Expert’s Guide to Designing High-Converting Landing Pages

Do you ever wonder what the big secret is behind landing pages that convert? I expect every online marketer does at some point, especially when they first start out.

If the same question is bugging you, then I’ve got some answers. I’ve also got examples, tools, and tips to help you create high-converting landing pages.

Successful landing pages can generate a significant amount of revenue.

Here’s some proof.

Conversion Rate Experts generated $1,000,000 million for Moz with a single landing page, an enticing call to action, and a few emails.

Want some more evidence? OK then.

The Entrepreneur’s Handbook feels that a landing page is a license to print money when you get it right.

Are you inspired by that? Awesome, because this guide gives you everything you need to get started, including:

• Understanding High-Converting Landing Pages
• Conducting Market Research
• Designing Your Landing Page
• The Psychology of Color
• How to Increase Your Landing Page Conversion Rate

Let’s dive in.

Understanding High-Converting Landing Pages

A landing page is a webpage that aims to get visitors to act in a certain way. For instance, signing up for a newsletter, inviting people to a conference or webinar, making an announcement, offering a discount, or making a purchase. Landing pages also help you capture leads. 

These pages are a crucial feature in digital marketing.

Marketers spend tons of time and resources driving traffic to their landing pages, hoping the target audience joins the opt-in process. However, you’re wasting your time if these destinations don’t entice prospective customers into your sales funnel and educate and convert them into customers.

That’s why you need to focus on creating landing pages that convert. You should first understand that designing a remarkable landing page takes more than slapping on graphics, writing some text, and a call-to-action (CTA) button.

There’s a craft to it, which I’ll discuss today.

What Is a High-Converting Landing Page? 

It’s a common practice among many marketers to create a unique landing page for each campaign.

Why? Because it facilitates a specific part of the conversion process by allowing users to opt in. However, there are other reasons why you want to focus on creating landing pages.

Here are some of the main benefits that you can gain for your online business by using specific landing pages for your marketing campaigns:

• Landing pages aim to enhance conversions. A well-designed landing page can help capture email leads, increasing your chances of converting more leads into sales.
• By segmenting your audience and tailoring your messaging, you can create landing pages that connect with visitors on a deeper level.
• Landing pages can help you build your brand by projecting a consistent message and aesthetic that resonates with your target audience.
• With the right optimization strategies, landing pages can improve your SEO and drive more traffic to your site.
• By tracking metrics like bounce rates and conversion rates, you can monitor the effectiveness of your landing pages and make data-driven improvements over time.
• They give a positive first impression. Landing pages can help you appeal to your audience, so they will want to stick around and switch from reader to customer.

Why You Need a Landing Page

Landing pages allow you to engage visitors and spur them into action: did you know that images, videos, and graphics can attract your visitors and persuade them emotionally to take action?

That’s because while your blog may highlight popular posts, gather email subscribers, or recommend affiliate products, a landing page has only ONE purpose: to get conversions. Here are some key ways that a well-designed landing page leads to that goal.

1. Promote a Positive First Impression

Landing pages can help you appeal to your audience, so they will want to stick around and switch from reader to customer.

Additionally, by segmenting your audience and tailoring your messaging, you can create landing pages that connect with visitors on a deeper level.

Landing pages can also help you build your brand by projecting a consistent message and aesthetic that resonates with your target audience.

2. Take Advantage of Trust Elements 

Your landing page is your opportunity to start building trust among your consumers. That means a professional design, providing quality content, and addressing prospects’ pain points.

You can also include videos to give your product life and a voice.

Additionally, including social proof like reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content from happy customers all inspire trust.

3. Increase the Conversion Rate

Landing pages provide your lead with the information they need to move them further along the customer journey and closer to a conversion. 

Calls to action encourage users to take the action you want them to (for instance, sign up for a newsletter or ask for a quote).

In addition, by tracking metrics like bounce rates and conversion rates, you can monitor the effectiveness of your landing pages and make data-driven improvements over time.

