Getting The Most Out Of Your Landing Pages

Sure, anybody can slap together a landing page and call it a day. But it should be said that not all landing pages are created equal. Believe it or not, but there is a list of points that need to be ticked off to ensure that your landing page performs to the best of its abilities. 

So, with that out of the way, we're going to make it our mission to guarantee that you don't go into this blind. Let's jump into it and get those conversion rates shooting through the roof.

Remind Me, What's a Landing Page Again?

No worries! While there are many types of landing pages, they all share a common goal: convert visitors into leads. Landing pages contain forms that ask visitors for their contact information in exchange for something of value, otherwise known as an offer.
Now, think about how protective you are of your personal information. What would make a person want to give up their contact information over the internet?

Well, that’s where landing page best practices come in. A targeted, well-crafted landing page with a solid format and sound copy will get almost anyone to submit their information.

A Good Headline Is Your Hook

For every 10 people that visit your landing page, at least seven of them will bounce off the page. To keep that number low, your visitors need to know (and understand) what’s in it for them within seconds of arriving. Your headline is the first thing they’ll read, and it should clearly and concisely communicate the value of your landing page and offer.

Say It With An Image

Yes, an image is mandatory, and it should represent your target audience. The purpose of your image is to convey a feeling — it should illustrate how your visitor will feel once they receive your offer. Certain images may work better than others, so you should always split test your options (which we’ll cover below).

Good Copy Is The Way To Go

Don’t spend all that time crafting the perfect headline and finding your ideal image to fall flat when it comes to the words that will actually sell your call-to-action. Your copy needs to be clear, concise and should guide your visitor to the action you want them to complete. Compelling copy also speaks directly to the visitor by using “you” and “your” to make them feel engaged. We’ll go more in-depth on copy tips below.

Keep The Lead Form Close To The Top

Your lead form needs to be readily accessible should your prospect want to convert right away — you definitely don’t want them searching and scanning your landing page to find your offer. “Above the fold” just means that visitors don’t have to scroll to get to the form — that it’s in view as soon as someone hits the page. This could be a form or an anchor link to the form. Even better: design your form to scroll with the user as they move down the page.

A Loud And Clear Call To Action

It's something we write about a lot (because it's a useful asset to have in your arsenal when used correctly), a strong call-to-action (CTA) can make or break a lead. It is the most important element on your landing page. The CTA button needs to stand out, meaning you should use a color that contrasts with other elements on the page. Be clear about what you want visitors to do, that is, use an action verb that spells it out for them, like “submit”, “download”, or “get it now”. 

Make It worth Their While

Think of your landing page as a part of your lead’s journey to your ultimate offer — your product or service, that is. Your offer is the thing you give in exchange for your lead’s personal information. Not only should it be compelling enough for your visitor to provide their contact info, but it should also be relevant to your business. Say you sell horseshoes.

Your offer might be something like “10 Simple Ways to Size Your Horse’s Hooves,” because, ultimately, you’re going to ask that lead to buy your horseshoes. You wouldn’t hook them with an offer about organic farming because that puts them on a completely different path. We’ll talk more about how compelling offers below.

Don't Be Greedy

You want to gather as much information as possible about your lead, but how much you ask for depends on several factors: how well acquainted they are with you; where they are in their buyer’s journey; and how much they trust you. Ask for as little info as you need in your lead form to create a low barrier to entry. A name and an email are more than sufficient to nurture a new lead.

Skip Navigation

Your landing page has one objective and one objective only: to convert visitors into leads. Any competing links — including internal links to other pages on your website — will distract from that goal. Remove any other links on your page to draw all of your visitors’ attention to your call-to-action.

A Responsive Page Is A Good Page

Just like every other page on your website, your landing pages need to be responsive to accommodate every viewing experience. The last thing you need is for your form to fall out of view on mobile devices. Give your visitors every possible opportunity to convert, no matter how they’re viewing your page.

You can use tools to help accomplish this. For example, HubSpot's drag-and-drop landing page editor, available in Marketing Hub Starter, makes it easy for you to create mobile optimised landing pages and forms effortlessly.

Make It Rank On Google

Sure, you’ll be driving visitors to your landing page through email blasts, social posts and other marketing methods, but your page should also be optimised with target keywords for your paid campaigns and organic search. When someone searches for your key phrase, they should find your landing page. Similarly, when you target a keyword with paid ads, those words should exist on your landing page.

Don't Forget To Say Thank You!

A thank you page is where you send leads once they’ve completed your form. Now, you could just show a thank you message on the same page or ditch the thank you altogether, but there are many reasons why that’s not the best option.

A thank you page serves three important purposes:

• It delivers the offer that you promised (usually in the form of an instant download)
• It gives you an opportunity to interest your new lead in additional relevant content
• It serves as a chance to thank them for their interest, which goes a long way in promoting them to a customer down the line.