5 Elements of an Effective Landing Page
Last updated May 05, 2022
A "landing page" is really any web page that a visitor can end up on.
But for the purposes of this article, we're assuming you're creating dedicated, specific pages for an advertising or marketing campaign (for example a pay-per-click (PPC) AdWords or Facebook ad) that generally aren't part of your "normal" site.
The 5 elements are:
- Leads the Visitor
- Easily scannable
- Have a main goal & CTA
- Asking for the appropriate amount of info
- Consistently branded
Let's get into specifics.
1) Leads the visitor
While some people enjoy the thrill of getting lost in the real world to see if they can get back on track, taking that circuitous path online is the recipe for frustration and lost conversions.
An effective landing page has its main actionable points "above the fold" with further details below—not unlike how a newspaper unravels the story using the inverted pyramid writing style.
The user's main pain point is highlighted first and then describes how the product or service makes sense, followed by Calls to Action throughout.
Make it easy for someone to do whatever action you want them to do and then they will complete it. Remove as much friction as possible.
For example: If it's a strategy call, have an availability calendar so someone can book the appointment right then and there. People tend to flake out when there's too much follow-up.
If someone is interested in information, they don't want to wait for a random time in the future for a salesperson to call back. In fact, it's not unlike a cold call: it's always the best time for the person calling and the worst time for the person receiving the call.
2) Easily scannable
People don't read every single word on the web page. They skim. Having relevant, scannable headlines with bulleted lists and meaningful breaks in paragraphs. We've seen landing pages with the main headline and then a wall of text.
This is true of any web page but when you're (usually) paying a platform to send traffic to this page for leads, you want to be as efficient as possible.
Even if the copy is fantastic, nobody will read your message because it looks intimidating. Give the user bite-sized "chunks" of easy-to-digest content.
Why are infographics so popular? Because they brilliantly fuse together facts and figures in an easily scannable and visual way.
For example: Even if you don't have any images to use, type size, color, and treatment can have a big impact on your landing page. If your body copy is a serif font, use a sans-serif headline. Maybe some nicely formatted pull quotes or testimonials for emphasis.
3) Have an appropriate goal & call to action
What is the primary action you want someone to take? This is related to the goal of the campaign.
Calls to action could be:
- Download our lead magnet or white paper (top of the funnel)
- Purchase our product/service or schedule a strategy call (bottom of the funnel)
What marketers often mistake is where someone is at in the sales process.
Especially at the "top" of the funnel, where someone is still actively seeking information, you won't want to hit them over the head with a strategy call only after they've given you an e-mail address.
And with marketing automation platforms these days, it's easy to overload someone with information.
Have you ever had an overzealous business development executive call you back 5 minutes after you've downloaded their lead magnet asking if you had any questions? Don't make that mistake with your own leads.
4) Ask for the appropriate amount of information
Forms drive landing pages. So once you have someone on the page, you want them to take action and fill out a form in some way.
So how much information do you ask for?
The best answer: just enough.
The more information you want to intake, the less likely it is someone will complete the action. This is also related to your main goal and call to action.
If all you are doing is exchanging their e-mail address for a cheat sheet or white paper, it's an easy transaction.
However, add in a phone number, street address, company name, and more for that same white paper, then suddenly that whitepaper's value diminishes as the user's "cost" to filling out the form increases.
Remember, if someone is just looking for information, they may not be ready to purchase just yet. And you can always get more information from them later as they engage further with your brand.
5) Consistently branded
Speaking of branding, consistency is a very subtle, but very important detail often missed by marketers who are not designers.
If you're running a Facebook ad campaign or a retargeted display ad from another website, the design of your ad should be similar in style and reflect the landing page.
Like having your belt and shoes match in color, the ad's look, feel, and copy should be similar to the landing page. Otherwise, there will likely be a disconnect in your brain between what you just clicked on and the landing page.
It's perfectly fine to put a little mystery into the ad. But if your ads look like Buzz Feed clickbait that have nothing to do with the content of your ad, you can guess what will happen to your conversions.
BONUS: Make the lead magnet awesome
This is by far the most important part of a landing page that offers a lead magnet.
Make your lead magnet specific and worth someone's e-mail address in exchange.
Your landing page could be completely awful but a great lead magnet can save it. However the reverse is rarely true: nobody will opt into a soggy, lead magnet.
Summing up
So that's five six best practices for helping increase more conversions on your landing pages.
Make your landing pages relevant, easy to digest, and the actions on them easy to complete, combined with an awesome lead magnet, and you'll be funneling in more leads in no time.