Types of High-Converting Landing Pages

If you want to create a high-converting landing page, you have several options:

Text-Only Landing Pages

Most online marketers prefer to use copy primarily text-based for their landing pages. They don’t include videos or large graphics, just a couple of images to appeal to the section of your brain that processes visual information. Copyblogger is a typical example. It uses a CTA button instead of a text link.

Long or Short Copy?

Should the landing page copy be long or short? It depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

It’s common to find long-copy landing pages in the digital marketing industry. It’s a great format when trying to showcase the benefits of your products or service to close a sale.

On the contrary, keep your copy brief if you want someone’s email address in exchange for your free report. Short copy enhances the user experience, gets more consumers to jump into the opt-in process, and results in getting more subscription forms completed.

I think you should test both types of copy and make your own decision.

However, some sources say that longer landing pages convert better. If you’re using a long-form format, ensure you format it correctly.

Video Landing Pages

According to Globe Newswire, online video platform revenue is projected to reach 2.2 billion by 2030 as YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sites become more popular. No matter what your product or service is, adding a short video that walks the prospect/customer through your offer will improve your conversions, as long as the opt-in process is simple.

In addition, videos can show prospects how your product works, which is a must if it needs to be installed or configured. For example, when you visit Slack, you can watch the video to learn what the messaging software can do for you and how to use it.

The Benefits of Using Videos on Your Landing Page

Why use video? Well, if you want to create landing pages that convert, then video could be just what you need. It helps with:

1. Retention: A valuable video inspires people to stay longer on your page, allowing your message to penetrate.

2. Increased trust: Videos give your product life and a voice, increasing trust.

3. Meeting customer preference: Unbounce found that many people prefer to watch a 5-minute video rather than read an article. Your landing page converts better if you give people what they want.

4. Providing a Call To Action: A CTA lets visitors know what you want them to do next and inspires action. Here’s an example from Panorama9.

In addition, videos can show prospects how your product works, which is a must if it needs to be installed or configured. For example, when you visit Slack, you can watch the video to learn what the messaging software can do for you and how to use it.

Here are a few tips for using video on high-converting landing pages:

• Keep your landing page video short and useful, because desktop viewers tend to stick with videos for 30 to 90 seconds.
• Start with a great video thumbnail that displays your product or service’s main benefit or value proposition.
• Use conversational language to explain the benefits of your offer and how it can help solve your audience’s pain points.
• Ensure that the video is high-quality and looks professional. Poor video quality can detract from your message.
• Include a clear, attention-grabbing call-to-action (CTA) at the end of the video to encourage viewers to take action.
• Consider adding subtitles or closed captions for viewers who are watching without audio.
• Use analytics to track how your video is performing and make adjustments as necessary.

Note: Sometimes, you can have a hybrid landing page, where you use more than one element in the copy. A landing page builder can help you with ideas for this.

Examples of Good and Bad Landing Pages

Who’s getting it right, and who’s getting it wrong when it comes to high-converting landing pages? Here are some examples of the good and the not-so-good.

Bad Landing Pages

AAA life insurance: A lot is going on (wrong) here. Most insurance sites offer a free quote with minimal information (mostly just a ZIP code). AAA takes more of a “demanding” rather than “offering” approach. It asks for excessive amounts of information, which can quickly drive people to your competitors.

Chase Bank: Phew! There’s a lot to take in here, the main problem is too many CTAs. On the left, there is an “Open an Account” CTA button; on the right, another CTA button asks you to sign in. And below this, five links take you to different destinations. Then below those, even more CTA’s encouraging visitors to take different actions.

This is a perfect example of where a dedicated page would help them cut out unimportant content and focus on what they want to achieve.

Good Examples

Unbounce: There is a brief description of two very important attributes (VIAs) (with links so someone can learn more if they want). At the bottom of the page, there is another visually-distinct CTA in video form for visitors to explore products and benefits.

Uber: The rideshare company gets it right for people interested in becoming drivers. It uses concise language that speaks to a common pain point—flexible working. There’s just one highly visible CTA, keeping the design clean and easy to navigate. 

