The job of an effective landing page is primarily to convert prospects into clients. Every business would give anything to automate this process but to no avail. It is tricky to convince prospects to buy.
But making an effective landing page is tricky. If you get it wrong, your site is bound to be a ghost town, which is visited only by occasional tumbleweeds.
Effective landing pages serve one clear objective, of exhorting a visitor through the conversion funnel from converting a prospect into a lead by closing a deal.
#1. An Effective Landing Page Needs to Grab Visitors Attention
On average, any site will get less than 8 seconds to attract a visitor’s attention. Most visitors are aware of sifting through web pages and are always anxious to move on, and if the main page is worthwhile their attention, they continue to linger.
A unique value proposition is a clear and compelling message that can enable a visitor to stay on a web page by offering something that they care about. Always let the landing page show how the site can benefit them.
One needs to stand out unique too from other websites. Anyone who has organized a usability testing session will help in communicating results to your team. Find out why users leave a website and implement tactics that can get them to stay on the page itself.
Put the UVP in big fat letters and talk end-benefits, maybe in one powerful sentence. One might need several iterations to craft a good UVP! Learn from masters and test different versions.
#2. An Effective Landing Page Needs to Communicate in a Clear, Precise Manner
Answer the curiosity of the visitor right away by capturing their interest. The visitor should exactly know what the site can offer through concise content, imagery or a simple video.
Explain what the website is offering, with simple and unambiguous language so that no visitor is confused about the offerings. Don’t use meaningless adjectives or superlatives which are vague.
#3. An Effective Landing Page Needs to Exhort Visitors to Perform an Action
“Call to action”, or CTA, is one of the key elements of a landing page and every page needs to have a clear objective which is to exhort a visitor to perform a desired action (sign up, submit contact info etc. ). The CTA should compel the visitor to get the act done.
A high-contrast button will always attract attention and stand out from the rest of the content. So always have a good contrast colour and design of the button ready to get the visitor to perform the action. Strategically positioning the button, right under the UVP is also essential so that the message is to “consume their value proposition.”
Here are some points to get a killer CTA:
- Have a single objective.
- Represent the action you need on the landing page.
- Let it stand out from the rest of the page.
- Design a call to action button which is short in command and clickable in design and event.
- Make it clear about what is there in the next page before you get a click from them.
- The CTA should promote a feeling of urgency along with an incentive.
- It should be specific and indicate what the user is getting in return to the action.
#4. Make an Outstanding First Impression with Catchy Headlines and Sub-Headlines
Great first impressions are crucial for effective landing pages, and act immediately if they are created perfectly. These lines prompt landing page conversions in the true sense. A strong header and sub-head can go a long way in creating a favourable impression along with relevant images. Your headline must be brief and concise focusing on motive and purpose with a bit more detail. Images should be relevant to the offerings and should be of great quality and resolution.
#5. Solid Copywriting Has the Ability to Build Trust
Never sabotage your visitor’s trust by tall claims and with poorly worded content on the landing pages. Landing page content doesn’t have to be literary gems but needs to be specific, and compelling in terms of the benefits on offer. Excellent copywriting has the ability to build trust and goodwill about the site.
#6. Keep a Narrow Focus with Content and Design
With your landing page, it is necessary to target a specific action, and hence the entire content and imagery should be tailored to gaining that specific action. Never overwhelm visitors with multiple choices. Although the rest of the site should be logical, no navigation bars are required for landing pages, or else you will lose the visitor’s focus. Do not give detailed explanations and introduction on the landing page too.
#7. Use Analytics to Test and Improve
Web design is important to the landing pages and the page needs to collect sufficient analytics for better assessment of what works and what doesn’t. It will also allow for effective A/B testing of every element and what is appealing to visitors on a consistent basis. Your strategies should respond appropriately.
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