A landing page is any section of a website accessed through a hyperlink laid elsewhere. In digital marketing, there’s a reason why landing pages also go by ‘lead capture pages’ – they are designed to escort site visitors down a very specific route, the final destination being purchase.
Unless you nail the landing page essentials, you’ll leave customers confused and conversion rates lacking. While a SEO agency helps you get the best results, you can do many of the basics on your own!
- Content
Whether graphic designers and coders like it or not, the most important element of a website is what’s actually being said. As with any writing, it should be coherent and engaging. However, landing page copy has to be highly relevant and concise.
- Empathise with the reader: Set the scene by outlining the challenges that readers may be experiencing, before comparing it to the ideal. What’s the difference? Well, you’re product or service of course!
- Don’t condescend: More often than not, the hyperlink that led to your landing page was placed within related content, meaning you don’t need to hold the visitor’s hand. They know what they’re looking for, and you need only worry about providing information on precisely that.
- Call to Action (CTA): A marketing term, the call to action is simply some text that encourages readers to take immediate action. Examples include ‘sign up today’, ‘buy now’ and ‘subscribe’. Use these phrases to present the next logical step for the reader.
- Cultivate Urgency: Providing a reason why action should be taken now can increase conversions. Having powerful copy and a time-limited deal, or specialised offer, can be the final nudges towards a purchase.
- Structure
As landing pages are targeting a smaller audience, it’s integral that you maintain a solid structure. Not only does this enhance the aesthetic of your text, but it paces the copy and makes it vastly easier for readers to follow your story. Say the right stuff, the right way.
- Organise Text: Large, uninterrupted bodies of writing are just unpleasant. Instead, break the page into sections, each with their respective heading. Within sections, you can further organise information by using bulleted lists and subheadings.
- Concise Information: A generic homepage provides a wide range of information to accommodate many conversion stages. The downside is that it isn’t nearly as relevant, or concise, as your landing pages. Never forget the purpose of a landing page, or that less is often more.
- Media Elements: Landing pages should be engaging, so whilst the text is crucial for expressing your message, media can alleviate reading overload. Really try to use original images and videos, as it will be unique and be vastly more convincing than stock.
- Design
People aren’t robots. They expect an experience on a website, which means clever design, complementary graphical and design elements, and consistent style.
- Clear Voice: Having a regular tone, a house font and media presented in a set way bumps up the professionalism. An attractive design creates two things: an authoritative voice and trust. As a side note, remember to use the same branding across all marketing channels.
- Visual Aspect: You need to make sure that sections are presented well and broken up pleasantly, which involves margin, spacing and sizing. You should also consider how the landing page looks in both desktop and mobile versions.
- Colour: You can grab attention by manipulating colour. Contrasting the CTA buttons with a neutral background will naturally draw visitor focus, even if just for a moment. To help your chances, have the CTA button reappear throughout the page.
The Perfect Landing Page
The secret weapon to the perfect landing page is anticipation: propose questions that you know they’d ask, then promptly answer them. Make them the star of the show and they feel represented. Be clear, making it simple for them to take action, and they feel respected. Implement these essentials and watch your landing page really take off!
If you need help with landing pages, or SEO in Sydney, just ask!