers or messages. The more content you put out into the world will increase your odds of getting visitors. Learn how to manage multiple landing pages here.
After you go through the step-by-step process of your design for landing pages, the smart approach (as always) is to have a plan of action to improve your landing page once you publish it. Plan to gather information from people, such as a survey about how they find your business.
Don't forget to collect data like how well the SEO is performing, how many click you get on your page, etc. This will ensure you can adjust your landing page to get the leads you need.
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