What is a landing page?

A landing page is a web page designed to turn visitors into customers or leads. It works by persuading them to buy or sign up for a business offer. 

Landing pages often work together with digital marketing channels, particularly online ads. When users click on an ad link, they arrive at a landing page. 

Generally, landing pages are separated from their main website or homepage, so they can better convince a visitor to take a specific action.

What is the purpose of a landing page?

The purpose of a landing page is to increase the conversion rate, which is the number of visitors who accomplish a specific goal.

The goal depends on the company and what they want the visitor to do. It could be getting people to buy a product or subscribe to a newsletter. 

The landing page accomplishes this by addressing the potential customer’s problem, presenting the offer as the solution, and encouraging them to take action. 

That said, some businesses opt to use their website’s homepage as the landing page. Though this is common practice, there are benefits to using a dedicated landing page instead.

Advantages of using landing pages

Here are some main advantages to using a landing page:

Optimized for marketing

On a landing page, all elements work together to encourage the visitor to convert. Ideally, it should not contain any components that could distract a potential customer from the main goal of the page.

Meanwhile, a homepage’s main function is to introduce what a website or business is about. Though it can be used for promotions, it’s not focused on converting website visitors. 

Therefore, it might contain elements that hold users back from making a transaction, such as navigation links. They could direct visitors to other pages and sidetrack them from the main goal.

Therefore, landing pages usually don’t have a menu bar. In fact, they usually have only one link, in the form of a call-to-action button. 

A good landing page also focuses on one goal. For instance, if a company has multiple products to sell, each product should have a separate landing page.

Doing this can not only minimize decision fatigue, but it can also highlight the product’s benefits while catering to the customers’ needs. 

Higher ranking on search engine ads

A landing page can make for a better destination page for search engine ads.

An ad’s destination page is a major ranking factor that can determine the ad’s position on the paid results section. 

Google Ads, in particular, prioritize ads with destination pages that indicate relevance to the ad’s message and give helpful information.

With that, a landing page can fulfill these requirements better than a homepage. 

The advertiser can tailor the page to the ad and modify it from time-to-time. Furthermore, if the ad ranks well, the cost-per-click on the ad will be cheaper. 

On the other hand, a homepage isn’t as flexible, as it doesn’t function to market a specific offer. 

Therefore, using a homepage shows weaker relevance to the ad, especially if it’s selling a particular product or service. 

User behavior analysis

A landing page is also a great platform to gain information about your target audience. 

Although a homepage can also work, a landing page has fewer elements within it. Meaning, it’s easier to figure out which parts on the page affect a user’s decision to convert. 

This knowledge can then be applied to optimize the landing page and retarget previous website visitors. It can also be used in other marketing platforms.

Types of landing pages

All landing pages can be generally categorized into the following four types:

Lead-generation landing pages

Lead-generation landing pages also called lead-capture pages are used to gather information about potential customers.

This landing page has a form with fields asking for the user’s details. What information is requested depends on the business.

It’s recommended to keep as few form fields as possible and ask for the most relevant details, such as first name and email address. 

This is because a shorter website looks less intimidating than a longer one, doing a better job of encouraging users to sign up. 

Once collected, this data will be used for newsletters to provide promotional information, links to the latest blog posts, updates about the product or service, and so on. 

To make sure visitors fill in the form, the landing page typically offers something in exchange, such as an eBook, a discount code, or a free trial.

Click-through landing pages

This landing page is often used by eCommerce companies. It aims to generate more sales or subscriptions for a product or service. 

It does so by providing some details about the offer, then leading users to make a purchase right away through the “buy” button. 

With that, a good click-through landing page must have great content. It should give information that can inspire confidence in the visitor to buy the product or service on-the-spot.

Long-form sales landing pages

As the name suggests, a long-form sales landing page is optimized for long-scrolling. It’s used when the offer seems difficult to sell and needs more content to encourage the user and gain their trust. 

Usually, marketers create this landing page to promote an expensive product or service.

The landing page would typically have long copy that can resolve any questions and doubts a visitor might have. Toward the bottom, there is a clickable call-to-action.

Short-form sales landing pages

Short-form sale landing pages are used when the product or service doesn’t require a lot of explanation and is easy to understand.

Unlike the previous type, this landing page gets right to selling the offer and the content is more straightforward. 

How to create a landing page with a good conversion rate

Here are the best practices to follow to design a high-converting landing page:

User-friendly design

A good design can make sure that users are comfortable scrolling through the page. It can also highlight the essential elements that sell the offer. 

There are several aspects to look for when creating a user-friendly landing page:

• Mobile-friendliness – the page loads fast on smartphones and looks good on small screens
• Visual hierarchy – the layout and appearance guide the visitor’s eyes to the most vital content
• Navigation – sticky, one-page menus can quickly direct visitors to different sections of the landing page
• Color scheme – the design should only use up to three colors; more than that makes the design look messy
• Negative space – make sure the elements have some blank space between them to improve readability

Catchy headline

The headline is the opening text of a landing page. It’s placed on top while using a large font size. 

It works to summarize the offer’s unique selling proposition. Meaning, it describes what the offer does and how customers can get satisfaction from it. 

A great headline should be:

• Short and snappy – so that it’s easy to remember 
• Match the ad copy – to indicate relevance to the ad to the advertising network’s algorithm
• Have a supporting subheading – the subheading should briefly elaborate on the headline’s copy

Customer-centric copy

The copy is the body content of a landing page. To increase the chances of converting a visitor, it has to appeal to the market and show the offer’s value to the potential customer. 

Here are the key elements of customer-centric copy:

• Concise – the paragraphs are short, straightforward and easy to understand
• Benefit-oriented – the copy highlights the offer’s benefits to the customer, not its features
• Readable – each paragraph should be no more than three sentences, and opt for a bulleted or numbered list when appropriate
• Appropriate – the language should suit the target audience and make the copy easy to grasp
• Structured – the narrative is logical and reads smoothly from one paragraph to the next

Strong imagery

Using images and videos is a great way to help customers visualize the product or service.

Some landing pages use a hero shot, which is usually displayed on top of the page to highlight the offer.

Customers might also find videos to be helpful. They can be used to explain how the product or service works or show testimonials from real clients. 

Credible social proof 

Social proof can show that other people are vouching for the offer, persuading website visitors further to give the product or service a try. 

There are several types of social proof:

• Testimonials – comments from previous buyers, along with a photo of the customer to look more convincing
• Ratings – the overall score of a product or service
• Client logos – use logos from well-known brands to boost reputation
• Statistics – show related data that proves the offer’s utility
• Influencer endorsements – such as quotes from public figures relevant to the industry of the business

When selecting social proof, make sure it looks authentic and presents the business in a positive light.

Verified trust badges

Trust badges from well-known third-party companies can verify that a business is safe and legitimate to the user.

Typically, these businesses are certification providers that deal with online payments, business accreditation, and website security. 

For instance, if you have an online store that uses PayPal as the payment gateway, the product’s landing page can display the PayPal logo. 

This will send a message to visitors that the website uses a trusted and widely-used payment method. 

Clear call-to-action

A call-to-action button is a button that leads users to convert. It uses an actionable and motivating phrase that encourages visitors to take a certain action.

To optimize a call-to-action button, pay attention to:

• Color – use a color that contrasts well with the rest of the design so that it stands out
• Size – it shouldn’t be too small to be pressed on mobile devices
• Shape – choose a standard button shape so that it’s more recognizable
• Location – position them strategically based on the users’ reading patterns

Copy – create a sense of urgency and briefly explain what the visitor will get once the button is clicked