05 Nov The perfect landing page – What you should keep in mind when setting up

If you want your business to be successful online, you have to draw attention to yourself and your products again and again. Every day you try to generate leads, achieve conversions and of course sell your products. This is possible in many different and varied ways. For example, through search engine optimization, presence on social media channels or even the creation of special pages aimed at conversions. And it is about these so-called landing pages that today’s article will be about. We will explain exactly what these are, what advantages they offer and what you need to consider when creating a landing page.

What is a landing page?

A landing page is a specially created website, which is created for certain advertising measures and is independent of the main page. Users reach a landing page via the results of a search engine query or via various advertising media. Many different landing pages can be created, which use target group-oriented offers or a suitable form of address for the target group.

The decisive difference between a classic start page or any sub-pages of a website and a landing page lies in their tasks. While a start page has many different tasks (presentation of the company, introduction of the products, getting the user to browse), the landing page has only one task: to achieve conversions.

A conversion can be manifold and depends on your project. Should a product be purchased or a service booked? Or should you use the landing page to book an initial consultation or to make a registration?

To achieve the desired conversion, there are basically 2 types of landing pages:

• Opt-in pages: Here the collection of customer data is the main focus. This type of landing pages is mainly used in B2B.
• Click-through pages: These pages are designed to encourage users to buy by making offers, and the Call-to-Action (CTA) redirects them to another page where, for example, the purchase is made.

What advantages does a landing page offer

Due to the characteristics of a landing page, it offers many advantages, which will be briefly discussed below:

• Different variants of a landing page can be created for different target groups. Thus an individual and target group-fair speech is possible.
• Products and services can be advertised more specifically than on other parts of the website.
• Landing pages are ideal for supporting existing marketing campaigns or activities.
• The success of each individual landing page can be precisely measured using key figures
• Usually landing pages show very good conversion rates
• With landing pages, the entire concentration of the visitors is directed directly to the product or service.
• User expectations are met, as all necessary information about the keywords searched for is delivered directly.

Elements of a landing page and tips on design

When building a landing page there should be space for different elements that support the goal of conversion. The following section will discuss which these elements are and what should be considered.

1. logo

Of course your logo should be on the landing page. It is best to place it in the upper left or in the middle. On the one hand, this represents the reading direction and thus ensures that it is perceived as one of the first elements. On the other hand, this is the usual place for a logo, which makes the navigation of the website much easier.

In this case a logo serves for branding and recognition. When a user arrives at the landing page, he should also be able to associate the advertised product with a company. You can also link to your homepage via the logo.

In order to focus entirely on the offer and conversion, the menu bar should not be the same as on the rest of the website. Display a reduced version here (if at all) to eliminate any distraction.

2. headline & subheadline

You surely know this yourself: Often the headline decides whether you continue reading or leave the page again. Therefore, show in the headline what can be found on the page and possibly build in your unique selling proposition (your USP). The subheadline should describe advantages, briefly explain the offer or explain the USP further.

3. hero shot

To generate an eye-catcher, the so-called hero shot is integrated. This is a visualization of what is on offer. In the case of an advertised product, for example, this could be a product image, but it could also be an overview graphic, a video or any other visual medium. It is important that it underlines the Call-to-Action (CTA) and should not distract from it.

4. introduction

With the introduction you can now finally arouse interest. Make it clear what it is all about and explain which problems can be solved. In the introduction you can use a non-formal wording and emotionalize the product or service. In this way you will increase the interest.

5. call to action

The CTA is the central element of your landing page. Everything should lead to this button, no matter if it’s about subscribing to a newsletter, downloading a white paper or a purchase. Therefore it is very important that the CTA does not get lost in the design. The button must be clearly recognizable as such and its color must be clearly distinguished from the surrounding elements. When clicked, there should be feedback, such as a change in color.

Another important aspect is the formulation of the CTA. It should be precise and clearly describe what action is performed when the button is clicked. For maximum focus it is best to use only one CTA per landing page.

6. features & properties

In this section you can support your introduction with more concrete information and services. Explain in more detail what your product can do or what advantages the user can achieve with the offer. Again, have a problem-solving approach and go back to your USP. In this way, you can make it clear to the user why he or she should purchase the product from you in particular.

7. testimonials & social proof

As a seal of approval, we always talk about how important the opinions of real (!) customers are in the form of valuable ratings. They create additional trust and are authentic. Often you can also provide additional information when the reviewers talk about how they used a product and what problems they solved.

In this section you can also show which newspapers and magazines have already talked about you, or whether you are also known from TV commercials. As a B2B company, add your customers‘ logos to create further trust.

8. awards, seals, certificates

Under this point you can add further aspects to ensure user confidence. Do you have many followers on Facebook or Instagram who trust your business? Do you have an SSL certificate for secure payments? Or do you have an award, for example, as a TOP service provider or TOP online store? In this section you should show all this.

9. contact possibility

In the end it can make sense to offer a contact possibility. With this, you give the users an additional possibility to ask questions – an important aspect with regard to customer loyalty as support.

Additionally: Thank You-Page

You may also want to consider setting up another page that will be displayed to the user after the conversion. For example, if he or she has purchased the product, he or she may be directed to a thank you page. Here you can also include elements like social media. This allows customers to continue networking with you, but they will not be distracted by the product on their own landing page.

Include further action steps here and perhaps a further offer that matches the previously purchased product.

Conclusion

Landing Pages are essential to gain the undivided attention of potential customers. If you pay attention to important principles in design, they can be used profitably and help your company to achieve more conversions. Products or services are optimally advertised and presented. Accurate measurability allows you to continuously improve your landing pages and increase their conversion rate even further.