What makes landing pages so attractive for marketing? It’s simple – they have a clear goal: Conversion. A landing page is created for the purpose of selling a product. No wonder this online marketing method is so popular. But what makes a good landing page? What type of content grabs the attention of readers? And what does the layout look like? Here, you can read more about how to create a landing page.
What is a landing page?
There are three important functions of a landing page:
The purpose is to prompt the visitor to click on a specific call-to-action.
The page covers a specific topic and is used for conversion optimisation.
It is not part of the main website and doesn’t have navigation to other pages.
These three points affect the content and design of a landing page. The goal is clear: The user should click on the conspicuously placed call-to-action button. That’s the conversion.
How do you build a landing page?
Successful landing pages convert visitors into customers. But what does an effective landing page look like? Of course, a little creativity is needed here when designing landing pages. There are no set rules when creating such a page. But over time, a very specific structure must be followed, which can be found on almost all landing pages:
An attention-grabbing headline about the topic.
The text: It should be brief, to the point, and as interesting as possible, explaining what the topic is all about.
A combination of different media formats: images, graphics, animations, videos, interactive elements and other similar methods to convey the message.
And finally, the crucial call-to-action(CTA).
A really good landing page has to be unique and distinctive. You can get a rough idea of how to design it here, but of course you can add your own features to make it stand out.
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The headline
It all starts with a headline. That’s the simple, but important part of a landing page. It must grab the reader’s attention and entice them to read further. With a good headline you can get it right and with a bad headline everything will be wrong. Make sure the headline contains the focus keyword. The main headline (h1) also has a special meaning on Google. It’s best to use the combination of headline and subheading, which works on the principle of question and answer. An example:
Are you looking for the right bike?
Easy: you can find your ideal bike right here.
Subheadings are just as important as the headline. In case of doubt, use too many instead of too few as subheadings will lighten up the text and help readability.
First curious, then persuaded
Once the reader’s interest is aroused, your first step is over. Now it’s time to offer the solution. to the potential customer by turning their curiosity into persuasion. A proven method to use here is to make the offer as attractive as possible; a quick, easy solution. Use the utopian ideal principle, i.e. the user believes that the best solution is to click on the CTA button..
The exclusive focus on the desired action (the click on the call-to-action) determines the content, structure and layout of a landing page. The one-sided orientation is intentional. After all, most users reach the landing page through a link in an e-mail, banner advertising or other targeted sources. The visitor is, therefore, already interested in the topic and usually ready for the conversion.
Benefits anddetails
For a shopping landing page, the content usually consists of elements that can be placed into two categories:
Benefits for the buyer
Details of the product
Of course, the advertised product can also be a service. It’s best to start with the benefits of the product. If the reader has already come this far, then it means they are already interested in finding out the product’s details.
Always check whether you can turn a specific product detail into a benefit. This works best when you relate the two together. When creating these texts, take the readers’ concerns into account by offering them the best solution.
Of course, a landing page isn’t suitable for listing every single detail of a product. Only include the most important details that make the product stand out.For those who want to know more about the product, it’s best to create separate sections with detailed product descriptions, which appear as they continue to scroll down later.
In terms of both benefits and details: Promotional sounding content is good, but exaggerations can be harmful. If you want to build a long-term customer base, you should be honest. After all, it’s all about trust.
Good for SEO: optimised landing pages
Visitors to a landing page come from various sources: clicks on banner ads, mentions in social media sites or – and this is especially important – as a result of a search query on Google. In order for a website to rank high on relevant keywords, you can not ignore SEO.
Optimisation for Google initially follows the same principles as other websites. For example:
The crucial part: The keyword
When looking for the focus keyword, ask yourself the following question: What is the primary goal of the landing page? Try to find the most suitable keywordin order for your page to rank as high as possible.
Avoid using the most common keywords that already appear on similar searches. For example, if a shopping landing page is primarily about mountain bikes, the terms “race bike” or “city bike” should not be mentioned because it overloads the search results. The Google algorithms will view your mountain bike website as just a generic page for bikes. This makes your landing page even more competitive and may not reach your specific target group.
