Ready to start a new campaign? Have those ads or e-mails ready? What about your landing page?
Whether you're building your content from scratch or using a template, there are plenty of best practices to consider to ensure maximum results! This guide will cover a few tried and true foundation strategies.
A Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA)
The most successful landing pages have a clear call-to-action or goal that it would like the visitor to complete. This could be submitting a form/lead generation, clicking through to another page, purchasing a product, etc.
A great rule of thumb is the five-second test - upon arriving on the page, do you have a good sense of that page's objective? Would the visitor understand right away what is being asked of them?
A Captivating Hero Image
This example emphasizes a fitness service by using a strong headline ("Be Strong, Be Fit") and hero image:
Within the same hero image is the page's call-to-action button with the label Sign Up Now. Combining these key elements altogether, your visitors will have a clearer understanding of what the page is about and what it is asking the visitor to do as soon as we arrive on the page.
Social Proof
You might have the clearest call-to-action in the world, the most compelling copy, or the most amazing design! But what do your users think? Social proof can easily enhance or deter the success of your business.
Using a real image if the individual is comfortable (versus a stock photograph) adds a human element to the user experience. Here's an example of a social proof testimonial:
In your social proof, try to be as specific as possible (how exactly did your business contribute to the user's success?) by using actual numbers/data.
What to Avoid on your Landing Page
Blurry Images: try whenever possible to include crisp, high-resolution images. Fuzzy or pixelated images may look unprofessional or cause visitors to hesitate about the authenticity of your page.
Spelling/Grammar Errors: everyone makes the odd typo now and again, but consistent spelling or grammatical errors can easily cultivate concern or distrust of the page.
Too Little Text: the attention ratio of your landing page should be 1:1 - which means that your visitors should have a clear understanding of what your landing page's goal/CTA is within 5 seconds or so of arriving on the page.
Too Much Text: on the other hand, too much text can be overwhelming and could cause the visitor to bounce simply because there is too much information to make sense of.