High-Converting Landing Page: Key Elements and Best Practices

Why do visitors come to a website? They're curious. But winning their attention is just half the deal. What businesses really need is for curiosity to turn into action. That's the core of digital marketing success. High-converting landing pages do just this: they transform casual browsers into paying customers. But crafting a good landing page can get pretty tricky.

Google it, and you'll find advice everywhere. "Keep it simple," they say, and "pack in the info." But then, "speed it up" and "make it stunning." What really works? The answer isn't straightforward. Does a perfect landing page even exist? Perhaps the magic lies in the blend—a clear value proposition here, a persuasive call to action (CTA) there.

But what sets killer landing pages apart from the mediocre? Small design tweaks or layout changes can significantly impact your landing page conversion rate (CR). It's often about understanding and addressing common pain points in innovative ways. And yes, seeing the best landing page examples can illuminate the path to creating your own landing pages that convert.

Ready to dive into what makes high-converting landing pages tick and how to replicate this triumph? Let’s explore how to design the best landing pages that not only look great but perform phenomenally.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page is much more than just another page on a website; it's a dedicated page where an online business explains why people should choose it for a specific task. It's a targeted, strategic tool designed to convert visitors into leads or customers.

What makes a landing page stand out from the rest of the website content? Its singular focus is on conversion. Unlike general web pages, which may serve various purposes, a landing page is crafted to guide users toward one specific action:

• sign up;
• fill out a form;
• subscribe to an email newsletter;
• schedule a call or meeting;
• make a purchase;
• leave a request, etc.

That’s what makes these pages different from the home page or any other on your website. For example, a homepage may cater to a broader audience with diverse interests. A landing page, in contrast, zeroes in on one primary CTA. It has a narrower target market and guides visitors toward a specific purchase opportunity.

What Types of Landing Pages Exist?

There are several types of landing pages, each tailored to different stages of the marketing funnel and objectives:

• Splash page: Often the first page a visitor encounters, splash pages serve as an introductory screen to quickly convey a brand's essential message, capture demographic information, or notify you about deals, discounts, new product launches, and anything else you can think of. While collecting leads isn't their main purpose, their high-converting potential lies in setting the stage for further communication.
• Squeeze page: As the name suggests, this page aims to 'squeeze' contact information from site visitors. Typically, it offers something valuable and free in exchange for it. It can be an eBook, a webinar registration, or a coupon. These pages are crucial for building a database of potential customers and launching email marketing campaigns.
• Sales landing page: These pages are designed to sell a product or service. Thus, they need to be persuasive, with compelling copy, attractive visuals, and social proof such as customer testimonials. The success of a sales landing page is measured by its conversion rate, that is, how effectively it turns visitors into buyers.
• Lead capture page: Similar to squeeze pages but often more detailed, lead capture pages are used to gather more comprehensive information about the visitor. These pages might include fields for job titles or company names, helping businesses tailor subsequent marketing efforts more accurately.

Each type of landing page plays a distinct role but shares the common goal: They should drive as many conversions as possible. For this purpose, they should be free from any distractions and focus the visitor's attention on a clear call to action. That's why you shouldn't just take care of its aesthetic appeal or the traffic volume. Instead, zero in on the landing page conversion rate. In cases where conversion rates are faltering, a potential remedy could involve carrying out a conversion optimization audit, followed by the necessary adjustments.

Key Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages

A great landing page can contain various elements, such as:

• persuasive copy;
• a clear call to action;
• engaging hero images;
• maybe even video testimonials (according to 38.6% of marketers, video has the most influence on conversions on landing pages).

All these elements serve a purpose, targeting not just any audience but your target audience. Let's explore vital landing page elements in more detail.

Hero Section

The hero section (usually consisting of a hero image, heading, and primary CTA) is the first thing visitors see. It's your opportunity to establish a solid impression. That's where you need to communicate the core message of your offering and answer the question of what you give the client that your competitor doesn't provide. So, include visually appealing images with a punchy headline.

Headline and Subheadings

What about the words you use? A compelling landing page headline should promise a solution to a real problem that resonates with your audience. A classic example is the Hubspot. The screenshot provided shows that the company successfully implements this approach ("Grow your business with the help of a HubSpot partner").

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Plus, break up the content into bite-sized chunks, create sections, and give them subheadings to direct prospects toward the action you want them to take.

Value Proposition

This is a brief description of what differentiates your offer from others in the market. You need to articulate why visitors should choose you over competitors in just a few words.

Visual Elements

While excellent embellishments, visuals and videos also give a sneak peek into your product. They reinforce the message, guide the visitor's journey, or explain complex features simply. Videos can retain people on the page longer, increase engagement, and demonstrate your product from all angles.

As Canva is a graphic design platform, it serves abundant graphical content on its landing page. For longer landing pages like on Canva, adding engaging videos, templates, and images and grouping them in corresponding sections was a smart move.