Meta title and meta description
The metadata in the source code also plays an important role in Google. This search engine mostly uses the content of the Meta Titles and the Meta Description as a SERP snippet. This is the small text that Google users see in the description of a page on their search results list. Accurate descriptions with as few characters as possible are highly effective. This way, the reader is already made curious about the landing page on the Google results.
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If in doubt, SEO is not a priority
A well-chosen keyword is (at least from Google’s point of view) highly important as it defines the entire content. But there is a clear conflict of goals: On the one hand, a landing page should be “short and sweet”, and on the other, it should also rank well based on a specific keyword. To overcome this conflict, various strategies are available:
The landing page is deliberately designed as part of a customer journey with multiple “mini-conversions”.
The top part of the landing page already contains the crucial information for the conversion. The further the visitor scrolls down, the more information appears. This content is also registered by Google.
Many highly successful landing pages come with a good headline, a matching image and a few lines of text that lead to the call-to-action button. However, since most clicks appear at the very beginning of advertising banners, Google ads or social media campaigns, SEO can play a minor role at this stage. This is why informative content with keywords in the right places are sufficient for SEO landing pages. If a landing page gradually gets more visits due to its quality, Google will also take this into account – and reward it with high rankings.
The landing page content
The content of every landing page is always based on the same goal: Conversion. The text must, so to speak, take the reader by the hand and lead them to their goal: The call-to-action. This starts with the headline, which arouses the user’s interest. The follow-up text should explain and convince the reader at the same time, for example by talking about the Unique Selling Points: What makes the product/service so special and how does it help the user?
You don’t need magic to be able to create a landing page with a good conversion rate, especially if you consistently take the visitor’s interests into account. The visitor will ask themselves the question “Does this help me?” And they have to be able to answer this question over and over again while they are reading the text – until they finally click on the CTA button. This is when the goal of the landing page is reached.
Good texts for landing pages are:
A good writer avoids using generic phrases or filler words. Note, these tips can be used for all marketing texts. “Go big or go home” – this recommendation from the famous copywriter, David Ogilvy (1911-1999) is still valid today. No half-measures, no limitations. Short sentences that are to the point have a lasting effect. A perfect example is:
In fact, the use of Material A throughout makes this quality bike lightweight and sturdy at the same time
Lightweight and sturdy thanks to material A
How much info? The 15-second rule
The more complex the product or service, the more text is required to convince the reader. But the type of conversion also has an impact on the amount of information you need to include:
Internet is fast-paced and competitors are just a mouse-click away. This means visitors have little time so in order to keep the potential customer on the landing page, apply the 15 second rule. Within this short period, the user must get a good understanding of the displayed content. If a text requires more time to read, you will have to make it more concise.
Short paragraphs, subheadings, pictures and bullet points make the text more readable. Therefore, the content must be formatted accordingly.
Further hints for the scope of the landing page content:
CTA – the journey’s destination
The main message of the landing page can be summarised briefly and clearly: The user has a certain expectation, and this expectation is fulfilled by clicking on the call-to-action. The Call to Action (CTA) is the essential feature of a landing page. This button can have different goals:
It is important for a landing page to be limited to a specific conversion. If you want to achieve multiple goals with a landing page (sell product A, download software B, subscribe to a newsletter), this is guaranteed to be a conversion killer. The same applies to call-to-action: Less is more. Always focus on the goal.
The offer must be simple, clear and inviting. The same applies to the call-to-action – be it as a text link or as a flashy button. If your formrequests details from the user, you should include only the most essential information. In most cases, it is enough to enter an e-mail address for the first conversion. Nobody likes to give away too much information or fill out cumbersome forms.
Examples of a good call to action include:
The signal word “now” is not often used for no reason. It serves as an incentive to act quickly and not miss out on the offer. In order not to lose the undecided users, you can also place two CTA buttons next to each other or below one another:
The same principle applies to CTA button pairs with the words “Buy Now” and “Free Trial” when it comes to software.
