Building Landing Pages that Work

Whether your website visitors arrive at your site via organic search results or ads, the landing page is the fulfillment of the promise you have made to them. That promise could be great content, great products, or great opportunities for browsers. Unfortunately, according to MarketingSherpa, an astonishing 44 percent of clicks for B2Bs land on the business homepage, not a dedicated landing page. This can create a disconnect in the mind of the visitor and impeded your CRO efforts. So, the first step is creating a landing page! The second step is creating an effective, engaging landing page.

Here are some tips for pages that will help convert visitors to customers or prompt them to take the desired call to action:

• Clean, clear, and intuitive. It is amazing how many landing pages are cluttered messes. Today’s searchers, particularly those who also search via mobile, expect a less-is-more design. Cut the extras, and create a simple layout. Bold, attention-getting headlines, short texts, images that directly relate to your intent, a concise call to action, Anything else, think very carefully about including.
• The design should reinforce your message or your promise. If your ad or search result indicated you had “5 must-have tips for doing X,” your viewers should see a list of 5 bullet points. An image related to those tips is important visual stimulus as well.
• Above the fold, above the fold. Everything good, including your CTA, goes above the fold. Make a little song! Sing it in the office, shower, and with your web designer.
• Some pages have multiple calls to action. This decreases the likelihood that visitors will complete any of them. Make the next step clear.
• Use proven SEO methods: targeted keywords, metatags, proper image titles and tags…content is king, even – or especially – on landing pages.
• Allow sharing, and make it very easy for visitors.

The most important point to remember is to make sure the intent of your ad is conveyed and delivered in your landing page content and design. If not, you will see an incredibly high bounce rate, and it is deserved! Focus on the why. Why did visitors click through to you? Now how do you keep them there?