10 Tips for Creating High-Performing Landing Pages
Marketing campaign landing pages are a vital aspect of most marketing campaigns because they capture user traffic and have the ability to guide specific users down a desired conversion pathway. The key to successful landing pages, however, lies in optimizing their design to encourage a seamless user journey to achieve higher conversions and user engagement.
Here are our top ten web design tips for creating high-performing landing pages.
Tip #1 – Match Ad Message And Headlines
It is important for the advertisements on landing pages to match a site’s headlines (as previewed in search engine results). Brands should provide visitors with content that matches the definition that they clicked for without causing any miscommunications. A transparent and honest approach to landing page design helps sites rank better for SEO while also improving conversion rates.
Tip #2 – Lead Audiences “Down The Slope” With Strategic Cues
One of the more popular landing page design tips involves guiding visitors with strategically positioned visual cues. These visual guides may include arrows, graphics, website copy, and animations that encourage prospects to keep scrolling and eventually follow up with the CTA.
Tip #3 – Design With Device In Mind
Online customers no longer rely on desktops for their web-browsing needs. Instead, customers in the digital age may view a landing page from various devices, including tablets, smartphones, and laptops, each with different screen dimensions.
As such, it is crucial to ensure that web interfaces provide visitors with an optimized user experience (UX) regardless of their preferred device. Brands can create effectively responsive web pages by focusing on a mobile-first design. The reason for this is that most website traffic comes from mobile sources (55% of total internet traffic), and once designers optimize the limited spaces in a small layout, they can effectively scale it up with the same results.
Tip #4 – Showcase How It Works
Rather than simply telling people how a specific offering works, directly showing features and impact gives prospects more confidence and understanding about your product or service by providing context and use cases. For example, including a real-world demonstration clip or image as the hero image of a landing page makes offerings relatable at a glance. Companies that offer virtual product demonstrations may consider compiling recorded sessions that show the reactions of satisfied customers as part of their landing page presentation.
Tip #5 – Clarify CTA Goals
Every element on a landing page leads visitors to a single CTA. As such, it is important to eliminate vagueness and confusion when driving conversions. When designing a landing page, it’s important to decide what action you want customers to take (for example, signing up for a newsletter, registering for an event, or making a purchase). Once you identify the customer action you’re after, you can create a clear CTA and ensure every message and visual on the landing page advances visitors toward the desired interaction.
Tip #6 – Optimize Conversions With A/B Testing
A/B testing is a critical tool for optimizing landing pages and improving user experiences. It involves systematically comparing two versions of a webpage that may differ in various elements, such as website copy, graphics, visual cues, hero images, and call-to-action buttons. By conducting A/B testing, brands can gain valuable insights into what resonates most with their audience and drives higher conversion rates.
Tip #7 – Minimize Distractions
When designing a landing page, it’s important to minimize as many user journey distractions and disruptions as possible. For example, you should limit exit opportunities (e.g., social media handles) so visitors can focus on following through with a CTA without leaving the site.
Tip #8 – Prioritize Above The Fold Content
Research shows that site visitors spend 80% of their browsing time on the left side of web pages (since people generally read from left to right). Brands can snag the attention of their audience from the moment they arrive on a landing page by positioning the most engaging elements on the left side of their page, especially above the fold, or the upper half of a website.
Tip #9 – Showcase Benefits Over Features
Tips for web design in marketing often emphasize benefits over features. Doing so positions businesses as problem solvers rather than sellers of a product or service. By doing so, visitors are more likely to browse the entire landing page and discover how a company can provide value by resolving specific pain points. For instance, instead of describing a user-friendly dashboard, brands should list its benefits, such as expediting communications and eliminating downtime.
Tip #10 – Present Social Proof
Social proof is a powerful tool in convincing landing page visitors to follow up with a CTA. These include customer reviews, feedback, and testimonials. Research shows that 62% of people agree that customer photos influence their purchase decisions. Brands may present social proof as video content for improved engagement as they enable visitors to process information at a faster rate.
Closing Thoughts
Crafting high-performing landing pages is an indispensable component of successful marketing campaigns. These pages serve as the gateway to engaging and converting potential customers, making them a pivotal touchpoint in the digital landscape. The ten tips we’ve explored offer a roadmap for optimizing your landing pages and harnessing their full potential.
Incorporating these tips into your landing page design strategy can lead to more successful marketing campaigns, improved user engagement, and higher conversion rates, ultimately helping your business achieve its goals in the digital landscape.