Social Proof

Finally, how do you prove your claims? Social proof, such as reviews, testimonials, or comments, builds trust and credibility. You can also include logos of well-known companies you've worked with. Why is social proof effective? It leverages the bandwagon effect, where people are influenced by others' actions, believing that if it worked for them, it would work for them, too.

While both negative and positive feedback are critical for converting visitors, a landing page should highlight positive experiences. As you can see in the screenshot below, The Copywriter Club’s landing page example does just that.

How to Design Landing Pages (+ Conversion Tips)

Now that you understand the purpose of a landing page and have ideas about what to incorporate, let's review landing page best practices to ensure all the elements work together.

Design Principles for Higher Conversions

The first rule for creating landing pages that convert is sticking to a mobile-first approach. Most likely, the majority of online traffic to your website will come from mobile devices, so optimize landing pages for smaller screens, namely:

• design with a responsive layout;
• feature large, tappable buttons;
• ensure text is easily readable without zooming.

Besides boosting landing page conversion rates, this strategy positively affects your SEO and user experience. How? Significantly, as search engines favor mobile-friendly sites, this strategy makes your website more visible in search results.

Next, simplify forms on the page:

• minimize the number of fields;
• use clear and concise labels;
• only ask for essential information.

Consider progressive profiling and collect more details organically and incrementally as the user engages more with your site. As far as CTAs are concerned, you can reach their maximum impact by placing them both above and below the fold to catch users at different stages of their landing page journey. Employ vibrant colors, action-oriented text, and proper size to make them more conspicuous, among other elements.

As for navigation, here are some nice-to-haves:

• clearly marked menus;
• a search feature;
• a simple path back to the homepage.

Psychological Triggers and Copywriting Tips

Play with human psychology and leverage certain triggers to inspire action. This includes emphasizing your product or service's benefits, not just the features.

Address the underlying emotions or problems that potential customers might be experiencing. For example, if your product is a time management tool, highlight how it can alleviate stress rather than just listing features like calendar integration or task reminders.

Tap into urgency and scarcity. That's where you can employ tools like limited-time offers or low stock levels. Phrases like “Limited offer” or “Only a few spots left” can nudge the user towards making a decision now rather than later. Take a look at how Foundr incorporates urgency in its main CTA button, “Save 75% & Start Now”.

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Lastly, use clear, actionable language in your landing page copy, such as 'Get your free trial now!' or 'Join 500 others and upgrade today!' instead of a generic 'click here.'

Testing and Conversion Rate Optimization

Only with continual testing can good landing pages become high-converting landing pages. This way, you tweak the entire landing page, from the headline to the bottom-screen CTA, to find the most persuasive landing page design and ensure an impressive conversion rate.

That's where A/B tests can help. They allow you to compare different versions of the same landing page but with minor differences: CTA placement, button color, image, and so on. Beyond basic testing, advanced CRO techniques involve the following:

• analyzing heat maps for user activity;
• conducting user session recordings;
• employing predictive analytics to anticipate customer behaviors.

These insights provide a deeper understanding of user interactions, allowing you to fine-tune even the smallest details to craft the highest-converting landing pages.

Advanced Tools and Technologies

When building and optimizing effective landing pages, don't forget to utilize specialized software for deeper insights and greater efficiency. For instance, Unbounce and Leadpages offer robust, well-converting landing page examples and templates.

As landing page builders, these tools are user-friendly and come with drag-and-drop functionalities for the landing page's design process. These tools also integrate with analytics, offering built-in testing and tracking features to measure performance in real-time and adjust tactics as needed.

Bridgeline Unbound can help you create a high-converting landing page with the following capabilities:

• advanced personalization based on user behavior, demographics, and previous interactions;
• robust eCommerce integration, keeping product information, pricing, and promotions up-to-date and aligned with your inventory and backend systems;
• dynamic content and merchandising to automatically adjust content and product recommendations;
• powerful analytics and optimization tools;
• seamless marketing automation integration;
• SEO- and mobile-optimization.

Another great example is Instapage. It's equipped with artificial intelligence to help you write the most resonating messages, encouraging visitors to proceed. It's built with mobile-friendliness in mind and provides 500+ customizable layouts.

At last, you may have heard about Wix in web development. However, this platform also serves as a useful solution for designing successful landing pages requiring minimal technical skills.

Final Thoughts

Whether you leverage digital ads or place a CTA button encouraging people to proceed to your content, they need to land on a properly designed page (a landing page). It acts as the gateway, greeting customers and outlining the reasons why they should opt for your offerings. Consider it as the moment when consideration transforms into action.

Thus, a high-converting landing page should have no distractions. How can you ensure the landing page's success? All components matter, but you need to strike a balance. Blend helpful messages, engaging design, and strategic layout to resonate with your audience. The goal is to ensure the completion of the desired action.

In short, don't be afraid of experimenting. If your average conversion rate leaves much to be desired, partner with a professional digital marketer or agency, try out new approaches, and let your own pages shine!