Landing pages are a quick, easy, and effective solution to maximize your conversion rate (meaning the percentage of people who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or RSVPing to your event).
Visitors to your site have short attention spans; if the layout and copy of your landing page aren’t turning heads, you can pretty much guarantee that visitors won’t stick around.
On the other hand, landing pages that optimize the user experience and showcase exceptional web design will entice users to stay, and perhaps further explore other pages of the site.
The best landing pages drive desired results
The best landing page is one that takes you exactly where it promised. When a customer lands on a relevant page, the potential for converting an interested customer into a paying one maximizes.
For example, if your email marketing campaign introduces a new line of Fall Fashion and the link takes them directly to a landing page that showcases the clothing line, they’re more likely to make a purchase. However, once a visitor is on the page, they still must be provided with a good experience on the site. After all, even if your product is exceptional, users won’t convert if the platform is confusing or complicated.
What makes a landing page a success?
When looking at landing page examples for inspiration, it’s important to first consider the goal of the landing page, the mediums used for promotion, and the tools used to design the landing page.
If your goal is lead generation in the form of more registrations to your event, and you plan to use email marketing as the medium of promotion, then direct subscribers and potential customers should receive an email with a clear call-to-action button linking to a landing page dedicated to the event.
The landing page design must then give out the necessary information, including reasons why the reader should attend, the event location, and a clear call-to-action to register for the event. If possible, you should also include “social proof” or testimonials and case studies from well-known companies in the space who trust your product or service to achieve some desired outcome.
Your email and landing page design should both be clear and concise, making it easy for interested attendees to register.
Lastly, your landing page experience should be optimized for both desktop and mobile landing. The tech revolution has brought with it a mobile-first landscape, meaning if your landing page design isn’t optimized for web, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
Key elements of the best landing pages
Relevant
I can’t stress this enough: your landing pages need to be relevant and specific to your goal. You can’t direct people to a page with a promise and then fail to deliver that promise. For example, if you promise a 10% discount, customers should see a 10% discount on your landing page, not a 5% discount, or none at all. Otherwise, your potential customer becomes discouraged and simply closes the tab.
Impactful
In an attempt to be creative and captivating, don’t lose simplicity. Simple landing pages are the most impactful, driving the best results and highest conversion rates. This includes simple and direct landing page copy; a simple design that enhances the information rather than hides it; and a clear call-to-action that tells the potential customer what action you want them to take.
Concise
You have a whole page’s worth of space, but don’t fill it all with words. Concise landing pages are the best landing pages. Avoid long paragraphs, long explanatory videos, or long sign-up forms. Everyone wants quick results, so that’s what you need to offer in your copy. Visuals are enticing. Let some of that show through in the form of images, short video, and a background that ties everything together.
A landing page that fulfills a promise
Here’s an example that shows how to match the expectations of your audience with a dedicated landing page.
The first image below is the email you send out or the social media post to your followers. Note the “Sign Up” CTA button and the fact that the button color clearly helps it stand out .
The second image below is where the call-to-action button leads, to the sign-up landing page. Do you know what they want you to do next?
10 types of successful landing pages
Now that we have discussed what a landing page is and what it takes to meet your goal, let’s talk through examples of different landing page types to help you get started.
1. Trials or email list membership
Create a dedicated landing page for an opt-in form to boost trials or sign-ups to your email newsletter. Keep the landing page simple, and highlight the key benefits of becoming a member. If you have a trial offer, detail how long the trial period lasts, how it works, and its benefits.
2. Landing pages that offer solutions
A business becomes successful when it can offer a solution to a problem faced by their target audience. These problems or pain points could be the inspiration for creating a landing page, which presents the solution. For example, if you know that your customers find it difficult to organize their desk, and your desk organizer solves that problem, design a landing page that details your solution. Emphasize the product’s effectiveness with consumer testimonials. These will offer credibility and social proof to your brand. Then, prompt customers to get organized in a direct call-to-action.
3. Promoting a single product or service
Sometimes offering too many products or services can confuse a potential customer. While options are great, people are looking for one specific product or service at a time.
Research your most searched-for product, and dedicate a landing page to it to increase sales. If you offer all kinds of hiking gear, and research tells you your Trail Queen hiking boots are the most popular, create a landing page specifically for that product. You can also add a link to related boots at the bottom, to present an alternative.
4. Landing pages for new launches
Successful businesses constantly innovate and reinvent their products or services. This means launching new products throughout the year using a landing page for a better chance at conversions. Let’s say you own a bakery and introduce a new category of customized muffins. Create a landing page that allows people to customize and order right there, rather than navigating through your usual delicious offerings and losing them on the way.
5. Sales and promotions
Holiday sales, clearance sales, special promotions, and VIP deals all achieve bigger results with dedicated landing pages. Everyone loves a good deal, but no one wants to browse through a thousand pages or products to reach that gold mine. Make it easier for your customers to find your sales and promotions with a dedicated landing page. Make sure you use landing page copy that will create a sense of urgency in your landing page visitors.
6. Donations and other contributions
Whether you are a nonprofit organization or a small business, donations and contributions are important if you want to make a difference. Donation buttons on your homepage may get lost in the crowd, so developing landing pages for donation campaigns can help you get more attention. You could also link to a sign-up form for volunteers.
7. Event registrations
Both online and offline events are only as successful as the number of people who attend. To get people to register and RSVP for your next event, create an event landing page with great content. Keep the registration form short and crisp, only asking for the most relevant information.
8. Lead capture forms
While lead capture forms are usually presented as pop-ups, they can sometimes irritate your customers. To keep customers signing up for your list, create a social and email marketing campaign that directs customers to a landing page with a lead capture form.
9. Downloadable material
Have you written a new e-book or created new templates? When it comes to asking people to download a digital product, a landing page is always the best solution. You get space to convince the potential customer why they need it and keep other pages of your website looking crisp and clear.
For example, if you’ve curated a guide to holiday gift ideas, send an email with a snippet of the e-book content, and offer customers the complete e-book through a call-to-action button. The landing page could then include a small write-up about the lead magnet, and provide the download link.
10. Infographics and videos
People are looking for valuable information on a wide range of topics, every day, all around the world. If you created an infographic or a video that could be a great resource for your target audience, it’s time to direct them to a landing page.
The focus here is to get people to learn from and engage with your brand. For example, if you have created a “10 Step Guide to Online Marketing” video, create a landing page with a summary, and encourage people to talk about their biggest online marketing mistakes or achievements.
Avoid including more than one call to action
Here’s a great landing page example by an Animal Rescue event. It allows website visitors to register for the event, while also clearly telling them that they can adopt, donate or volunteer at the event.
Adding all of this information on your homepage is a mistake, as it cramps your design and causes confusion. It also risks losing impact from the event.
Invest time and effort to create the best landing pages
The best landing pages are born from attention to detail, a clear goal, a lot of thought, and constant testing. You don’t need to create a landing page for everything your business offers, but when you do design one, make sure it’s impactful and gets people to take the right action and convert.
