Tips for landing pages that convert

Great landing pages that work

People often ask “How are great landing pages done? The answer, of course, is that a great landing page is one that gets conversions! Just like baking a cake, there are lots of different ingredients you can use, and there’s no rule that says one is right and another is wrong. In the end, it comes down to what works for you – and that depends on your type of business, your specific customers, your specific audience, your specific website….

The only way to find the right formula is to try lots of different things and to test them properly to see which get results.

That said, judgment and experience to help make the trial-and-error process a lot quicker. So here are some pointers.

Engage your audience

The headline on your landing page needs to be eye-catching. It has to engage your readers’ attention and make them want to know more.

The headline for this blog is a good example – everyone wants to know the secret to great landing pages, which is why it caught your eye and made you read on.

On a landing page, the headline is normally reinforced with a strong main image that relates to it. There may (or may not) be other images on the page, but be sure not to have them clash; the clarity of your message is crucial to the success of the landing page.

Tell a clear and compelling story

The importance of clarity can’t be overstated, and it relates to your copy as much as your overall design and use of images.

Clear copy converts! Unclear copy just confuses. And confused readers stop reading and go somewhere else.

Writing clear copy is much more difficult than people realize. It’s not about great choice of words as much as simple, plain language that says what you need it to say. So don’t just sit down and start writing; first jot down the points you want to get across and plan it all meticulously before you start producing text.

What’s in it for me?

Tell your audience what benefits your offer will bring them.

Benefits, benefits and more benefits – that’s what your audience want to hear about first and foremost.

They don’t want to know about the life story of your product (at least, not yet) or the terrific and amazingly clever features you’ve managed to pack into it. They want to know how your offer will improve their lives, bring them pleasure, improve their health, save them money, or any of the other benefits it might bring.

Later, once you’ve got them hooked by the benefits, you can explain about features, etc. By that stage they’ll be interested enough to want to know more.

Prove it!

You’ve promised the offer will deliver a string of benefits – now you’ve got to give some proof that what you’re saying is true. People these days aren’t gullible – they are suspicious of advertising in all forms. So, they want to see – where’s the beef?

Proof means a number of different things.

Partly, it means just setting out in detail how your offer will achieve its promised benefits. This may include explaining specific features that make the benefits possible.

For example – imagine your headline promises a benefit like ‘Faster, more even grilling – the best steak you’ve ever tasted!’

The benefit here is clear – better grilling and a better tasting steak – but next you need to explain how your grill manages to cook faster and more evenly. So if you’ve got a new patented grilling process, this is the time to tell about it.

Xyz says it’s great!

Proof can also mean social proof – client testimonials and other third-party endorsements. These can be seen as more valuable than simple statements by you – the advertiser – because independent opinions carry more weight than the highly biased opinion of the person writing the copy.

Now’s the time! Don’t miss out!

No great landing pages are complete without a clear and compelling call to action. But calls to action are a topic in themselves – so we’ll look at them in more detail.

Remember – if you’re having trouble with your conversion rates or need a more compelling landing page, our experts are ready to help you get better results.