Finally, there is a great use of visuals to add interest showing a friendly, relatable person. 

Step #1: Conducting Market Research

Every good landing page starts with market research: gathering vital information about your target market and customers to create value and provide a desirable customer experience.

Without market research, you don’t know whether there’s an audience for your product and an interest in your topic.

Where do you start with market research? Here’s some suggestions.

Visit Google Trends

Step #1: Visit Google Trends. Type your keyword into the search box. Click the search icon.

Step #2: Study the trend for the past six months.

The chart above shows steady demand for “project manager” as a search term over a six-month period.

That’s a good starting point for deciding whether to build a landing page focused on this area.

Next, it’s time to find out more about what your prospects want by conducting some market research among your current customers/leads.

Using surveys or polls on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter can give you an idea of what topics and products interest them the most. Additionally, analyze the comments section on your blog or social media posts to understand your prospect’s pain points.

However, when conducting market research, remember that what prospects SAY may not match what they DO. For example, if you survey your email list to find out their challenges, they may say that they are struggling with traffic generation. Therefore, you’ll want to delve deeper by:

• Conducting research on your target market. This can include analyzing industry trends, examining customer feedback, and reviewing competitor strategies. You can tailor your messaging and offerings more effectively by getting a better sense of what works in your space.
• Analyze your tracking for user behavior and test different approaches. Use the data to refine your messaging over time and increase conversion rates.

Understand the Mindset of a Landing Page Visitor

Finally, to create a high-converting landing page, you have to understand buyers’ mindset. As an online business owner, you have to focus on re-orienting your entire business around your customer’s needs. Your landing page has to make them want what you have to offer. However, that can be a challenge, as Professional Academy shows:

This infographic shows us the 5-step process consumers go through before and after purchasing a product or service:

Step #1: The recognition of need. The shopper has a specific need and is looking to buy a solution to meet it.

Step #2: Information search: The shopper begins searching to see what products are out there.

Step #3: Evaluation of alternatives: The buyer is still in the decision process. Do they really need the product? Are there alternatives? The customer often looks for reviews, pricing, etc., during this phase.

Step #4: Purchase – Once the issue of store location and shopping convenience has been addressed, the shopper further considers products with the best deals and quality. If they’re convinced, they will place an order.

Step #5: Post-purchase – The shopper is concerned with the experience while shopping at a particular store. Were the items shipped on time and in good condition?

Your landing page has to answer some of these questions. A landing page builder can help you develop a clear, concise way to present this if you aren’t confident in doing this yourself.

Market Research Through Social Media Networks

Another way to find out more about your customers is via social media. When you monitor your customers on social media, you get to know what they said about your brand and where.

However, having a conversation with prospects or customers on social media is a simple way to extract useful data about them, your brand, and your market. It also creates a positive brand and user experience from the start.

Social media can be overwhelming, so just remember you don’t need to be on every platform. Focus on the ones where your customers are most likely to be. Platforms like Quora are also helpful to conduct market research.

Understanding Keyword Intent

To close your market research, learn how to look beyond a given keyword and understand the intent (purpose) behind it and how that relates to your target audience.

Keyword intent is about finding out what users really want.

Using Google Keyword Planner, I searched for “ab training.” These were the related keywords and their average monthly search volume:

The first long tail keyword (core workouts at the gym) has far more average monthly searches than “ab training” so you can see how valuable keyword research is to give you inspiration for your market research. However, the competition is low, so very few advertisers are bidding for the term.

As a content writer/blogger, if you write content and include that keyword in the headline, build relevant links to the page, and send some social traffic to it, you may succeed in improving your ranking. However, your conversion rate is likely to remain low without a concise opt-in process.

Why? It’s because you didn’t optimize for the people who actually want to buy the product.

Let’s see how keyword intent from the results above can help you identify the best product for your landing page:

1. Core exercise: The searcher here is looking for information related to core exercise. Content that shares generalized exercises isn’t as relevant for this consumer, because their focus (intent) is the abs.

