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Web Development|
jun 10, 2024
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0 Min Read

How to Create a High-Converting Landing Page

The numbers are striking – the average landing page converts only 4.3% of visitors. This means 96 potential customers out of 100 leave your site without taking any action.

Mobile devices now generate 77% of retail site traffic, so your landing page must deliver results. The human brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than text. A successful landing page combines compelling visuals with persuasive copy that motivates action.

Think of your landing page as a tireless sales representative working round the clock. It converts visitors into leads and customers while improving your SEO results.

The right mix of elements can make your page stand out. Want a landing page that delivers real results?

This piece shows you data-backed strategies to build pages that capture leads and boost sales effectively. Let’s explore the basics together.

Pick your landing page goal

Your landing page design should start with a clear goal. Every element of your page, from copy to design, takes shape based on what you want to achieve.

Landing pages do two main things: they generate leads and convert sales. Regular web pages might try to do many things at once, but landing pages need one specific action for visitors to take. This sharp focus creates a smooth experience and helps visitors reach the outcome you want.

Lead generation goals

Lead generation landing pages collect visitor information by offering valuable content in return. Building an email list stands as the core team’s priority – it creates a direct channel to reach potential customers.

The value exchange matters a lot at the time you set lead generation goals. Match the information you ask for with what visitors think your offer is worth. Simple newsletter signups need just a few form fields. High-value content such as detailed white papers or industry research can justify longer forms.

Your targets should be measurable, based on past campaigns or industry standards. A goal might be 50 new leads each month or a 12% conversion rate – these clear numbers help you track how well you’re doing. A good lead generation page needs:

  • A signup form that matches your content’s value
  • Customer testimonials that build trust
  • Clear terms about data usage
  • Product details kept separate from the form

Research shows that marketers get more leads through dedicated landing pages than by sending traffic to homepages. These pages work best especially when you have longer sales cycles.

Need a landing page but don’t know where to start? Let us help.

Sales conversion goals

Sales landing pages turn visitors into customers right away. These pages need detailed information about features, benefits and pricing to handle buyer concerns.

Illustration on a page showing how a landing page would look like

Sales pages convert 2X more visitors into customers and double the average spending compared to regular online stores. This happens because they stay focused – they skip distractions like related product links or shipping details that often show up on regular product pages.

Your sales conversion pages should have:

  • Several CTAs with the same message placed strategically
  • Clear product images and descriptions
  • Videos or GIFs that engage visitors
  • Real feedback from current customers

Your page length should match how complex your product is and what it costs. Complex or premium products need longer pages to answer questions and build confidence. Simple products with lower prices work better with shorter pages that make buying feel natural.

Watch metrics like add-to-cart rates, finished checkouts and average order size to see how well your sales page works. Regular testing of different elements helps you get better conversion rates over time.

Whether you want leads or sales, keep your focus on that one goal throughout your page. Take out navigation menus and anything else that might distract visitors from taking action. Your landing page message should match your ad content so visitors know they’re at the right place.

Research your target audience

Your landing page’s every element takes shape from your target audience’s understanding. Detailed research will give you insights that shape your design choices and messaging strategy.

Customer pain points

The best landing pages tackle specific problems your audience faces. You should start by running surveys with open-ended questions that let customers explain their challenges. Questions such as “What problem did our product solve for you?” will reveal deeper insights into your customer’s needs.

Your audience gathers across social platforms – keep track of their online discussions. Customer reviews on peer-to-peer sites help identify common complaints about existing solutions. This research shows pain points your landing page needs to address.

Different customer segments need different landing pages based on their unique challenges. This targeted approach builds stronger connections by tackling segment-specific pain points. The message should feel like you’re talking one-on-one instead of broadcasting marketing speak.

Buying motivation factors

The content on your landing page becomes more compelling when you know what drives purchase decisions. Eight key buying motivations shape customer behavior:

  1. Financial returns – B2B customers look for solutions that improve efficiency and cut costs
  2. Need-based purchases – Essential problem-solving drives conversions
  3. Self-growth – Personal development goals affect buying choices
  4. Fear – Limited-time offers or lack of availability creates urgency
  5. Acceptance – Social proof shows peer adoption
  6. Impulse – Quick, emotion-driven decisions
  7. Pleasure – Fun purchases that aren’t essential

Your landing page must match the buyer’s experience stage. B2B buyers want specific content that fits their sales funnel position. Watch how visitors use your page to spot when they move from learning to buying.

Look at what your competitors offer to understand customer-valued features. Social engagement patterns and reviews point to ways you can stand out. Geography, psychology and premium positioning affect how people see prices.

Landing pages that strike a chord with visitors’ needs and desires come from deep understanding of both pain points and buying motivations. This intuitive approach builds stronger connections and higher conversion rates.

