5 Best Practices for Landing Page Design
Do You Like This Post?
Landing pages are often the neglected parts of an online advertising campaign, but are an essential part of the conversion process. In fact, it is arguable that the landing page could be the most important element in helping conversion rates because no matter how good the outbound campaign is, once a user lands on the page, if there is a disconnect or if they do not find the sought after information in a timely manner, they are likely to abandon the process.
There are many factors to consider when designing a landing page. Some of them include:
1. Headline
This is the most important factor to a landing page. The headline is the first thing a viewer sees when coming to the landing page. As such, it needs to do the following in a concise manner:
- Tell the user that they are either at the right or wrong place
- If it is the right place, compel the user to continue the process
Try to keep the headline short, concise, and to the point, while at the same time, informative enough to keep the user within the funnel. Using keywords within the headline can help in both cases.
2. Call to Action
The Call to Action is anything on the landing page that tells the user to take action. Call to Actions should be obvious (if something looks clickable, it should be clickable) and visible above the fold and below the fold. The phrase used within the Call to Action should be active and concise.
Example: instead of “more info”, use, “get a free consultation today!”
It is also important to keep the number of Call to Actions to a minimum. If there are too many Call to Actions, it may become confusing for the user.
3. Product Benefits
Always list the most compelling offers first. A nice and clean way to provide product benefits is by using a bulleted list.
4. Opening Paragraph
The opening paragraph should follow the headline. The text needs to be able to entice the viewer into finding out more. The opening paragraph should also be relatively short but informative. If more information is required to describe the product or service, do so in the Product Benefits section or on an additional page that can be linked from the landing page.
5. Testing
Always test, test, and test some more. How do you know if the headline you’re using is compelling enough? How do you know if the Call to Action at the top is effective? Which product benefit is the most important to the viewer? All of these can be answered by testing. A landing page can never be set in stone. There are always ways of improving conversion rates.
