1. Choose your layout
Landing page layouts can vary depending on the intent and goals of the page. Long-form pages can provide the additional necessary context and information for visitors arriving through paid advertising, while short-form pages can reduce friction for higher-intent or more informed visitors. Consider creating multiple variations of your page depending on the intended audience.
2. Include the essentials
Visitors can be coming from sources outside your own website, so your landing page should include your logo or brand name, as well as a clear headline and descriptive body copy to quickly set expectations for your visitors. Finally, as lead generation tools, your landing pages should also include a form above the fold to capture essential information.
3. Write calls-to-value
Whether from a paid ad or elsewhere on your website, it’s likely that a visitor arrives on your page after clicking on a call-to-action. Landing page copy should then emphasize value. Describe what’s in it for the user when they fill out your form. Provide additional context that helps inform their decision. Doing so sets better expectations and promotes a better user experience.
4. Focus on attention ratio
Traditional website pages might have a significant number of pathways a user can take competing for their attention. Landing pages should not. Removing the main navigation, footer and other extraneous links helps point users exactly where they need to go to accomplish their (and your) goal of providing information in exchange for the intended offer.
5. Reduce friction
When creating landing page forms, consider how much you actually need to learn about your visitor during this engagement. Too many questions without enough context or added value for the user can cause them to bounce. You can leverage dependent fields and future conversion opportunities to continue to learn more about your prospects.
6. Utilize personalization
Your landing page offer will likely provide different value to different segments of your audience. That means serving the same blanket content to every visitor isn’t going to drive the best results. Leveraging smart content can help tailor your landing page’s copy or imagery to specific visitors based on industry, company size or other data you have in your system.
7. Leverage the right imagery
Landing pages that set clear expectations will ultimately perform better. Product screenshots for demos or snapshots of a content offer will provide greater context into what a user will get in exchange for their form fill. The right imagery will reduce the emphasis on copy having to set all of the expectations and make the experience more seamless for the user.
8. Build trust
Trustmarks and proof points help demonstrate value. Landing pages for demo or trial requests should be accompanied by recognizable logos to build trust and showcase other brands who use your platform. Testimonials or reviews of products or content offers can also demonstrate value and drive conversions.
9. Test effectiveness
Don’t set and forget your landing pages. Before launch, show your page to peers and colleagues for five seconds to determine if context and value is quickly and effectively demonstrated. After launch, monitor your landing page’s conversion and bounce rates to determine whether you need to test alternative content, form strategy or other factors to drive better results.
10. Iterate and improve
Landing pages can quickly grow stale if left untouched. Offers can become dated and older value props may not resonate the same way with changing audiences. As primary conversion drivers, monitor your page’s performance and consistently optimize through A/B testing, new layouts, more personalization and refined copy.
“We worked with New Breed recently on a redesign and launch of our website. The project was complex and the experience and results were great. In particular, they were flexible and collaborative with good systems in place for cross-country/time-zone communication. Their collective expertise meant they were able to offer us strong, industry-leading advice.”
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