Top 10 Elements of Landing Pages That Convert

What is a landing page?

A landing page is simply a static, standalone page that users are directed to when they click a search engine results page, email, ad, or another type of marketing link. Some examples include your homepage, a page dedicated to a single service or product (as opposed to your entire list or catalog of offerings), or a promotional page dedicated to special offers.

The sole purpose of a landing page is to generate leads.

It’s elementary SEO 101. That is to create strategically affordable SEO, you must maximize the users who arrive on your landing page by converting them from visitors into customers.

What’s a good conversion rate?

What is considered a good conversion rate will vary across industries and depends on your specific business goals, but the average conversion rate is a fraction over 2 percent. However, top performers may see conversion rates twice or nearly five times as high.

However, don’t get discouraged by comparing yourself to others. Instead of gauging your success by external standards, create benchmarks based on your own business’ past performance and goals. Find out what your target audience is into and then deliver.

You’ll find that landing pages that cater to audience expectations are surprisingly simple; however, there are 10 key elements that a landing page should include to achieve optimal conversion rates.

Top 10 Elements of Landing Pages That Convert

1. Headlines

Headlines should visually stand out, spark interest, and capture attention.

Be clear. Be concise. Don’t be clever.

There’s no need to be audacious or shocking like news stories vying for viewers. You don’t want just any kind of attention, you want the right attention. Your headline should connect with your customers’ search intent (e.g. how-to, go, buy, etc.) and hit on the customer’s pain point. Your headline should quickly tell them how your product or service is going to solve their problem.

2. Value Proposition – Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Your value proposition is a promise – it tells your customers how your product or service will enrich their lives.

Your USP should set you apart from your competition – it’s in the name. Why are you unique? What makes you stand out from the crowd? Your USP is a distillation of your brand benefits. A good value proposition will tell your consumers everything they need to know about your brand in a sentence or two.

Take Trello as an example: they highlight their value in both headline and copy

You may also notice that Trello’s landing page is a superb example of what concise, actionable copy looks like. Let’s take a look at that vital element next.

3. Short, Actionable Copy

If your website visitors have to scroll below the fold (i.e. everything off-screen or “below” the screen), you’ve already lost them – bounce rates increase substantially when you have more than 50 words.

The key? Thoughtful, to-the-point copy that highlights your value as a brand. Your copy needs to:

• Evoke emotion. Tell a story. Tell them how their lives will change for the better. Connect your product or service with their hopes and desires. Don’t just promote the specs…promote the solution your product offers.

• Have a clear message. You don’t have a lot of time to get your message across – a few seconds at most – so you better make those seconds count. Clarity is paramount. Don’t sacrifice your message to design. Craft your design around the message.

4. Call to Action

Remember what we said was the sole purpose of a landing page?

You got it…CONVERSIONS.

A landing page without a call to action (CTA) is like a book without a title. CTAs are essential! Here are the characteristics of a successful call to action:

• Clarity. You need to tell your potential customers exactly what to do next. Don’t leave them guessing or make them think too hard about it. Some good examples of a call-to-action button are “Get Started Now”, “Get Your Free Quote”, “Call Now”.

• Obvious and distinct. Your CTA should pop off the screen. It needs to be visually distinct from the rest of your page copy. Try using contrasting colors and unique fonts.

• Persuasive. Provide value – don’t make demands. The best CTAs will indicate some return on their investment of time. Offer up a gift in exchange for their contact info. For example, instead of “Click Here”, “Download Your Free eBook Today” is much more enticing.

• Optimal placement. Your CTA should be included above the fold and next to the most compelling copy – those areas where consumers are most likely to act.
• Micro-copy. Keep your CTA buttons simple, but consider adding unobtrusive copy above and below your CTA. Micro-copy can make your CTA more compelling, exciting, and risk-free for your potential customers.
• A/B testing. It’s always a good idea to have two versions of your home page with slightly different elements to do what’s called A/B testing. Perhaps the changes are subtle like different colored CTA buttons or lacing a contact form or phone number in different spots. Either way, you’ll never what converts best until you test different strategies.

Spotify’s landing page hits every element of a CTA that converts.

