The landing page is a time-tested sales funnel that can generate extremely impressive conversion results… when used properly. The problem is, landing pages have a very specific set of criteria needed to ensure their success. Too many websites either A) don’t know what an actual landing page is or B) configure a landing page so poorly that it drives customers away instead of enticing them to stay!
If you’ve got landing pages up, but they’re not garnering the success you’d hoped they would, it’s time to evaluate them. Do they have the elements of a successful landing page? Are they built for conversions? Break out the yardstick and see if your landing pages measure up to these 12 criteria:
- Keep it focused. A good landing page is hyper-focused on one thing: Whatever it is you’re specifically selling. Make sure the copy and images on your landing page are specific to the theme of the page. There’s no room for anything else!
- Bullet the benefits. Landing pages should be skimmable. Avoid big blocks of text or long-winded explanations. Instead break out the important points into bullets to make them more easily readable for someone who may only spend seconds on the page.
- Complement text with images. Show the people what they’re getting! If your landing page is all text and no visuals, you’re going to have a hard time convincing people that whatever you’re selling is worth signing up for.
- Compartmentalize copy. Focus on one thing at a time when writing for a landing page. Break out your benefits and value propositions one-by-one, in sections, so they’re more thoroughly understood. Dedicating the page to a single theme allows you to get granular.
- Capture your visitors. Whether you’re selling a product or harvesting an email address, your landing page needs to capture visitors. Provide a capture form, a link to checkout or something else specific to your goal. Don’t give visitors any other options!
- Remove all navigation. Similar to not giving visitors ambiguous CTAs, don’t give them any opportunity to leave your site or navigate elsewhere. Keep them on-page! Strip out overhead navigation, footers and anything else that may accidentally lead them astray.
- Pair the page with the ad. Most landing pages get their traffic from ads, whether on social media or through PPC ad placement. Make sure the verbiage of your ad matches what people see when they hit the page, to avoid confusion and a high bounce rate.
- Less is more. Back in the day, longform landing pages were king. Today, not so much. Our attention spans have shrunk, which means your landing page needs to follow suit. Keep your pages short, succinct and laser-focused.
- Offer the right incentive. A landing page isn’t the answer for general sales. You need a special offer or product to entice people into converting on a landing page. Dream up something out of the ordinary and tailor a page around explaining why it’s special.
- Optimize for mobile. The world is a mobile one. A landing page that’s not properly optimized for mobile viewing is going to lose a substantial amount of potential right from the get-go. Test your page so you see what your mobile users are seeing before it’s live.
- Nail the headline. A good headline is always important, but even more so on landing pages. The headline needs to demonstrate value, entice attention and build confidence, so that your visitor continues to read on and eventually convert.
- Follow up. The success of a good landing page goes beyond the page itself. Retargeting visitors who didn’t convert—potentially with an A/B test of the target page—will give you a second chance to make a first impression and get that conversion.
The all-powerful landing page should be a staple in every advertiser’s arsenal. Before you fire one off, however, test it against these 12 criteria and make sure it’s ready to knock ‘em dead.