Finally, the content must be smartly designed: The layout of the CTA must, of course, be carefully chosen. In any case, the CTA on its own has to be visually noticed by the userright away. The more ambitious the aim of your landing page is, the better designed it must be.
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Landing page generators and tools
A landing page tool or landing page generator will make it easier for you to create such a page. However, the result is often less personalised and more generic. Landing pages that are created by generators are only successful if the text is very well written and stands out from the rest.
Hero Shot is a large format image that fills the entire screen. This can be found on many landing pages and is, therefore, part of many landing page generators. It acts as the background for the text. Often, the headline is only clear through hero shot. A good hero shot will support your message. The better the picture, the shorter the main message can be.
It remains to be seen whether this design trend will last or not. Decisive factor for a higher conversion rate is an appealing, informative and – at the same time – emotional text that highlights the unique selling point of an offer. To make the customer curious, the hero shot is a suitable option. However, web design and graphic artists should be used for large-scale projects.
The landing page layout
Landing pages are mostly onepagerswhich don’t require any additional subpages. Navigation is replaced by scrolling the page. Those who manage to describe the product or service in a completely clear and concise manner can also use a website that does not need to be scrolled through to achieve the same goal.
For WordPress there are free plugins to create landing pages in proven formats. In any case, the layout of a landing page should match the corporate design of a company. This way, you can achieve stronger customer loyalty and make your company stand out – even on a landing page.
No-gos on a landing page
Anyone can make mistakes when creating a landing page. The most common landing page mistakes are:
It goes without saying that a landing page should not contain any external links. This will prevent the visitor from clicking on the CTA button.
You must remember with landing pages: The visitor has no time. The decision to look more closely at a website or click the back button will be made within seconds. If the landing page makes a good first impression, then you’re halfway there. It means the reader wants to know more. Now it is important to fulfil the expectations of the visitor. This can be done by creating the correctly-worded content that grabs the attention of the visitor, both mentally and emotionally.
Test, test, test
A top-standard landing page should not be published without testing it first. For example, with the A / B testing you can find out
The main advantage of A / B tests is that they do not take place in scientific labs. This way, a landing page can be gradually optimised based on reliable results.
10 tips for a successful landing page
Finally, here are ten great tips to inspire your landing page ideas. They summarise the key points that make a perfect landing page:
As well as the call-to-action, the headline is the other important part of a landing page. It should ideally summarise all the essential information, together with a large-sized image (Hero Shot).
The call-to-action is clear, unique and immediately noticeable.
The message of the landing page works according to the strategy, “You have a problem? Here’s the solution!” The call-to-action will then lead the visitor to this solution.
The landing page is very clear. The user immediately sees what it is about and what they need to do; for example, scroll for more information or click on the call-to-action button.
The text is written in the language of the target group. The amount of content depends on the complexity of the product and the needs of the audience.
The most important points immediately catch the eye. Every single detail is understood within a short time (15 second rule).
The more text, the more sub-headings are required. Create the landing page in such a way that the reader knows what it’s about right away.
Test the effectiveness of your landing page – for example, with A / B tests. These are particularly useful for landing pages, because the goal is clearly defined (click on the CTA).
Think of a landing page in terms of a Responsive Designso you can reach mobile customers as well.
Offer the reader information in various formats – not only in text form, but also as a video, graphic or animation. The more formats you offer the user, the greater the likelihood that the message is conveyed.
The legal requirement for landing page content
Finally, a landing page must also adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation and privacy policy terms. Note: The GDPR also applies to landing pages. When you include the landing page in a newsletter, do not forget to include in the e-mail an easy way for the reader to unsubscribe in one or two clicks.
Conclusion: A good landing page is a perfect marketing tool. It is suitable both as a shopping landing page and as an event landing page. As long as you always focus on the goal (high conversions) when creating the perfect landing page, then you won’t go wrong.
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