You know you need a strong online presence to compete with others in your industry. However, figuring out how to keep people on your site once they land there isn’t easy. Creating the perfect landing page for your business may look different than it does for every other company in your town.
You might need more than one landing page, depending upon how many segments you have for your audience. You also want the best home page you can offer, so people convert into leads and customers.
How Effective Are Landing Pages?
HubSpot’s Benchmark Marketing Report surveyed 1,500 marketing professionals. Websites with between five and 12 landing pages had a 55% higher conversion rate for leads. However, the best landing pages have something in common.
Think about the last time you shared information or purchased something from a website? What led you to take action? Studying what other companies do well–even those outside your niche–can help you understand how to best reach your customers. Here are the ways you can create the perfect landing page for your business and get results.
1. Know the Purpose
What is the main objective of your business landing page? For example, your home page might be an entry point for customers to learn more about your brand. Your main goal may be to get them to click on a “Learn More” call to action (CTA) button.
The better you understand your target audience, the more you can use language they understand and hone in on moving them from Point A to Point B. Cut any clutter that doesn’t directly point to the purpose of the landing page.
2. Choose Video
If you aren’t utilizing video on your landing pages, you might be missing out on a lot of traction. Around 90% of customers state video helps them make a decision to purchase. You can say more and faster with video footage than text alone. Images also help reinforce what you’re trying to prove to potential clients.
You can create a landing page that is solely video and a CTA button. You could also make videopart of your landing page to enhance information about your product or service. Just adding a video increases conversions by 85% or more.
3. Create a Catchy Headline
Your headline is the first thing most people see when searching for a keyword matching your landing page. They might pull up results in a search engine and see your headline as the title of the option.
When they land on your page, they see your headline first and then move to other elements on the page. A catchy headline has to cover a lot of territory in a few short words. You should use active verbs and concrete descriptions as much as possible.
Keep tweaking your headline until you hit on the perfect combination that draws users in but also describes what’s on the page.
4. Add Supporting Evidence
People don’t know who you are and if they can trust you with their personal information or hard-earned dollars. Start by fully describing what happens when they take whatever action you want them to take.
Move to text, videos and images to support the purpose of the page. If you want them to buy something, you’ll need to show them why they should. Look at the product through the eyes of the customer. What do they want to know and how can you answer any objections to making a purchase?
If you want to grab them as a lead, you must still convince them sharing their information is valuable to them. Offer a free book, a consultation or exclusive information they can’t get anywhere else in exchange for a name and email, for example.
5. Use Strong CTAs
Base your CTAs on your buyer personas. In a study of 93,000 CTAs, researchers discovered those targeted to a specific audience were viewed 42 percent more than general ones without a buyer persona focus.
Your CTA should be clear and to the point. Use first or second-person language, if possible. Use an action verb. Make the button contrast with the background. Do anything you can to help your CTA stand out from the rest of the page.
Test your CTA, trying different colors, language and placement until you hit on the perfect combination. Multivariate testing allows you to try different options and get test results faster. Keep what works and lose what doesn’t.
6. Keep Forms Short
According to BankMyCell, the latest statistics show approximately 6.648 billion people own smartphones globally– about 83.72% of the world’s population. Many may come to your site on a work break, while commuting or waiting on an appointment. They may only have a few minutes to skim over your landing page.
If you make your form too complex, they might bounce to a competitor’s site instead or to any number of other things they can be doing. You’re not just competing with direct competitors. You also have social media, texting, videos and games vying for user attention.
Keep your forms short and simple and your conversion rates will grow. For example, ask only for an email address with an autofill option. The user can input this information from a smartphone or desktop in a flash.
You can gather additional details later after you’ve secured the person as a lead. For now, keep it simple.
Finding the Perfect Combination
Your landing page isn’t likely to be perfect. Just when you think you’ve nailed the process, society will shift and you’ll need to make adjustments. However, it can be the perfect landing page for your business. Pay attention to what’s working, make changes along the way, and your landing page will bring in new leads and help you gain new clientele.
Eleanor is editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.