Landing pages are a crucial part of marketing, as they help turn attention into action. Yet for many businesses, they are either misunderstood or underperforming. Some companies send ad traffic to their homepages, while others turn to a generic “catch-all” landing page aiming to serve every offer at once. Unfortunately, the result is always the same: wasted ad spend and lost leads.
A great landing page needs to do a lot with little: spark interest immediately, earn trust, and clearly highlight the next step. Add too much to it, and it will feel overwhelming. Add too little, and it will fall flat. The secret to ensuring a good outcome is to think about how all the pieces work together: the headline, the layout, the copy, the CTA; they all play a role in the landing page, so it’s essential to use them effectively.
Let’s dive below into the steps to ensure that your landing page is built to convert.
Have A Clear Conversion Goal
Before you even dive into landing page design, you want to clarify two things: why you’re creating the page (for example, to promote an offer, drive leads or validate demand), who is your audience, and what you want them to do. That one goal, whether it’s registering for a webinar, downloading a resource, or starting a free trial will influence all the other steps in this process, which is why you should start with it, and make sure to keep it friction-free and focused.
For example, let’s say you want someone to download the e-book you’ve created. In this case, you don’t want to also ask them to book a call or sign up for your newsletter, because prompting prospects to take various actions doesn’t help. If anything, it only creates noise. Ultimately, when you’re clear on the intent, everything else will come together quicker and more effectively than you expect.
Choose A Tool Designed For Speed And Flexibility
Looping in a developer may not always be ideal, especially if you need a landing page as quickly as possible. That’s where a landing page builder can help, as it’s easy to use, comes with a drag-and-drop interface that makes customization a breeze, gives you access to templates optimized for lead generation which you can tailor to your audience, and it allows you to build, launch and optimize all in one place. Besides, landing page builders generally provide integrations with email marketing software, CRM tools, and analytics platforms, which ensure seamless data flow and improved tracking of your campaign performance.
It’s not only much more cost-effective, but it can enhance your business strategy by improving conversion rates, enhancing customer insights, streamlining campaign creation, and facilitating A/B testing, to name a few.
Make Sure The Layout And The Offer Complement Each Other
There’s no such thing as the “right” layout for a landing page. It all comes down to what you’re planning to offer and how much context you need to give your audience. Let’s say, for example, that your goal is to get webinar signups or free guide downloads. In this case, it only makes sense to keep things short and sweet by incorporating a compelling headline, some scannable bullet points, and a button or form above the fold.
On the other hand, if you’re promoting something more complex, such as a consultation or a product trial, you should layer in more detail, whether a feature list, a testimonial, or a quick explainer video. The structure should highlight the level of consideration: for example, more friction requires more clarity. Either way, it’s always important to ask yourself the following question: If someone skims the page in 5 seconds only, will they understand its value? Suppose the answer is no; what you should do is obviously tweak the layout until you can positively answer the question.
Write Relevant Copy
Landing page copy is one of the most important elements and is about meeting people where they are. When writing it, it’s essential to think about what’s happening in your audience’s universe right now. What is it that they are struggling with currently? What problem are they trying to solve? The message is more relevant if the timing feels right, which is why it’s always wise to link the copy to a frustration, need or goal of your potential customer.
Of course, you shouldn’t do this in a gimmicky way, but just enough to make them feel seen. Another important thing is to write like a human by sticking to short sentences, clear benefits, and steering clear of jargon. Also, you should focus on just one action you want them to take to keep the copy focused even if you have a complex offer.
Eliminate Confusion Around The Next Step
Every successful landing page has one thing in common: a clear next step. It shouldn’t be hidden in the footer, or lost in a sea of text: instead, it should be easy to click and bold. As we mentioned earlier, it’s imperative to remove any friction between interest and action, which essentially means that your CTA button should stand out, and copy should be specific (for example, “Reserve your spot” or “Download the guide”).
At the same time, the form should be short and help qualify the lead, not more than that. Remember: visitors should be able to understand the action in just a few seconds; if it takes more than that, it means something’s off, and you need to rework the layout, trim the copy or play with the position of the CTA until it becomes clear what to do next.
Test Before You Launch
No matter how great your landing page looks, you shouldn’t publish without testing everything first. Preview the page on desktop and mobile alike, click every link and button, and double-check to ensure the form works.
You wouldn’t want to launch the landing page only to realize later on that the leads are going nowhere because you missed a very important detail! Running a checklist before going live takes a few minutes only but trust us – it will save a ton of headaches, and you’ll thank yourself for doing it.
The Bottom Line
Landing pages are among the most powerful tools for any marketer, and that’s not only because they convert, but because they provide clarity about your offer, your audience, your messaging, as well as what’s working and what isn’t. When you treat your landing pages as living assets rather than a one-off task, you’ll learn more and more with every campaign you create. Whether you’re creating one from scratch or refreshing it, remember that a high-performing landing page isn’t built by accident, but with clarity, intention and an understanding of your audience’s needs.
