5 Practices to Build SEO-Friendly Landing Pages

Every landing page you create serves a single purpose: converting visitors. With SEO-friendly landing pages, there's one more consideration. That's ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs).

The question is: can you combine them? Absolutely. There are ways to design landing pages that drive conversions while ranking high. You just need to strike the right balance.

To guide you through this process, we'll showcase why you need SEO in landing page creation. Then, we'll list the best practices to build SEO landing pages that bring targeted website traffic.

Why Do You Need SEO-Friendly Landing Pages?

Effective SEO practices bring your landing pages in front of more people—usually, the right people. Here's what you can do with SEO landing pages:

• SEO landing pages drive free website traffic. In other words, you attract potential customers without paying for every click, thus reducing lead generation costs.

• When building SEO-friendly landing pages, you consider things like user-friendly design, valuable content that matches search intent, and loading speed. That way, you prioritize user experience.

• With SEO tactics, you target niche audiences that search for results related to your value proposition. The key is to produce high-quality content and match it to the targeted keywords.

• SEO brings long-term results, even after campaign completion. You can keep a seasonal campaign online, so you don't lose the authority you've built. The same goes for annual promotions with significant search traffic.

Optimize Landing Pages for SEO in 5 Steps

Crafting SEO-optimized landing pages isn't as hard as it may sound. It does require careful planning and execution, though. So, let's unlock the secrets of building landing pages that rank.

1. Perform Keyword Research

In-depth keyword research lies at the heart of every solid SEO strategy. Start by making a list of targeted long-tail keywords. These are specific terms relevant to the products or services on your landing page. They should match the term combinations your audience could type into Google to find your offerings. Such queries are usually your safest bet with SERPs since they attract relevant traffic and a high ROI.

Let's take the example of a restaurant using organic ingredients in Singapore. A relevant long-tail keyword would be “top places for organic food in Singapore". This keyword is easier to rank for compared to "best restaurants in Singapore".

There's the option of analyzing what keywords your competitors use to drive traffic. This tactic helps you identify potential ranking opportunities. You could also look for secondary keywords that support the primary by adding more context to your landing page.

Once you've found your targeted keywords, incorporate them in your content naturally. Avoid going overboard with their usage, though, since keyword stuffing is spammy practice. Google may even give you a penalty, removing your site from search results. Remember that the more helpful your content is, the higher its position on SERPs.

2. Design with Search Intent in Mind

When typing a specific query into search engines, users have an objective called 'search intent'. If you want to design a landing page that resonates with your audience's needs, first you must get the user intent right. Typically, it falls into one of the following categories:

If users find what they're looking for on your landing page, you combine conversions and high rankings. Therefore, it's essential to do your own search. The top-ranking pages for the targeted keywords will be the ones meeting user intent.

Analyze them to understand what they're doing and what landing page elements they incorporate to satisfy visitors. So, answer the following questions:

• What does the page look like? How is it structured? What layout pattern do they use?

• Do they add descriptions and discounts to highlight specific products or services?

• Do they leverage imagery, interactivity, and social proof elements?

• What kind of language do they employ in the landing page and CTA copy?

Once you have the answers, you can design the perfect landing page to address user expectations. Of course, you'll need a robust landing page builder. Such a tool helps you create landing pages from scratch using built-in templates. You can customize every element on the page, from graphics to CTAs. Plus, you'll get access to core SEO features. Some of them include adding meta tags and alt text for images or previewing how your page renders across devices. These are key ranking factors for search engines.

Here's an example of an SEO-friendly landing page. When entering the keyword ‘non-alcoholic beverages’, we wanted to explore options to purchase such drinks.

Lyre's landing page includes images of their bestselling alcohol-free beverages, along with prices and star ratings. Also, there's a pop-up label leading to an opt-in form with a first-time discount. That way, they incentivize email signups and conversions while satisfying user intent.

3. Optimize On-Page Elements

Now you know how to satisfy users. But what about search engines? On-page SEO is about creating landing page content that search engines can read and understand. Using proper structure and placing target keywords strategically are key on-page SEO practices. But let's review them in detail.