2. Core workouts at the gym: Here, it’s obvious that the searcher likely has a gym membership and is looking for specific information to do at that location.

3. Weighted ab workouts: If you have a product in the form of training videos or a step-by-step tutorial, you could easily convert these searchers, because they are looking for specific workouts. However, don’t use hype or tricks in your content. Be honest and provide value to turn the searcher into a customer.

Step #2: Designing Your Landing Page

In this section, we’ll look at the anatomy of a perfect landing page and discuss each element one by one.

As Unbounce shows, every part of your landing page matters. You can innovate, but don’t leave out anything essential.

Here’s a quick rundown of a structure designed to optimize landing page conversions.

Key Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages

In this section, we’ll look at the anatomy of creating a high-converting landing page and discuss each element individually.

Headline

The headline is your landing page’s first and most important element. Make it bold, clear, and benefit-driven.

Blogs that write catchy and valuable headlines get the most social media shares. In fact, over 50 percent of social shares come from people who just read the headline!

That works for landing pages, too. For a high-converting landing page (a lead magnet), your headline must be creative, straight to the point, create urgency, and solve a particular problem. In fact, they have to be magnetic for someone to complete the subscription form.

Supporting Subheadline

Never underestimate the importance of a great subheadline. Top Left Design says that a subheadline gives people a reason to read all our copy instead of skimming or scanning it. Use it every time to give more context to the main headline.

Visual Focus (headshot, video, etc.)

The brain processes visual information faster than text. That’s why you must add a visual focus to your landing page, such as your headshot, a photo, or a video. Take a look at the example below from Dollar Shave Club, with a video front and center.

Customer/client testimonials (optional)

You can also add real customer testimonials to your landing page. Testimonials can boost your sales. However, only use them after you have gotten results for other people. If you’re just starting out, this is optional.

I use clients’ testimonials on my landing page. Testimonials build trust in your personal brand because you show real results for people. It’s part of the positive user experience you are trying to achieve in your landing page builder.

Core Benefits

To appeal to customers and inspire them to take action, highlight the core benefits of your product/service on your landing page. Derek Halpern, founder of Social Triggers, does this on his home page.

Call-to-action

To successfully convert visitors to email subscribers or customers, you need a simple, clear, and clickable call-to-action. You could use a link, but call-to-action buttons are common because they grab attention, especially when they are colorful.

Landing Page Design Tools

Several tools are available if you need help designing your landing page. Below are some of the top landing page tools:

1. Unbounce: A landing page builder you can use to build, optimize and carry out A/B tests to determine what works and what doesn’t on your landing page.

2. OptimizePress: Easily create landing pages, sales pages, and membership portals.

3. PopUpDomination: One of the best pop-up opt-in box creators around. It works for beginners, intermediates, and online business experts as a landing page template with drag-and-drop ease.

4. OptinMonster: A great exit intent tool that will help you capture emails and leads. It’s a flexible yet very easy-to-use landing page template.

5. Instapage: You can use Instapage to create a single professional landing page, 100% free. However, if you want more landing pages, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid version of this landing page builder.

6. Leadpages: This is popular because you can collect email leads from anywhere without displaying an opt-in form.

7. Getresponse: Use their landing page builder to run a marketing campaign. There’s a free plan available that offers a landing page, website builder, sign-ups, and contact forms.

High-Converting Landing Page Design Best Practices  

Clear User Interface and Experience

For your landing page to work, ensure the user interface is clear. The focus is on your visitor, not you. You must align every element on your landing page to appeal to the end user.

Clean and Legible Fonts

Most consumers shop online using mobile devices, says Pew Internet. This means that you must make your landing page mobile-friendly. You can check how your landing page appears on different mobile devices using MobileTest.me.

Simple and User-Friendly Navigation

Generally, it’s not advisable to have external navigation on your landing page. However, if that’s what you decide, make sure it’s simple and user-friendly. You can learn from David Risley, founder of Blog Marketing Academy. His landing page looks professional, has a visual focus, a clean design, and is easy to navigate.