Select the right page type

The type of landing page you select can make or break your conversion goals. Each type serves a specific purpose at different stages of your customer’s buying process.

Click-through pages

Click-through landing pages connect your original advertisement to the final conversion point. These pages help warm up potential customers with persuasive content before showing them purchase options.

A click-through page tells visitors about your product or service with detailed descriptions, benefits and sometimes testimonials. The page directs users to a single call-to-action that takes them to a checkout or signup form. Research shows click-through pages boost ad relevance when content matches closely.

Big brands use click-through pages to create a smooth path between interest and purchase. These pages remove navigation links to keep visitors focused on the main message. This targeted approach lets you test different headlines, copy and CTAs effectively.

Your CTA should stand out with contrasting colors. Write content that speaks to customer pain points with clear and persuasive copy. Make sure your page loads fast and works well on mobile devices with touch-friendly elements.

Lead capture pages

Lead capture pages, also known as squeeze pages, get visitor information by offering valuable content. These pages grow email lists through strategic lead magnets like ebooks, webinars or industry reports.

Forms are the heart of lead capture pages. Short forms with few fields bring in more leads but of lower quality. Longer forms with extra fields attract fewer but better-qualified leads.

High-converting lead capture pages need:

  1. Clear value proposition in the headline
  2. Persuasive copy addressing objections
  3. Social proof through testimonials
  4. Mobile-optimized form design
  5. Strategic placement above the fold

Sales pages

Sales landing pages aim to turn visitors into customers. Unlike regular product pages, sales pages give complete information to build trust and handle objections.

 

Long-form sales pages work best for complex products or premium pricing. These pages answer detailed questions and highlight product benefits. Short-form versions fit simple products with lower prices, making purchases feel natural.

Great sales pages include compelling testimonials and positive reviews. Studies reveal 91% of consumers check reviews before buying. Product demos through videos or interactive elements help customers see the value.

Your goals and target audience should guide your choice between these page types. Click-through pages excel at warming up cold traffic. Lead capture pages build valuable prospect lists. Sales pages drive immediate purchases. Match your choice to your conversion goals and your customer’s stage to get the best results.

Write persuasive copy

Compelling copy turns casual browsers into loyal customers. A landing page’s copy serves as a round-the-clock pitch that speaks to thousands of potential customers through carefully crafted messages.

Problem-solution framework

The Problem-Agitation-Solution (PAS) framework creates persuasive copy that strikes a chord with visitors. Identifying your audience’s core problem comes first, followed by intensifying their pain points through strategic agitation. Visitors trust you right away because they see you understand their challenges.

A clear problem statement speaks directly to visitors at the start of this framework. The next step intensifies the problem by describing negative experiences. Your product or service then emerges as the perfect solution that lines up with the intensified problem.

Your copy should sell intended actions and focus on solutions rather than product features. People look for answers to their problems. Your product becomes valuable only when it solves their challenges. Messages should center on outcomes and show how your offering simplifies lives.

Benefit-focused messaging

Effective copy emphasizes benefits over features and puts audience needs first. Features tell factual details about your product, but benefits show how these features improve customers’ lives. A lawnmower’s blade speed matters less than telling customers they’ll spend less time emptying the oversized grass bag and finish their lawn faster.

Your value proposition sits at the core of benefit-focused messaging. Craft clear statements about your offering, its benefits, and why it beats competitor solutions. This creates emotional connections through direct, benefit-driven language.

Time-sensitive language drives immediate action. Create strategic urgency without pushing too hard. Action-oriented text should make your call-to-action buttons stand out and guide visitors to next steps.

Statistics and credentials build trust. Numbers about your customer base, product sales, or industry recognition matter. Customer testimonials provide powerful social proof as satisfied clients support your offering.

Clear copy works better than creative copy nine times out of ten. Keep messages straightforward that strike a chord with your target audience.

People respond emotionally and care about self-interest. Weave “you” and “your” throughout benefit-focused messages. This approach centers on visitor motivations and shows what’s in it for them.

Landing pages should tell a story that naturally guides visitors toward conversion. Headlines, body text, and every element work together to build confidence and encourage action. Regular testing helps you fine-tune your messaging to achieve maximum effect.

Add compelling visuals

Your page’s visual elements shape how visitors see your brand within seconds. The right placement of images and videos helps build trust by showing your products and services in an authentic way.

Product image guidelines

Great product images will boost your conversion rates. Your full-page background images should be 1600 x 1000 pixels or 1920 x 1200 pixels to look their best. Header images need 1600 x 500 pixels at least, while mobile versions should be no smaller than 800 x 1200 pixels.

The best size for product feature images is 800 x 600 pixels. Your logo should be around 300 x 150 pixels to look professional without taking over the page. Background images in pop-ups work well at 500 x 500 pixels or larger.

