go through Sean Tinney July 9, 2024
You’re sitting at your desk, excited and ready to create a killer login page. There is no doubt that this page will have your email list sprouting faster than May flowers.
You stare at the blank canvas, hoping the words will flow across the keyboard.
But all you see is a blank screen.
You know landing pages can be a powerful marketing tool, but starting one from scratch can be daunting.
Thankfully, following some proven landing page best practices will help you overcome the blank screen Create a landing page Convert visitors into subscribers without hesitation.
Read on for 15 tips, tricks, and landing page best practices to help you build a high-converting landing page.
1 – Write a benefit-focused headline
The title is the first thing your visitors see, so you want to make sure it grabs their attention right away. Your headline should clearly communicate the value you offer; visitors need to know what they’ll get if they sign up or buy a product from you.
do you know 80% of visitors will read your headlinebut only 20% will read the rest?
How do you keep all those visitors reading?
Simple: Spend more time writing the title than any other part of the page. Test different titles to see which one works best.
Check out the following examples from JB Fit – “The Ultimate Pain-Free Back Program”. See how she uses profit-driven headlines to attract people.
2 – Ask your visitors to do something
The old adage “jack of all trades, master of none” applies to landing pages as well. Don’t overwhelm readers by asking them to take multiple actions.
The ultimate goal of a landing page is to get people to one Action required. Whether it’s selling an ebook, signing up for an event, or getting an email address, keep your main goal in mind.
Check out this landing page from Weight Loss Academy. The goal of this page is obvious: sell mini courses for $49.99. There is very little navigation and social media buttons at the bottom of the page provide verification.
3 – Use images that match your information
They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so pictures are more likely to evoke emotion than words alone.
Include images that showcase your great products or illustrate the feeling you want your audience to experience.
If you can show the transformation customers will experience with your product or service, they will be more likely to buy.
The Intrepid Guide does a great job of showing how users can experience their Italian menu e-book through the images on the landing page.
4 – Create a strong call-to-action button that’s eye-catching
your Call-to-action (CTA) button is one of the most important elements of a landing page. The title lets them in. CTA closes the sale.
Your CTA button needs to stand out and clearly communicate the value of your offer.
See the powerful call-to-action on this landing page. “Get the cheat sheet now!” is a clever way to differentiate a call-to-action from standard language like “sign up” or “download.”
5 – Put the most important message first
2.7 seconds. That’s all you have to do attract visitors’ attention.
Since you have such a limited amount of time to convince someone to keep reading, you need to do your best to put your most important information where it’s immediately visible at the top of the page.
“Above the fold” is the part of your landing page that you can see without scrolling. If the information you include on your homepage isn’t engaging, readers won’t keep scrolling down your page.
Dirk Ereken Images strategically places the most important information he wants readers to see at the top of the page.
6 – No top navigation
Unlike a website, a landing page should have a single focus, and including a top navigation bar can be distracting.
By removing the top navigation, you can simplify conversion paths and focus your visits on your CTA.
Learn how Dreams Travel Consulting limited the top navigation and instead focused on getting visitors to sign up for the guide.
7 – Optimize your pages for every device
This is truly a best practice for any website or landing page you create: make sure your page is optimized for use on mobile, desktop, and tablet devices.
We’ve all had this experience: you open a web page on your phone and you have to zoom in to read some text. A poor mobile experience like this will turn away potential customers; most users browse and make decisions on the go. A responsive landing page with elements that adapt to different screens and devices is crucial.
Learn how Dodo Art Online uses mobile-responsive landing pages to ensure visitors have a great experience on their website, no matter what device they use.
8 – Direct the reader’s eye
Understanding visual hierarchy and how visitors view your landing page can build an effective page that promotes conversion rate Much easier.
study Eye-tracking studies have shown that visitors follow specific patterns, such as a Z-shaped pattern, where the eyes start in the upper left corner, move across the page, down to the lower left corner, and then across again, creating a Z-shaped pattern.
With this in mind, key elements such as titles, images, and CTAs should be strategically positioned to guide the viewer’s eyes naturally through the page.
Additionally, you can use directional cues, such as arrows or images of people looking at your CTA, to direct their attention where you want them to go. Strategic use of whitespace can also help draw attention to certain elements.
This is a great example provided by Dynamic Property Partners. They position the page in a Z-pattern so that readers look at the title first.
9 – Include social proof
Building their trust and credibility by exposing them to recommendations, reviews, and user-generated content can help your visitors feel more satisfied with your brand. Displaying your real name and photo adds authenticity and relevancy to your social proof.
Learn how 4Life uses quotes and photos from real customers to reinforce its value:
10 – Leverage A/B testing
If you’re ever torn between a landing page design decision, use it as an opportunity to test it out! If you’re not sure which headline to implement or which image to use, you’ll need to perform A/B testing or split testing.
By creating two slightly different versions of your landing page, you can see which one performs better. Testing different headlines, images, or calls-to-action can help you hone the strategies that work best.
Take a look at these two versions of the same landing page from Neathome. See the difference? By gathering data on which version performed better, the one with the woman and the book or the one without the man in the kitchen, they could recreate their most successful elements in the future.
11 – Incorporate trust signals
Incorporating trust signals like security badges, certifications, and privacy policies can help reassure visitors that their information is safe. This is especially important if your landing page requires sensitive information, such as credit card information.
Adding a simple security badge from Norton or McAfee shows them that their data is safe. In the example below, the salesperson asks the viewer to provide quite a bit of personal information, but assures them that their information is safe via the Norton and TRUSTe badges at the bottom.
12 – Slow down page loading speed
How annoying is it when a page takes forever to load? Pages that load slowly can turn visitors off.
Make sure your landing pages load quickly by optimizing images, minimizing code, and using browser caching. Ideally, load time should be less than three seconds.
Not sure how fast your landing page loads. Use tools like PageSpeed Insights Test your page load time.
Adopting a minimalist design like Sundae does on this landing page is a great way to ensure fast load times.
13 – Personalize your content
Personalization can really make your landing page stand out. Personalized content makes visitors feel special and creates a closer connection with your products and brand. You can use dynamic text replacement to personalize titles and copy.
For example, your landing page can welcome returning visitors with a message like “Welcome back!” or “Continue your journey today!” Learn how HubSpot uses dynamic text to insert the viewer’s name into the content of your landing page?
14 – Use interactive elements
Fun, interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, and calculators can help visitors stay on your page longer.
If designed correctly, they can both be engaging and provide valuable insights and information about your products.
Axway did a great job integrating the quiz into this landing page. They pose an interesting question that will naturally draw you in to take their quiz.
15 – Create a sense of urgency and scarcity
Want to inspire your visitors to take immediate action? Limited-time offers, countdowns, and low-stock alerts can nudge visitors to take action before it’s too late.
Language that emphasizes urgency, such as “limited time offer,” “only a few spots left,” or “sign up now before it’s too late,” can speed up conversions.
In this example, 1 Body offers you a large countdown timer with free shipping. This is a not-so-subtle but highly effective way to encourage quick action.
Put your knowledge of landing page best practices into practice
Now that you have these 15 proven landing page best practices, it’s time to put them into practice. Remember, creating a high-converting landing page doesn’t have to be scary, time-consuming, or expensive.
Need a starting point? Use custom templates Start optimizing today!
