Are you currently using landing pages on your business website? If not, you should probably consider how great landing pages can grow your business with new marketing leads. In this post, we discuss how a well-designed landing page can benefit your business and common landing page mistakes.
What Are Landing Pages?
Landing pages focus on one specific marketing message. Landing pages are standalone web pages that allow you to direct people to a single location so you can communicate a specific message with a call to action.
What is your promotion or special offer? Are you trying to build a mailing list, take a survey, or offer a free resource? Landing pages help accomplish a specific objective with a call to action.
Landing pages help accomplish a specific objective with a call to action.
Two Types of Landing Pages:
- Click-Through Landing Pages – These pages are meant to encourage visitors to “warm up” to your product and, as a result, click through the landing page via a “call to action” button;
Moz does a really good job with their landing page. They provide a clear call to action that leads users onto the following pages.
- Lead Generation Landing Pages – have the specific purpose to collect personal information about users – name, email, phone number, etc. – and use it for marketing purposes;
Lyft has excellent imagery and colors, but provides more than necessary. They have included additional navigation that could potentially distract from the primary goal, which is to collect user information.
It is recommended to not include additional information or links that navigate away from the landing page. This includes a clickable logo.
Benefits of Great Landing Pages
Great landing pages promote a specific marketing campaign and create marketing leads. Businesses can use landing pages to pitch specific, focused messages to users.
Targeted content means a more meaningful interaction or conversation with your site’s visitors, so identifying and developing a strategy for landing pages is important.
Landing pages allow businesses to measure traffic and evaluate the success of ads, promotions or offers.
4 Examples of Great Landing Pages
1. Stitch Fix
Stitch Fix is an example of a click-through landing page. It has interest, appeal and a sense of ease. The sizes offer a feeling of a custom experience while providing useful marketing information.
Once a size is selected users are guided through additional pages Stitch Fix uses to collect user information.
The image is great because the woman is stylish and unintimidating and she is looking towards the important user information.
2. Codecademy
Codecademy is an example of a lead generation landing page. The copy is clear and concise and the image is relevant.
The message over the form fields is encouraging by offering an estimated time for how long the process will take.
While this is a great landing page, I don’t know that I would recommend including the social media share buttons. They are some-what distracting and offer an exit, which I would advise against.
3. Trulia
Trulia is a well known, trusted company. This allows them to use minimal copy, which is great. The simplicity lends a hand to communicating a quick and easy process.
The call to action uses a great keyword – “Personalized.” This makes users feel important and valued.
The image is also communicating just how easy the process is with a picture of someone on their laptop, sitting on their couch.
4. Uber
Uber is another popular company able to do more with less.
This landing page is directed towards user interested in being potential Uber drivers.
The form is simple and includes an agreement statement at the bottom with necessary information.
8 Tips for Creating Great Landing Pages
Great landing pages have a number of key components. I believe rules are meant to be broken, so don’t feel bound by these tips.
Be intentional with your landing page design. You don’t have to sacrifice design for function, but remember, landing pages are created to serve a purpose.
- Minimal copy – keep your message short and concise;
- Bulleted lists – lists break down information for users;
- Eye-catching call to action (CTA) – use colors that standout and make buttons big and easy to find;
- Use good key words in CTA – free, claim, now, start, your, limited, etc;
- Testimonials – these are a nice touch and promote trust;
- No points of exit – don’t distract users or give them a way out;
- Use relevant imagery – use images to your advantage, they should be relevant to your message;
- Limit form fields – only ask for information that is absolutely necessary;
6 Common Landing Page Mistakes
1. An unclear or unremarkable call to action
Use strong action-oriented words that encourage users to take an action. Grab user’s attention with color, font and size. Use buttons for your call to action and make them stand out in high contrast to the rest of the page.
2. A form with too many fields
Only include form fields asking for necessary user information. Users are lazy, so don’t make them do more work than needed. According to this great report by Straight North, an SEO services company, user-friendly forms are one of the 10 ways to make your lead generation website convert on the first visit.
3. Using images that distract from the message
Images can add interest and clarity to a message, but choose wisely and choose relevant images.
4. The footer contains links to other pages
Don’t provide an exit from the landing page.
5. A confusing message
While you try to limit copy, make sure the message is clear. Users, most likely, won’t sign up for things they don’t understand.
6. The phone number isn’t “call-ready”
Mobile is rapidly becoming the popular way to surf the web. When websites make it easy for users to click on a “call-ready” phone number, it promotes positive user experience.
More on Creating Great Landing Pages
For more information on how to create great landing pages, download our free ebook. Get familiar with the purpose of using landing pages, how to define your objectives and get practical tips for planning and creating your own successful landing page.
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Saylor writes blog posts and designs/develops various projects for iThemes. Saylor loves gardening and is currently at war with all squirrels (if anyone has tips on how to get rid of squirrels, she’s all ears). If she’s not traveling or hanging out in OKC, there’s a good chance she’s in southwest Oklahoma doing manual labor, including roofing, or as her father likes to call it – “building character.”