Pick the right format based on what you’re showing:

  • PNG, GIF or SVG: Best for logos and text graphics
  • PNG, JPG or GIF: Works well for mixed photo-graphic content
  • JPG: Perfect for photographs

Keep background files under 200 kilobytes and standard images under 70 kilobytes. This helps your pages load quickly while looking sharp. Tools like Kraken or Optimizilla can help shrink file sizes.

Your brand’s colors should match your images. Research shows images shape decisions through the brain’s visual cortex. Simple visuals with one or two main points keep visitors focused. Empty space around important elements makes them stand out.

Video placement tips

Landing pages with video see 86% more conversions. Videos get your message across quickly without making visitors read walls of text. They make complex products easier to understand and create emotional connections naturally.

Put videos where visitors will see them right away, above the fold. Embedding videos directly on the page works better than pop-ups that might overwhelm viewers. Your video’s message should match the rest of your page.

Video length makes a big difference in how people watch. Short videos do better on landing pages. Include clear next steps in your videos to guide viewers. Skip autoplay – it creates a poor experience and causes accessibility problems.

Video landing pages shine when showing:

  • Product demos with key features
  • Virtual property tours
  • Course content previews
  • Health testimonials that build trust

Choose thumbnails that grab attention. Your videos must work well on phones since most shoppers use them. Try different versions, lengths and calls-to-action to find what works best.

Think about how videos support your main message. Product demos help sell by showing features quickly. Real estate agents save time with virtual tours. Students can see if courses fit their needs before signing up.

Structure your content flow

Your landing page’s content structure determines how visitors use it. Strategic organization and visual hierarchy help guide readers to conversion goals without overwhelming them.

Information hierarchy

Logical content arrangement shapes how visitors understand your page. Your value proposition should come first and address specific problems your product solves. Clear benefits should follow to show what customers get from your solution. You can then build credibility by explaining why your offering beats alternatives.

Good information hierarchy answers visitor questions in order:

  1. What problem does this solve?
  2. How will it benefit me?
  3. Why should I trust this solution?
  4. What objections might prevent purchase?
  5. How do I take action?

Headlines, unique selling propositions and calls-to-action should appear above the fold. This prime spot will make sure visitors see key messages right away. Visual indicators should draw eyes down to supporting content.

Scanning patterns

Visitors scan landing pages in predictable ways. Eye-tracking studies show two main scanning behaviors – F-shaped and Z-shaped patterns. Understanding these patterns helps place content where it works best.

F-shaped scanning begins with horizontal movement across the page top, creating the F’s upper bar. Visitors then move down slightly to read another horizontal section that forms the lower bar. They finish by scanning down the left side to complete the F’s stem.

This means:

  • First lines get more attention than later text
  • Left-aligned content works better
  • Opening sentences should contain important points

Z-shaped patterns suit visually-rich pages that use white space as a guide. Eyes move naturally from top left to right, then diagonally down left before moving right again. This creates an easy zigzag path through your content.

Choose layouts based on content type:

  • Text-heavy pages: Use F-pattern layouts
  • Image-focused pages: Choose Z-pattern designs
  • Complex offerings: Layer-cake pattern with clear headings

Visual hierarchy supports information architecture by making certain elements stand out. Colors create contrast, varied text sizes show scale, and strategic spacing provides balance. Visual patterns should stay consistent throughout the page.

Mobile optimization needs special attention to content flow. Touch-friendly elements need proper spacing. Page speed greatly affects visitor engagement – 70% of consumers say it influences their purchase decisions.

Regular testing shows which layouts strike a chord with your audience. A/B testing different content arrangements helps measure how changes affect key metrics. Heatmaps and session recordings track visitor behavior. These learnings help guide ongoing optimization work.

A landing page structure should create clear paths to conversion. Remove distracting navigation links. Guide visitors naturally through your content to build interest and trust before showing calls-to-action.

Strategic organization and visual hierarchy turn casual browsers into engaged prospects ready to convert.

Make mobile-friendly pages

Smartphones and tablets generate 68.1% of global website visits. This transformation means websites need landing pages built specifically for mobile users.

Touch-friendly elements

Most people use their phones with one hand. A well-designed touch interface becomes vital for better conversions. Buttons, links and interactive elements need proper spacing to stop misclicks. Here are the size guidelines that work best:

  • Minimum tap target size: 48×48 pixels will give a smooth interaction
  • Button padding: Extra cell spacing reduces wrong taps
  • Form fields: More space between input areas

Checkboxes and drop-down lists work better than text boxes on mobile devices. These elements cut down typing that often annoys mobile users. Click-to-call buttons make phone interactions quick. Users can connect right away without typing numbers.

