A landing page is the first page you see on a website after clicking through from another platform, such as a search engine, a marketing email or an online ad.
The core function of a landing page is to encourage visitors to follow a specific call to action and turn them into leads or paying customers.
So if you’re creating or updating your business’s website, how can you make sure your landing page maximises conversions?
Less can be more, so avoid large chunks of waffle.
Make sure your banner headline instantly conveys your proposition, and is followed by punchy, straightforward language that clearly spells out who you are, what you do and what difference you can make to people’s lives.
The average internet user has a very short attention span and will click away in an instant if a page doesn’t grab them straight away.
Every element of your landing page, from the layout to the copy, should reflect the needs, circumstances and priorities of your target audience, so think about the end user every step of the way.
One way you can do this is to create a client persona, so you have a clear idea in mind of who you’re speaking to and the challenges they face.
Learn more: What is a customer persona?
You can increase your chances of being seen by your target audience if you include relevant keywords that people will be actively searching for.
Learn more: The best keywords for brokers
A landing page should encourage visitors to complete a very specific task, such as getting in touch, downloading a guide or signing up to a mailing list, webinar or free trial.
You can do this by clearly telling visitors exactly what you want them to do, with a prominent box, button and colour scheme making your CTA impossible to miss.
When you’re designing your landing page, chances are you’ll be sitting at a laptop or desktop computer.
But a huge proportion of your audience will be landing on your website through mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
You should optimise your landing page for every type of device, so you can be sure visitors enjoy a seamless user experience regardless of how they’re viewing your page.
According to research by Nielsen, 92 per cent of people trust recommendations from friends and relatives more than any other kind of advertising.
You can engender a sense of trust by showcasing comments and reviews from happy, satisfied clients, so visitors can see you have a strong track record of success and providing a great experience.
Learn more: The impact of word-of-mouth marketing
If you have industry accreditations, awards and certificates, add these to your landing page to create a sense of credibility and expertise.
A landing page must be visually appealing if it’s to drive engagement and conversions, so make sure it includes striking, relevant and eye-catching images and videos.
Your landing page has a very specific objective - to draw people towards your CTA and convert them into leads or paying customers.
The design should therefore be clean and organised, free of unnecessary distractions that could take people’s attention away from your CTA.
Experiment with different variations of your landing page so you can work out which headlines, layouts and CTAs are generating the best results and highest conversion rates.
You can then make evidence-based, data-driven decisions as you refine the page over time.
Learn more: Top tips to create a lead generating website