Landing pages can be amazing conversion tools, but their ultimate success depends on great copy and design.
Even an eye-catching, well-designed landing page isn’t going to get results if your readers don’t easily understand what you want them to do or if it’s not compelling them to take action.
1. A Killer Headline
When people read a landing page, they’re not studying every word – they’re usually skimming. But you know what people tend to notice, even when they’re just skimming?
That’s why you need to invest time in writing big, clear headlines that grab readers’ attention and explains the value they’ll get if they stay engaged.
The note-taking app Evernote knows a thing or two about this concept. Their home page immediately hooks readers with two simple words: “Remember everything.” Haven’t we all forgotten some important task or idea that we should have written down?
Evernote then uses their subheadline to explain exactly how their app is going to help you: “Inspiration strikes anywhere. Evernote lets you capture, nurture, and share your ideas across any device.”
2. A Focus on Benefits
Emphasizing features, or even solutions, isn’t enough on a landing page. Customers want to know what value they can expect. Your landing page should explain this in clear, simple terms.
Dollar Shave Club does a good job of this on their landing page. The “How the Club Works” section of the page starts out strong, with the subheadline: “No commitment. No fees. No BS.”
It goes on to talk about the benefits of the club, explaining in plain language not just the club’s features, but why they should matter to you.
A great example: “When you don’t overpay for blades, you can use a fresh blade anytime you want. It’s life-changing.” They could just tell you that they offer low prices. Instead, they tell you how those low-priced blades are going to revolutionize your whole shaving routine.
3. A Clear and Compelling Call-To-Action
Remember how I said that people generally skim landing pages, only noticing a few select elements of the page?
The element that everyone should notice on your landing page is the call-to-action button. That makes your button’s copy among the most important on your page.
Little tweaks in the wording of your button copy can have a huge impact on conversions which makes A/B testing essential to figuring out what’s working and what’s missing the mark.
4. Customer Testimonials
Running short on writing inspiration? Let your satisfied customers write some of the copy for you. Testimonials can drive conversions better than nearly anything else.
What makes testimonials so potent is that they give consumers a sneak peek at what their own experience will be like if they end up purchasing your product or service.
Most successful landing pages include a testimonial or two in their copy and the online learning company Codeacademy is no exception. Keep scrolling beyond a brief form where new users can sign up in seconds and you’ll see a variety of “Codeacademy Stories,” where happy users share the career successes they’ve enjoyed since learning to code.
Testimonials are especially important on saas landing pages.
5. “I Want To” Headlines
The ideal headline for a landing page tells a customer exactly what problem you’re offering to solve. When a visitor clicks onto your landing page, they’re probably thinking ‘I want to…’ and they’re looking for a solution.
Let your landing page’s headline fill in the rest of that sentence for them, as if you’re speaking directly to their need.
Sales-software company Close.io nails this technique with this landing page, which greets you with the simple headline: “Close more deals.”
But landing page copy is only one half of the equation. Visual design is the other half.
6. Longer Length Pages
In the past, “short and sweet” was the name of the game for landing pages, with all the relevant content squeezed above the fold. But now, there’s a movement toward longer landing pages, and with good reason: longer pages give you more room to add information about your company and your products.
A better-informed consumer can be more likely to be convinced to take action. When analytics company Crazy Egg decided to overhaul their landing page to increase conversions, their primary goal was to provide customers with more information about how their product worked and how it differed from free tools. Their new page ended up being 20 times longer than the old one, and conversions increased by 30%.
7. Minimalist Design
Longer page length doesn’t mean that you have to cram in as many elements as you can; in fact, it’s the opposite. Minimalist landing pages are effective because they reduce the cognitive load on visitors. In other words, they don’t make visitors think too much.
A few pillars of minimalist landing page design include:
- Increased white space
- Fewer colors
- Simple clear copy
- Clear call-to-action
Energy supplier British Gas applied these ideas to their landing page redesign, making radical changes to create a clean, uncluttered look. As a result, their online bookings soared by 50%. The Forest App site is another good example of a sparse landing page that works.
8. Entrance Pop-Ups
While exit pop-ups have become status quo, it’s becoming more common to see entrance pop-ups when you arrive at a landing page. These screens usually ask for a visitor’s email address in order to deliver exclusive coupons or content.
The power of the entrance pop-up lies in their ability to get visitors to take action with you before they’ve even read the information on your landing page. However, these in-your-face offers can also be a real annoyance to visitors.
If you plan on giving pop-ups a try, proceed with caution and be sure to do some A/B testing to see if you’re getting it right and not hurting your bounce rate.
Land on Your Perfect Page
Whether you’re trying to expand your email subscriber list or increase sales leads, refining your landing page copy should be one of the first tasks on your to-do list.
Looking to upgrade your landing pages? Then you need to hire a professional copywriter, and we can help.