The first thing you need to know about creating the best landing pages is what exactly a landing page is. Like everything on the web it’s constantly evolving but, in a nutshell, landing pages are a marketing tool. They’re a single page focusing on a single goal that includes a call to action — like getting visitors to subscribe to a newsletter or sign up for a free trial. Usually visitors get to them through links on social media or by clicking on pay-per-click search engine ads.
A landing page can have up to a 13% conversion rate which can dramatically increase your site’s traffic. And though they seem basic, it takes real finesse to create the best landing pages to engage visitors. Start with these five cardinal rules.
1. Keep it Simple
Don’t clutter your landing page with tons of images and text. Keep the design clean and the copy clear and concise. Remember, the ultimate goal is your call to action and you need visitors to understand what that is immediately. Sum it up in your headline, add more details in your subheading. The rest of the text should be smaller and optimized for SEO. Use one or two images to further illustrate your service or product. If you have a click-through button, make it prominent and, if you’re asking visitors to fill out a form, keep it short and sweet.
Read Related: Back to Basics: How to Make a Website
2. Responsive Design
One of the former cardinal rules of web design was to put all of the important info above the fold (as in newspaper fold). These days, people are using so many different devices to access the Internet, the fold doesn’t really exist anymore. If you want to reach the widest audience, use a responsive design with your landing page so that it automatically adjusts to the dimensions of the device it’s viewed on.
3. A/B Testing
Most web developers will tell you that A/B testing is an invaluable resource. What is it? You design two different landing pages for the same thing and set up a temporary redirect that sends 50% of visitors to one design and 50% to the other. This way you can find out which gets a better response. It will not only help that specific campaign; you’ll also start building a portrait of your customer base and a template for future campaigns. For more info, check out Visual Web Optimizer (VWO) and UsabilityHub.
4. Use Video
If you spend much time surfing the net (who doesn’t?), then you’ve probably noticed video is everywhere. There’s a good reason. Video helps your bounce rate by encouraging visitors to linger on the page a little longer and, according to Unbounce, “A study by eyeviewdigital.com shows that using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%.”
5. Keep Refining
As we mentioned, everything Internet is constantly evolving so don’t just put up a landing page and forget about it. Check on it regularly, never stop refining and don’t stop at just one. According to Wishpond, “Studies have shown that business websites with 10-15 landing pages tend to increase conversions by 55% over business websites with less than 10 landing pages. And those with more than 40 landing pages increase conversions by over 500%.”
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