5 Landing Page Design Essentials

In this article I will share some insight into the most essential elements of landing page design. Overlooking these important, proven strategies could lead to poor conversion rates and wasted time designing a page that doesn’t generate sales or leads.

Building landing pages can be an exceptional marketing strategy when coupled with expert PPC marketing management. By targeting the right audience and tailoring a message to them, you can create an on-going profitable campaign that brings in new business daily.

Whether you are building the pages yourself or collaborating with a designer, keep these 5 points in mind to create a landing page that works and converts.

1. Informative Above the Fold Area

One of the most important parts of a landing page is the area shown above the fold in a browser window. While most users are well aware that the page will continue on, this area gives the all important first impression of your product or service.

Having an informative above the fold area means letting the potential customer know exactly what you’re offering and what they can expect from your business.

In this area you should include a relevant graphic or background image to capture attention. However, we don’t only want to capture their attention and keep them reading on, we want to inform. Consider the following elements that may be relevant to include.

• List of Benefits
• Product Image
• Money Back Guarantee
• Endorsements or Seal of Approval (BBB, Yelp, Google, Amazon, etc.)

Including information such as these will help build trust and reinforce the value of your offer.

2. Compelling Headlines

Visitors eyes are naturally drawn to bold headlines, so it is important to deliver a good message through the various headlines on your landing pages. Your headlines should be well thought out and easy to read. Avoid gimmicky pitches and use of exclamation marks.

Use title case capitalization where each word is capitalized except for short connecting words such as: and, it, for, or, but, etc.

Your most important headline will be your Call to Action. Your other headlines should clearly describe each section and support your Call to Action.

3. Telling Your Story

There are lots of exaggerated claims found all over the web. A great way to give credibility to your offers is to tell the story of your business.

Here are some questions you could answer to tell your story.

• Why are you passionate about your product or service?
• What makes you different and better than the competition?
• How have you helped your customers? How does your product improve their lives?
• How many years have you been in business?
• What is your mission statement?

4. Undeniable Social Proof

For increased conversion rates and building credibility, nothing compares to showing compelling social proof. This means proving to your potential customers that you have been endorsed and deemed trustworthy by credible sources such as the Better Business Bureau, your customers, industry publications and other relevant sources.

Social proof can also be social media follower figures, though I wouldn’t recommend linking directly to your profiles because you’ll want to keep them on your landing page until they make a decision.

• Social media followers
• Business reviews
• Customer Testimonials
• As Seen On (News and media)
• Industry certifications
• Star Ratings (Google, Amazon, Yelp, etc.)

With undeniable social proof on display, your potential customers will trust your product or services much more easily as you’ve shown to have a proven track record of success and satisfaction.

5. An Irresistible Offer

Your Call to Action (CTA) is the most important element for driving conversions. This is the action you want the visitor to take: sign up, order now, fill out a form, phone call.

All of the sections of your landing page should be tailored to support your CTA.

The offer should be crafted to show undeniable value. Consider displaying a fixed % discount, bonus items/value or services included as a package.

Your potential customers should be convinced that their money is well spent. This is where your CTA comes in to play. You should have a concise and compelling headline as I previously described with an accompanying button, form or phone number to close the deal.

In Conclusion

With these 5 landing page design essentials you can create a landing page marketing tool that you can confidently use to begin a successful PPC campaign.

At Adficient, we build great landing pages based on these principles and many more that have proven to be successful for our clients.