The AIDA Model

One of the best-known practices in the content marketing world is the A.I.D.A model. A.I.D.A. is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. A good way to apply this in practice with content creation is through having unique, novel, and captivating graphics to drive attention, holding interest through valuable context, stimulating desire by connecting this to product benefits, then leading to action with a CTA.

Step #3: The Psychology of Colors

The right colors are integral in creating high-converting landing pages. Color psychology tells us that you’ll feel anxious in a room painted yellow and peaceful in one painted blue. Color psychology works online too, as the Logo Company‘s chart on how colors affect buying decisions shows:

Here are some key color areas to think about.

Background Color

If your background color is wrong, your page won’t convert as well. When using a solid color on your landing page background, ensure it won’t interfere with the text; if it’s a deep color, make sure that the text contrasts well.

For example, Mind Tools has a lot on the landing page, but it uses contrasting orange and blue colors that draw your attention to crucial information.

Milani Cosmetics uses a white background and clean design to let the high-quality colorful product images speak for themselves.

On the other hand, you can adopt a minimalist design for your landing page and just make the background plain white. I’ve had success with white backgrounds, especially on CrazyEgg, and so has Copyblogger Media.

Link Color

I’ll have to agree with Peep Laja, founder of ConversionXL, that “there is NO best color for increasing conversion.”

Linking from your landing page, especially when you want to accomplish a special goal (capturing email leads), is not a good practice. However, if you want to link, start with the web convention of using blue for underlined links and maroon for followed links.

Note: Feel free to be creative with your landing page. If red links work for you, use them. If green links are getting clicked more, use those.

Call-To-Action Colors

I believe that the color of your CTA can either inspire people to click or discourage them.

In choosing colors for calls to action, consider what each color represents and how consumers will perceive them.

For example, the color pink is symbolic of unconditional love. Brands often use this color to target women, as it’s seen as more feminine. Orange radiates warmth and happiness.

Should you still use pink or orange color on your call-to-action if you’re not targeting females and are not in the dating industry? Of course, you should.

Blue is the color of trust and peace. If you sell digital items like ebooks, software, plugins, and themes, blue will most likely help build trust and loyalty among customers.

Several online payment merchants use blue for their call-to-action buttons because they want to give end users (customers) peace of mind improving the user experience and increasing consumers jumping into the opt-in process.

Blue works well for Optinmonster, while other brands prefer red. However, remember that every industry and marketing campaign is different; test and measure to find the right ones for you.

Finally, be mindful of mobile users. I can’t tell you how discouraging it is to visit an online store on my tablet only to find that the call-to-action button overlaps with the pricing.

Step #4: Make a Landing Page That C.O.N.V.E.R.T.S.

You don’t want people just to visit your page. You want them to take action once they are there. Make it as easy and compelling as possible for them by including these elements found in a landing page that CONVERTS:

 C = Clear Call to Action
O = Offer
N = Narrow Focus
V = VIA: Very Important Attributes
E = Effective Headline
R = Resolution-Savvy Layout
T = Tidy Visuals
S = Social Proof

Let’s take a closer look at these items in detail.

Clear Call To Action

Glengarry Glen Ross has a famous scene where salesmen were being trained to remember ABC: Always Be Closing. This applies to landing pages, too. 

Your call to action (CTA) should be the focus. The CTA is what you want visitors to do: Shop Now. Sign Up. Try It. Contact Us. See Our Video. 

Clearly and temptingly, ask visitors to take the next step in your conversion funnel. Only accentuate one CTA and avoid distracting visitors with other requests.

Some considerations for your CTA design:

• Ensure you display your CTA at least once in a visually distinct, centralized, and obviously buttony-looking button. Don’t make people guess what they should click on.
• Utilize visual cues like arrows or images of people focused on the CTA button to draw the user’s attention.
• Experiment with the color, size, and placement of the button, and try using different types of language for the copy, like a subtle call-to-action (‘Support Our Cause’) versus a more direct one (‘Donate Now’), to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Make it easy and compelling for your visitors to take the desired action by repeating the call-to-action (CTA) at the bottom of the page where content continues after the fold. Here’s a great example from Pocket. The eye goes right to the CTA. Especially nice is the way the video is miniaturized here because the play button on a video can be distracting.

