Providing a Welcome Hub to Increase Conversions is a No-Brainer
At the end of the day, the term “landing page” is likely overused … kind of like the phrase “at the end of the day.” The average person might think a landing page is automatically a company’s homepage. And that’s not necessarily the case, although it can be. Simply put, it is the single web page (as opposed to an entire website) where the visitor lands when clicking on a link.
The landing page has a very specific marketing goal or objective in that it’s been created to get the web visitors to do something very specific. This could be anything from getting them to fill out a form, purchase a product, visit your store, sign up for a newsletter, pick up the phone, engage in a chat, and more. Once the visitor does this, it’s called a conversion. Of course, this is the goal of the landing page for you as a business owner, but there is more to it. It’s not brain surgery but there are elements that are needed in every landing page that are designed to get the visitor to accept that call to action. We list them below:
Above Average Above-the-Fold Content
This is another term you hear thrown about in the “biz”. “Above-the-fold” stems from the newspaper industry (you remember that, right?) and refers to content that is, quite literally, above the fold. In a digital sense, it’s simply the first content the landing page visitor is going to see, so this might be one of the rare cases in which you don’t want to save the best for last. Instead, you want this content to be as engaging as possible to avoid having the visitor “bounce” from the landing page. The headline comes first, and to say it should be “snappy” is an understatement. This is tricky, though, as you can’t go for clever without letting the person know where they’ve just arrived. In other words, you need to convey why they are there and how you can solve that problem for them. Don’t worry if you feel like you can’t communicate everything you need here, as you do get another shot with a sub-headline or supporting headline. In combination, these two headlines should draw the visitor in while providing a very clear message. In other words, it’s the one-two punch of the above-the-fold content.
Let’s think about an example for a second. If you were doing a landing page on a culinary school, you might try something like this:
Head: More Than 75 Percent of Our Graduates Work as Chefs in Michelin-Rated Restaurants
Sub: Because You Don’t Want to Sous For Life
The heading is enticing while the sub-head gives a cheeky message that creates a sense of urgency and says, “We see you.” Nearly everyone in that industry starts out as a sous chef, but the goal for most (if not all!) is to become the head honcho.
The Hero Image
The hero shot is also a part of the above-the-fold content. Visually pleasing content is always the way to go, so the hero image should drive home the message of the headings while hitting right at the emotions of the visitor. Again, though, you can’t go for clever if you’re going to lose the messaging while doing so. You’re walking a fine line but, if done right, this will be the hero indeed.
The CTA
Most landing pages also include the CTA above the fold as well. And if the headlines are the one-two punch, then this is the final blow … and we mean that in the best way. It’s not about reinventing the wheel but, rather, it tells the visitor exactly what you want them to do in the clearest possible way.
If we’re using the culinary school example we provided earlier, a good CTA might be simply, “Register now!” or “Register for culinary school now!” Simple and straightforward wins the race.
Aside from the copy, you also want your CTA to be bold in color and to stand out from the rest of the page so there’s no missing it. Make sure to only use one CTA per landing page to avoid confusing your landing page visitors.
At the end of the day, that’s all she wrote. Overused statements aside, the landing page isn’t complicated but the conversions it provides are crucial for your success. It can also be used in cases when an entire website isn’t needed. Contact us to find out how our team of digital marketing experts can create a landing page that will take the web visitor from casual observer to converted client.