Forms play a big role in mobile conversions. Multi-step forms see 86% more conversions than single-step versions.

Users want quick, easy-to-use mobile interfaces. Big pop-ups, ads and chat boxes can ruin the experience. Small banners or smart copy work better. They can offer help at natural points like checkout.

Content prioritization

Mobile screens show less content than desktop displays. Smart content planning should focus on three main things:

  1. Main landing page copy
  2. Call-to-action button
  3. Primary visual element

Mobile users quickly scan content to find value. Your key message should appear first through BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) format. Users see important information before they start scrolling.

Good images look great and load fast. Make file sizes small without losing quality. Research shows 53% of mobile users leave pages that take more than three seconds to load.

These image guidelines help:

  • Resize images properly
  • Pick efficient file formats
  • Compress while keeping quality
  • Use fewer images

Mobile landing pages work best with single-column layouts. Content stays organized without side scrolling. Short paragraphs and white space make text easier to read.

Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in search results. Your organic traffic depends on good mobile optimization. Test your page on different devices and screen sizes for consistent results.

Mobile forms need special care. Ask only for essential information. Use the right input types like number pads for phone fields. This makes data entry smooth and keeps users happy.

The best mobile landing pages have simple navigation and clear content. They skip complex menus and extra links. Clear visual order and smart content placement guide visitors toward conversion goals.

Measure page success

Landing pages need performance tracking to spot areas that need improvement. Smart measurement and informed optimization can turn average pages into conversion machines.

Conversion tracking setup

Google Analytics gives a detailed look at how well landing pages work. You’ll need to install the Google tag on your website to set up conversion tracking. This code watches what visitors do after clicking ads and records important customer actions like purchases and form submissions.

Your conversion goals should match what you want visitors to do. Pages focused on lead generation should track when forms are filled and content gets downloaded. Sales pages need to monitor purchases and their values. The right setup aligns these goals with what each page aims to achieve.

Tracking multiple conversion steps provides better understanding. You can watch smaller wins like video views and scroll depth along with your main goals. This layered view shows how users stay engaged as they move toward converting.

Analytics interpretation

Key performance indicators form the starting point of landing page analysis. Conversion rates show how many visitors complete your desired actions. While average landing pages convert 2.35% of visitors, the best ones reach 11.45% through steady improvements.

These engagement metrics tell you about visitor behavior:

  • Average session duration shows if content hits the mark
  • Pages per session reveals how people explore
  • Bounce rate tells you when visitors leave quickly

Your marketing decisions should be guided by traffic source analysis. Google Analytics shows which channels bring serious prospects rather than casual browsers. Looking at source performance and conversion metrics together gives you the full picture of your campaigns.

When forms get abandoned, it points to problems that need fixing. High abandonment usually means forms are too complex or the value isn’t clear enough. You can make targeted fixes by watching how different form fields perform.

Metrics for new and returning visitors offer campaign insights. First-time visitors need clear value statements. Returning visitors look for more details to help them decide. Your content should adapt to these different groups.

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ROI calculation

A systematic approach helps calculate return on investment. The simple ROI formula works best: (Increase in revenue – cost of marketing) / cost of marketing. This shows what you get back for every dollar spent on landing page campaigns.

Customer acquisition costs matter when measuring ROI. Total expenses include:

  • Staff time and wages
  • Equipment and hardware costs
  • Software and tool investments

Customer lifetime value should be measured against acquisition costs. The real ROI comes from subtracting acquisition costs from lifetime revenue. This long-term view helps make smarter marketing investments.

Each campaign’s ROI needs careful tracking. Revenue from specific landing pages must be compared to their costs. Good attribution models will show how different touchpoints help drive conversions.

Regular ROI checks drive better optimization. Testing different page elements shows their effect on key metrics. This helps focus resources on campaigns that perform best based on data.

Mobile performance substantially affects overall ROI. Landing pages must work well on smartphones and tablets through responsive design. Mobile-specific metrics ensure a smooth experience across all devices.

Success with landing pages requires steady measurement and improvement. Watch your key metrics, study how visitors behave, and calculate ROI methodically. Smart optimization based on data creates high-converting pages that deliver measurable business results.

Get a Custom Made Landing Page that Converts with Blacksmith

Still feeling a bit lost on how to create a landing page that can get you the traffic and sales that your company needs?

Don’t worry, with Blacksmith you’ll get a custom landing page that delivers on all fronts. With our team of seasoned web developers we’ll create a landing page that converts and brings in new customers.

With our WordPress Web Development Service, we’ll ensure that your landing page adheres to all of this year’s best practices. Best of all? You’ll get to see how your landing page is built, every step of the way. With real time progress being shown it gives you time to ask for any change if needed.

Still unsure if you need a landing page? Let’s set up a call so we can explain the importance of a good landing page in 2025.

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