• Ensure you emphasize the primary CTA as the most important one on the page, by de-emphasizing any secondary CTAs. The best pages accentuate only one CTA, like this great example from Promo.

Offers

To motivate visitors, offer something in exchange for what you want them to do. An offer can be a discount, a free trial, a whitepaper, or a matching gift.

The best offers pull users deeper into the conversion funnel:

• A bill pay website might offer users $10 for the first bill they pay, which would require them to sign up for the service and connect their accounts.
• A consulting agency might offer a free 60-minute consultation, which really is a meeting to describe how awesome the agency is.

Whatever you offer, try pairing it with a deadline to create a sense of urgency and spur a response. Make sure you keep the offer simple and that it doesn’t distract from the CTA. United gets it right with its “Explore” page.

Credit cards almost always include an offer – no surprise, given the direct mail experience these companies have. Note that the offer requires the cardholder to spend over a certain dollar amount before qualifying for the air mile bonus. For instance, you need to spend $1,000 in the first three months to get 20,000 bonus air miles. Good visual cues draw the eye to the CTA, too.

Narrow Focus

Numerous studies show the more choices you offer people, the longer they take to make a decision. The clearer and simpler you make your page, the more likely you are to get someone to take the action you want.

To increase the chances of visitors taking the desired action, simplify your landing page by removing unnecessary links and content. 

• Minimize the navigation bar 
• Move non-essential information to the “About” section 
• Keep forms short 
• Focus on the CTA and place additional links below the fold

Home pages should also follow these principles because they are often the first landing page visitors see. 

Here’s a cautionary tale from Oracle:

How many things are there for you to click on the landing page? 48. That’s 48 opportunities for whoever visits the page to wander off.

It’s a perfect example of where using a dedicated page would help Oracle cut out unimportant content and focus on what they want to achieve.

Salesforce gets it spot on, though.

It’s by no means the prettiest landing page. But for enterprise software, it is admirably restrained. There’s no navigation bar up top, it tucks away any administrative links at the bottom, and social links are small and discreetly grayed out.

In addition, the form asks for just a few fields, and even tells you how many fields there are. It finishes with a nice, bright, benefit-offering CTA. Perfect!

VIA: Very Important Attributes

When creating a website, don’t assume visitors will automatically sign up without any information about the product or service. Instead, showcase the Very Important Attributes (VIA) that appeal to visitors. Identify two to five key features and highlight them on the front page rather than overwhelming visitors with a long list.

In general, you can describe your VIA as:

• Features – a list of cool things about your product or service
• Benefits – how the features will help your visitor
• Pain points – how the features will help your visitor avoid misery

Try different approaches to see what works with your audience. It’s important to test which attributes you highlight, how many you show, and how you describe them. Remember to make sure your list of attributes doesn’t distract from your CTA.

If you’re looking for inspiration, Unbounce is a great example. (below the fold). There is a quick description of two VIA (with links so someone can learn more if they want). At the top right of the page, following the natural eye line, there is another visually-distinct CTA for those who are ready to try out a free trial.

Effective Headline

Copy written for print or display ads often features a clever, funny, or outrageous headline. It has to because those ads are trying to wave their arms in your face and distract you from whatever else you were doing.

On your webpage, though, you aren’t fighting for attention. You’ve already done something to funnel your visitors there. Now you just need to convince them to pull up their chairs and stay awhile.

People coming to your site are going to decide in a split second if they want to go back to their game of “Words with Friends” or stay and see what you are all about. A key way to keep them is to tell them in plain language what your site is all about.

For example:

• Selling a blanket with sleeves? “Home of the Slanket, the famous blanket with sleeves.”
• Selling a marketing consultancy? “How to market better.”
• Selling the latest location app? “Find your friends instantly.”

Here’s how not to do it from SAP.

