Best Practices for Landing Pages That Convert

Make It Easy to Add New Landing Pages

The first thing to do is to organize your site structure so that it is quick and efficient to add a multitude of pages; you should not have to "reinvent the wheel" just to add a new landing page. Once you are organized and ready to go, here are some tips to get started:

Tips to Optimize Your Landing Page

1. Don't send inbound traffic directly to your homepage - always use a specific landing page.
2. The primary headline must match the ad that visitors clicked to get there.
3. Keep the page clean and easy to read - do not make people hunt for the main content.
4. A landing page should have a single purpose.
5. Use video. It can increase conversion by up to 80%.
6. Edit to remove unnecessary content. Be succinct.

Suggestions for Successful Landing Pages

Consider your visitor when creating a landing page, and specifically think about how the user got to the page. If they searched for "Car Wash Fort Lauderdale", then you will want the words 'Fort Lauderdale' to appear on the page. It might be more work to create a page for every city, but the added personalization is worth it.

A good strategy is to limit exit points, which is common practice, but don't remove all exit points; visitors that can't escape from the page that they're on will click the back button on the browser. The site's main navigation shouldn't be on a landing page, but make sure the visitor can get off the page that they're on and still stay within your site.

Everyone knows that providing quality content is good for SEO and the same can be said for landing pages - be sure to provide unique, honest, quality content that is relevant for your business. The trick is to keep it minimal and right to the point. As an example, no one wants to read 4 paragraphs about how your car wash is the best in town - they simply want to get in touch and book a detailing.

Landing Page Checklist

• Make your call to action (CTA) big and position it above the fold.
• Use directional cues to direct attention to your CTA (arrows or photos/videos of people looking or pointing at your button).
• For lead gen forms where the CTA is below the fold (e.g. due to a long form) - make the directional cue point down the page to the button.
• Congruence: every element of your page should be aligned conceptually with the topic and goal of the page.
• Show your product/service being used in context.
• Use real testimonials for authenticity.
• Show social proof via indicators of your social status.
• Test new ideas using A/B testing. Let your customers decide which message works best for them.
• Provide a free trial. Try-before-you-buy is a standard and expected feature.
• Provide a guarantee to reduce/remove risk.
• Include partner co-branding to increase trust by association.
• Simplify your copy using bullets.
• If you are selling a book, or giving away an eBook via lead gen, provide a preview to increase trust show that you are proud of your product.
• Segment by traffic source. Send your PPC, email, social media, organic and banner traffic to separate landing pages for better message match and measurability (which channel performs best)
• Segment by user type: don’t send offers about men’s health products to the ladies on your email list.
• Show your phone number so people know you are real and can interact with you on a personal level.

Steps to Take Before Launching Your Landing Page

1. Use as much text as it takes to adequately convey the purpose and goal of your landing page.
2. Try not to be any more wordy than is absolutely necessary to avoid losing your reader before they arrive at the CTA.
3. Use powerful and evocative words and phrases.
4. Avoid making the reader have to scroll down too far - or too many times - to reach the end of the page.
5. Keep your text size and spacing consistent, and use the same font (or at least, the same font family) throughout.
6. Be clear and concise.
7. Get to the point.