Just a quick side note: don’t overdo it with the call-to-actions. You should limit CTAs to one per landing page. Let the copy do the rest.

5. Page Load Speed

If you systematically and diligently run down this checklist, we promise your local SEO performance will improve dramatically. Of course, if you’d prefer to save time and let the pros take over, you can call our SEO virtuosos at (877) 736-1112 or fill out our contact form. We lay a sturdy SEO foundation brick by brick to secure your business’s position within the local sphere and beyond.

Page speed is a top-ranking factor for Google’s algorithm. If your landing page takes forever to load, your site is unlikely to hold an ideal position on Google SERPs. Some ways you can improve loading speed include:

• Enabling file compression
• Optimizing your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML code
• Reducing redirects
• Removing render-blocking JavaScript
• Utilizing browsing caching
• Decreasing server response time
• Optimizing images

You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights for an analysis of your site speed. Just copy-paste your webpage URL into the bar on their page.

6. Incentive

When you ask for people’s contact information without offering anything in return, your request might feel like spam. Instead, make an offering – provide an incentive. Here are some ideas for incentives to encourage lead generation or sales:

• Free trials
• Free samples
• Branded swag.
• Coupons and discounts
• Free eBooks or whitepapers – the added benefit of such informational material is building authority and trust
• Sweepstakes entry for contact info or per purchase

7. Lead Form

Don’t add more to your lead form than you must. And don’t be invasive. Make it easy for your potential customers to drop you a line with a clear, to-the-point (there’s that keyword again) lead form.

Take our lead form as an example:

We only ask for the essential information and even provide a checklist of the specific services we offer. Adding a comments section allows interested parties to be more specific if needed.

8. Social Proof

Great reviews or positive social media mentions is what’s going to separate your business from the hype. Your product or service is probably amazing – but no matter the quality of your offerings, rave reviews shouldn’t come from the horse’s mouth.

It’s important to curate positive reviews from actual customers instead. There are plenty of widgets that allow you to embed reviews directly into your landing page. Doing so will help you back up your copy with proof of greatness, build trust with potential customers, and lead to increased conversion rates.

9. Visual Elements

Website copy without visuals to frame it read like code – it makes even well-crafted copy eye-crossing and boring. You need interesting visuals to draw the eye in and keep users on your site. Visual elements include both video and images.

Video isn’t just for YouTube – it’s a great way to present your message in a convenient, digestible form. Video content you can insert directly into landing pages include short instructional or explainer videos, behind-the-scenes looks, or even webinars. Check out our article on how to optimize your video content.

Using a featured image is also a key element of landing pages with high conversion rates. Stunning visuals, such as that featured on Airbnb’s homepage, capture the essence of your brand and inspire the imagination – they also inspire visitors to take action.

Using a featured image is also a key element of landing pages with high conversion rates. Stunning visuals, such as that featured on Airbnb’s homepage, capture the essence of your brand and inspire the imagination – they also inspire visitors to take action.

10. Landing Page Design

Copy is king – and design is the royal right hand. As we’ve said before, even well-crafted copy is dull without aesthetic. Here are several design elements of money-making landing pages:

• Simplicity. If your landing page is stuffed like your nose with the flu, people will bounce back to your competitor’s pages. Busy pages overwhelm the eye. Instead, simplifying your design, such as utilizing negative space, can help guide the eye and help your message stand out.
• Distraction-free. You don’t want your website aesthetic to remind people of old Victorian wallpaper. Design should be void of distractions. Opt for legible fonts in contrasting colors from your background, simple language, call-to-actions that stand out, pleasing color schemes, and compact copy.
• Scannability. People often scan a webpage to see if your site is worth their time. Bold headlines, icons and graphics, and content structure are important to keep your visitors focused and guide them to actionable copy.

Do Your Landing Pages Have These Key Conversion Elements?

If you’re looking for a clean, elegant website design that converts users to customers, you’ve come to the right place.  Seotuners web design & web development experts create fresh websites using the latest in conversion optimization and proper site structure. Call us at (877) 736-1112 or reach out through our contact form and let us help you design pages that convert.