Between the vague headline and information overload from too many options stuffed full of jargon (a trap most enterprise software has a hard time resisting), you come away not really knowing what SAP does, or its benefits.

Cloudera is doing it right.

At a glance, you can see what this company does: it’s a platform for big data. The CTA directs users to find out more in a video or info link. It also uses video, clean design, visuals, and simple navigation.

Resolution-Savvy Layout

Do you know that there are people out there still surfing the web on 800 x 600 monitors? And that the most popular screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 worldwide?

That means the overall visual picture you see on your big HD monitor might differ significantly from what your customer sees. Keep the essential parts of your message—logo, headline, call to action, a supporting visual—in the center top of the screen, with supporting messaging lower down on the page.

Make sure your designer knows which are the most important elements on your page and puts them front and center.

If you can adjust your display, check the layout of your page at different resolutions, including non-standard screen sizes, to enable even people with older monitors to see your headline and CTA without scrolling. You should check it on mobile and tablets, too.

Here’s a cautionary tale on what to avoid.

Check out Alaska’s official state website on a mobile platform. We’ve got lots of scrolling to do to get to service information, links that look like Google ads, and images that aren’t optimized for mobile. Overall the layout does not provide a good user experience.

On a positive note, we’ve got the visual Website Optimizer at 1024. Ah, it’s all there. Good headline, bright CTA, social proof, and some VIA. Even on a smaller screen, the most important elements are visible.

Tidy Visuals

If you have spent more than 30 minutes on the Internet, you likely have seen one of those ads with a GIF of a rotting banana with the headline “Lose 50 lbs with this one weird trick.”

Avoid distracting elements on your website that may sidetrack visitors from the main message. While they might be effective for catching attention in ads or headlines, using these elements on your landing page can appear gimmicky and unprofessional. Good design incorporates the following elements:

• A clean, simple design with plenty of white space keeps people trained on your call to action.
• Big font makes it easy and compelling for them to read and understand what your site is all about.
• Bullets make big blocks of copy easy to scan.
• Videos pack a huge impact into a small space and can increase conversions by 80 percent.
• Images and graphics relevant to your product and related to your audience support your message instead of diverting attention.

Let’s take a look at an example of getting it right from Wix, who nail clean design with a clear CTA here. The use of color here draws your eye to the call to action. Navigation items are muted. The design is clean and simple, and key product benefits are succinctly explained without jargon or too much text.

Social Proof

I once had a summer job at a nonprofit where I collected money door-to-door. One day I got on a bit of a roll and signed up several people in the same neighborhood. After a while, I didn’t even need to go into my pitch; I just held up my sheet, showed people that all their neighbors had donated, and they ponied right up.

As social creatures, humans tend to place greater value on things that other people have already approved. That is why most sites tend to display evidence of such social validation, like:

• A list of customers
• Press mentions
• Usage statistics
• Testimonials

If you are just starting, you probably don’t have much of this. But even one or two quotes from beta users, alpha users—heck, your mom—can show site visitors that someone else has derived value from you offer.

Here’s a good example from Optimizely. It includes four pieces of social proof on one screen. These are all from leading global brands touting the benefits Optimizely with real case examples and the visually uncluttered presentation of notable logos to create an instant impression of trust and authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

We often talk about successful websites and what makes them convert like crazy. However, it’s vital you don’t overlook landing pages and the value they can give your business.

You could use several models to create high-converting landing pages, so don’t be afraid to see what works best for your company and your offer.

Start with knowing your buyers and what appeals to them, understand and empathize with their pain points, and then create landing pages that provide a solution. Round it off with a CTA to compel them into action, and see how your conversions grow.

Additionally, ensure your landing pages include all the essential elements I’ve listed on the page and test.

As always, I recommend testing different landing page designs and call-to-action buttons to see which works best for your market. Here are four guides to help you nail A/B testing:

1. The Ultimate Guide To Landing Page A/B Testing 

2. What is A/B Testing?

3. 25 (Stealable) A/B Testing Examples & Ideas for 2023

4. The Definitive Guide to Conversion Optimization

How do you create high-converting landing pages?