So you’ve decided to build a landing page, but before you disappear down the development rabbit hole, you thought you would look for some good ideas first. Bravo, good decision!
Landing pages are great for any business, in any sector, but they are only as good as the time and effort that you put into them. What I mean is if you throw one together quickly, and don’t have a clear strategy as to why you’re building one, then it’s most likely going to be a waste of time.
By the end of this article, you will know the best practices for creating a high converting landing page, why it’s important to plan first and the two things you can do to get started with ease.
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a page on your website that you have designed to do two things:
To capture leads from visitors who are interested in your product or service.
To generate conversions by persuading the visitor to take the desired action, such as signing up for an email list, downloading an ebook or buying a product.
A landing page is often used when someone clicks on a paid ad that has been posted to social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, or from links within your blog.
The landing page will be optimised (or created) for the specific demographic that was targeted by the ad or campaign.
A landing page is typically optimised for conversion and not search engine optimisation. It aims at satisfying the goal of conversion by using persuasive words and images with clear calls-to-action.
Do you need a landing page?
Easy answer, yes! Every page of your website should be a landing page with a clear purpose and call to action; however, you should also have a clear understanding of what the page is trying to achieve.
For example:
Your websites home page should have a clear message aimed at getting your customers to either buy, call, or meet with you.
Your about page should show the product or services you offer and how they can get them, not show how good you are and how many awards you have won.
By having a clear purpose, you can build each landing page to direct your visitor to the place you want them to go and not confuse them with too many different options.
Every blog should have a clear reason for being written [Download our ‘How to write a good blog post’ free guide], and that is not to sell to your visitor; instead, it’s to help them by answering questions they may have.
Landing pages give your visitors direction and help to guide them to purchase in a frictionless way.
How to build the landing page?
You have lots of choices when it comes to building your landing page; you could opt for a software solution such as:
Mailchimp
Landing page users have seen the growth rate for their Mailchimp audience increase by an average of 36%. Set up your landing page to automatically tag contacts based on their interests when they sign up, so you can keep your audience organised.
Mailerlite
Generate more leads with fully customisable free landing pages. Pick a pre-built template or get creative with our drag & drop landing page builder.
Unbounce
Spend less time building, more time converting. The new Smart Builder [Beta] lets you tap into AI insights and over 1.5 billion data points to light up new conversion possibilities for your small business.
Instapage
Over 4 million landing pages built on Instapage
With the best user experience, built-in collaboration, Instablocks®, AMP, and over 500+ layouts, Instapage is in a league of its own.
Leadpages
Easily create your website and landing pages with the only platform engineered by marketing nerds.
HubSpot
Create and test beautiful landing pages that generate leads and look great on any device — no designers or IT help required.
Choosing the right option
Most of the software offer free trials, and some are free, start by test driving the one you feel most comfortable with and one that integrates with your existing tech stack.
Alternatively, if you’re using WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or any other Content Management Software (CMS), you can quickly snap together a landing page. This is the better way, especially when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
However, you do sacrifice the templates that the landing page software providers give you, often battle-tested for conversion.
At Ebb + Flow, we are huge fans of WordPress and build all our websites using this platform. It’s fast, reliable, good for SEO, and most of the tools you need already have been made in the WordPress plugin marketplace, often for free.
For me, WordPress wins hands down when it comes to building landing pages, especially if you have some basic understanding of using it.
Once you have decided on the software or CMS you will use, it’s essential not to rush in; you must think about the purpose of creating a landing page.
- Is it to build your email list?
- To get a direct response?
- Is it to build brand awareness?
- Or to sell a product?
Whatever the reason, the page should be built with this in mind. Knowing this allows you to remove unnecessary distractions; this could be the website footer.
This doesn’t need to give the same information as your home page, nor does the main navigation; this can be watered down or simply removed.
You want to remove as many distractions as possible, so the visitor only sees what you want them to see and then takes the action you planned to book a call, download your guide, or buy the product.
2 steps to building an effective landing page.
Step 1: Select –
Choose your preferred platform, be that a software provider that specialises in landing page creation or a CMS such as WordPress.
Step 2: Plan –
Get clear about what good looks like. What do you want to happen when a visitor comes to your page? And them remove all distractions so they can follow the step-by-step plan you created.
Once you have these two steps in place, you are good to go. Remember, you don’t need to rush. A well thought out and planned landing page can produce leads not just in the short term but for many years to come.
In fact, a large proportion of the leads I see come from content, blogs and landing pages created several years ago.
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