Title Tag

This is your page's unique title. Since it's the first thing users will see, it should be concise, short, and compelling. Include your main keyword and, ideally, place it at the start of your title.

Meta Description

It’s a summary of your landing page content. Your meta description will convince users to click on a result, so make it relevant and interesting. Also, keep it below 160 characters and include your target keywords.

Headings

Headings divide your content into sections, facilitating page navigation for visitors and search engines. Besides adding your primary keyword to the H1, use H2, H3, and H4 headings to structure your content. Ensure you include secondary keywords in these headers, too.

URL

Your landing page's URL helps readers understand what your page is about. So, it must be relevant to the content, descriptive, and short (50-60 characters). Use hyphens to separate words but avoid special characters. Again, it's vital to add the primary keyword.

Alt Text

Alt text describes your images to people using screen readers in a brief yet accurate message. That way, users know what they include, even if they don't load properly. Also, give your images relevant and keyword-optimized titles to improve rankings.

Internal Linking

Internal links direct visitors to other pages on your website. For landing pages, consider reversing the process and linking to it from other pages. That way, you spread link equity across your site. Use appropriate anchor text, preferably the main keyword or a variation.

4. Improve the User Experience

Building a seamless user experience helps you climb up on SERPs, too. The first step is to optimize your landing pages for mobile. According to data by Statista, 63% of people used mobile devices for organic search engine visits during the last quarter of 2021. Plus, Google uses mobile-first indexing. Therefore, mobile-friendly pages are more likely to rank high. Prioritize mobile optimization by using the following tactics:

• Invest in responsive designs that render well across devices and screen sizes.

• Minimize the use of popups to avoid unnecessary distractions.

• Use a clear structure and information hierarchy so mobile users can detect key points.

• Compress image files and reduce image resolution.

The last tactic will increase your page speed, another important ranking factor that affects user experience. Visitors’ attention spans keep decreasing, which makes them abandon slow loading pages within seconds.

Start by minimizing your page's assets, including images and CSS files to reduce HTTP requests. The more components your page includes, the longer it will take to load. You must limit the use of external scripts, too, such as CTAs and pop-ups, since they can slow down your page. Consider using a website speed test tool to check how fast your pages load and get suggestions for improvement.

Lastly, make sure your landing page content is straightforward so users can quickly find what they're looking for. Use clear copy that reflects your landing page message. Also, direct visitors towards simple and actionable CTAs that help them understand what to do next.

Hylo Athletics built a landing page with organized structure and action-oriented copy and CTAs. Also, they have compelling product images without unnecessary elements for a seamless experience.

5. Build High-Quality Backlinks

As a rule of thumb, landing pages include limited information. This gives search engines minimum insight into their content. Which is where backlinks from reliable sources come in handy. But getting such links can be challenging, especially when you need to link to landing pages that typically involve an offer.

It's essential to create original landing page content that search engines find helpful. If you have the resources and time, conduct case studies and add them to your landing page. This type of valuable content helps you convince reputable domains to link to it.

Another great starting point is researching your competitors’ landing pages to discover the sites they get backlinks from. Perhaps there's a backlink opportunity for your landing page if you contact the same domain.

Even if you find trouble acquiring backlinks for your landing page, don't lose hope. You can always use links directing users to other important pages on your site like your blog posts. Write informative content regarding your offerings, industry tips, or other valuable insights and ask respected websites to share it, thus improving your overall ranking. But you can also link your blog posts to your landing page, which is an alternative way to drive traffic to it.

Increase Traffic with SEO Landing Pages

Landing pages that follow SEO practices allow businesses to increase website traffic. SEO-optimized landing pages attract new leads and boost conversions. So, conduct keyword research and design pages that align with search intent. However, don't overdo it with keywords or link-building.

User experience should always come first, so prospects and search engines are happy with your content. Continue monitoring your landing page performance and use the findings to identify potential bottlenecks. With the right strategies and constant testing, success in SEO landing page creation is only a matter of time.