Why do we need a landing page, will it bring conversions, or a better ROI from campaigns? And what does a landing page mean?
Quite often we discuss with clients the needs and effectiveness of landing pages for different businesses. And if you are not aware or underestimate the need of them, have in mind that ⅓ of online businesses have increased their sales, sign-ups or other conversions in 2023 mainly thanks to dedicated landing pages for campaigns, products, events, etc. In this article we explain what these pages our and they can help you stand out with your value proposition in the DGTal space.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is typically a webpage dedicated to one specific goal such as event registration or another conversion. Thanks to it a business can present its value proposition in the most effective way and to gather the contacts of the interested users. In brief, a landing page is supposed to turn users into leads. It may sound simple, but even the landing page creation has its good and bad practices and some patterns. Let’s first make it clear why you would need a landing page.
Note: Quite often the term “landing page” is misunderstood and mistaken with standard pages that are part of the main website and serve as target pages for some ad campaigns.
Why and When to Use a Landing Page?
We already mentioned why you would create a landing page - to sell one specific product, to offer registration for an event, to get an inquiry, etc. But you might be asking yourself exactly the same question most people do: Why don’t we just use one of our existing web pages instead?
And the reason is quite obvious: Attracting the full attention of the user to conversion, without any distractions, and links so that they can only follow the path we have created. It may sound as a UX disadvantage for any standard web page, but it is not the case of landing pages which are 100% direct-result-oriented.
Here are some common reasons for online businesses to use landing pages:
- Register for an event - You would like to gather contact data about users and send them details as soon as they sign up. The landing page is a great way to turn interested ones into leads immediately.
- Subscribe for a newsletter - You could use a short and simple landing page to convince users to subscribe for your business’ newsletter containing news, special offers or useful content by your brand.
- E-book or whitepaper - If you have crafted an in-depth and useful content piece you could dedicate a special landing page to attract users to download it and leave their contact data.
- Mobile app download - If your product or service comes with a mobile app, you could invite users to download it from a dedicated landing page.
- Free trial - If you offer a free trial of your product then you are ready to attract some interested users. Get their contact data and turn them from potential to existing clients of your business.
Best Practices to Create Effective Landing Pages
If you already recognize the need for a landing page for your business, here are some tips and recommendations to maximize conversion rates.
Focus the Title on the Benefit
Around 70% of the users bounce from landing pages without reading their content. Here is why you need to be straightforward about why the page is important and valuable for them. And the title will be the first thing they will notice.
Clear and Simple Structure
Don’t get too creative with the structure of your landing page. Stick to a format, well-known to users:
- Catchy title
- Relevant image
- Contact form
- Call to action (CTA)
- Copy and description of the value proposition
Impactful and Engaging Copy
The copy of a landing page is as important as the title to attract a user to conversion. Make sure to address them directly with the benefits of your offer and the call to action. Remember that a user would hardly read every word of the text, so the key details should be presented in the beginning and readable in a glance. Also, make sure the text is shaped in short and easy-to-read paragraph covering:
- The problem of the user whom you target with your message
- The solution offered by your business
- What the solution consists of and how it is supposed to work
- Direct benefits for the client or the user
- Proofs that the solution has helped other individuals solve the same problem
- Preliminary objection handling by users
- Desire to gain the trust of users: buy-back guarantee, return policy, a quote by existing client, privacy policy, etc.
Read also: Copywriting vs. Content Writing: What is the Difference?
If you want to understand all the secrets of creative and impactful messaging, ask our team about our free resource “Master the Art of Persuasion: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Copywriting.”
Only Ask for the Minimum Info You Need
Maybe you would like to have as much contact data of users as possible, but limit yourself to what you really need to convert them into leads. Usually, their name and email address would do it. Don’t forget that asking for too much may result in losing users’ trust or patience meaning that they would hardly return to the landing page ever again.
Remove Navigation
We mentioned that landing pages exist with one specific purpose and any links to other pages are distracting for the users. Make sure they only have 2 choices on your landing page: either to convert or to leave.
Responsive Design
Don’t ignore the fact that users tend to browse on various devices and screens, and your landing page should appear well on any of them. Make sure it works properly and makes it easy for everyone to leave their contact data with a simple click or touch.
Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)
Maybe your page would be generating traffic through paid ads, but consider also the attraction of users with relevant searches. Make sure you understand what they need and you have the answer or the solution right on your landing page.
Read also: Understanding SEO: Unveiling the Art and Science of Ranking High
Contact Form before the Fold
Another good practice is to make the contact form visible even before the first scroll on a page, not asking the user to search for it. Thus, you would immediately convert the ones who have already taken the decision to send their contact data.
Thank You Page after Conversion
This is the page that users would see after they fill in their contact data on the landing page. Usually, it must contain what you have promised them - option to download a file or a confirmation. You can also add a thank-you message and use the opportunity to direct them to more added value from your business.
A/B Testing and Measuring Results
Here is some practical advice on how to understand which messages, design, CTAs, etc. really work: Experiment! Working with landing pages gives you the opportunity to test different versions of your page that appear to users at the same time and give you feedback on what really works. We recommend tracking not only conversions but also other metrics such as:
- Traffic sources
- Pages visits and conversion rate
- Number of real contacts gathered through the page
- Heat mapping to understand how people use the page and what experience they get
- Bounce rate to help you understand how many users leave the page right after landing on it
- Number of abandoned forms
Was this blog post useful? The topic has been inspired by our work on different projects and some common questions our clients want to understand. If you want to learn more or consult with our team on a DGTal marketing topic, feel free to get in touch with DGTalents right away!
