In these weird days for the internet marketing world, creating appealing (and converting) landing pages should be one of the most important goals for online success. And considering all the tools and information out there it seems easier than ever to create a successful landing page. In this article I will outline all the elements to create a top quality landing page for your product or service.
When creating a landing page (no matter what tool you use), you have to take into account certain factors e.g. where to place the various elements on the page, what message you want to “pass” to the website user with your design or words etc. Here are the most important elements that a successful landing page must have:
- A primary appealing headline (first thing the user sees and reads)
- A secondary headline (explain product or service)
- Sub-headlines (briefly describe product benefits)
- An appealing image, a voice-over or more preferably a video (it seems visuals convert better than text)
- Benefits in detail (Create bullet points further explaining the benefits)
- Up to 3 Calls to Action (This is where the “Buy Now” button goes!)
- A Description (Provide further details and information about your product or service)
- Testimonials (Make sure they are real and promoting for you and your website/business)
- Trust Elements (These days they are super important. Verification seals, e-commerce trust seals and all 3rd party verifications)
The above in my opinion is what every landing page needs BUT, depending on the niche/industry, some of the elements may not be needed for the landing page to be successful. If you are in the internet marketing industry (like me), then I can tell you that my tests showed 70+% increase in conversions for landing pages that include all of the above elements, comparing to pages with some of the elements missing.
Let me give you a few more tips about each element.
First the primary headline. You understand of course, that you have to have something powerful here. This text will be the “key” for the website visitor to stay or leave the page. Make sure your primary headline is simple, concise and clear, you don’t want to confuse the visitor just address to their problem or need (and make them keep reading).
Secondary headline and sub-headline(s) should be used as funnels for the rest of the materials on the page. It should explain what your product or service is all about.
I have found (and I am sure many marketers will agree with me) that images convert better than text in the majority of niches. Video is an even better option. Sound and voice-overs are another option. People will likely learn more about the benefits of what you have to offer if you explain those benefits in a video.
When outlining the benefits in detail, you should be as descriptive and clear as possible. You should address to the visitor’s needs. If they have a problem and you can fix it describe in detail how you are going to fix it. If they are in need of a service describe the benefits of the service and what separates you from your competition.
Your “Calls to action” should be placed strategically on the page. Sometimes a single “Buy Now” button converts better than 2 or 3. You must ensure your “Call to Action” stands out from the rest of the page. This is where you want the buyer to click on! You can differentiate by using different or opposite colors for your “Buy Now” buttons, than in the overall landing page design. In any case, you must create a button that even you want to click on!
In the description of your product(s) or service(s), use bullet points to emphasize on the various benefits of your product(s) or service(s). You can complement each benefit with an appealing image.
Also, you want to reduce the number of outgoing links on your landing page. Don’t give the visitors many options to click on apart from the “Buy Now” button. Usually you will try to send targeted traffic to your page so if you have many links on the page you are risking losing precious visitors…
You will find many marketers (including me) who have noticed tremendous boost in conversions, when they added genuine and unique, promotional testimonials on their landing page. Testimonials is a great way to boost conversions. Of course, you must understand that I am talking about real and not fake testimonials. That may be a hard thing to get but it’s very rewarding (conversions will rise). It will show you what your buyers think about you, your website/business and your products/services.
Finally, (last but not least) I must emphasize the use of trust seals that will show the website and potential buyer that there is a genuine business behind the site. In todays world, internet users get smarter and smarter and they know how to spot a fake website or business. Trust seals will give your landing page the credibility it needs and it will definitely boost your conversions but they will likely cost you some money to have them on your landing page.
If you cannot afford a “heavy” trust seal like “Norton’s Security Seal” or Verisign’s seal for example, then you can see if there are sites that use your products or services and add their logos at the bottom of your landing page. If you use Paypal and you are verified, then add the “Paypal Verified” logo, add a “No Spam” seal, a “Money-Back-Guarantee” seal etc.
I hope this article gave you some insight so your next landing page will be truly powerful and super-converting and lead you to online success. Just keep in mind that there’s no secret formula valid for every website. Because every website is unique (at least true sites are) and it should be treated separately. What works for one niche, might not work for another. You only have to make a lot of split tests to find what converts best and then scale to maximize your earnings…
If you have more tips that will help the readers of this article to gain more knowledge in the field of the creation of landing pages, then please post your comment below. If you want to learn more about SEO or if you are looking for an SEO expert, then I recommend this person who is my close friend and a professional in his field and in the way he supports his clients.
