Best Practices for Landing Pages in 2020
Written By: ShaneWebGuy on July 10, 2020
Landing pages are the lifeblood of digital marketing. In addition to offering essential information about a product or service, they engage potential buyers in dialogue and provide the necessary sources of motivation to land a sale. Ideally, landing pages should also be filled with well-designed CTAs that powerfully resonate with customers.
Below are some of the best practices for landing pages this year that you can use for digital marketing, your ecommerce website, and even your social media marketing efforts.
Create a powerful CTA
The CTA or call-to-action is the most important message on a landing page. Don’t hesitate to use more direct wording when writing your CTA. It should be the most prominent element on the page, so your text’s typography and color should follow suit.
The text should be prominent and clear, with a sense of urgency. The color of the button that takes your customer to the next step should contrast with the background. The button should ‘pop out’ visually as a constant reminder to click.
Some other reminders for CTAs:
-The shorter the CTA, the better. Two to four words are plenty.
-Orient, the reader, to take action. Use highly actionable verbiage like “Get” or “Discover.”
-Be subtly persuasive, but don’t hold back on the urgency of the message.
-Maintain the consistency between the language of your branding and the current CTA
-Use direct (not meandering) language, so the customer will know exactly what is coming next after clicking the CTA button.
Use evocative and engaging imagery
By “imagery,” we mean all the visual elements on the page, including photographs. Engaging visuals can help keep your customers interested in the page. That little bit of curiosity can grow into a fiery interest in a few seconds. A blank page with some plain text would never have an equivalent effect on your audience.
A good example of this is Wix.com’s full-page mountain visual that stretches on and on. The image is enchanting, and all the other visual elements fall into place. The visuals aren’t just there to prettify the page – they’re there to support the CTA structure.
The direction of the digital illustration emphasizes the call-to-action button. There’s also the symbolic meaning of the illustration, which we should not discount. These elements resonate with the main message, which is to “Start Now.”
Keep the landing page compact
A lot has changed in the way people surf the web. Maybe ten or fifteen years ago, people did not mind scrolling for minutes to find what they needed. People even tolerated downloading TXT files when they needed game guides. The year 2020 and beyond no longer recognizes these old web reading habits.
To truly please a reader who might be interested in obtaining your services or buying from your business, keep all of the essential information ‘above the fold.’ ‘Above the fold’ is the space that people see when they first see the website. It’s the top fold of the website, where all the menu items are, too. In the case of a landing page, the following items have to be ‘above the fold:’
-Your business’ logo
-The CTA
-The main visual element
-The headline
All of the essentials should be readily visible with just one view. Less essential buttons and information can be placed below. Keeping the customer on the landing page is important, so you should minimize any unnecessary jumps. The purpose of the rest of the page is to ensure that there is more convincing material if the reader requires more information before making a decision.
Write copy that sticks
Writing copy is probably the most challenging aspect of creating an effective landing page. Sure, the visuals do help. However, it’s the text that carries the message to the finish line.
Businesses like Vimeo have a deep and almost intimate understanding of their niche, so their promotional copies are topnotch. They underscore the need for collaboration, engagement, and business growth. In short, they are attracting content creators and potential customers who can make full use of their system geared toward helping businesses grow with Vimeo Business.
Knowing exactly what your customers want and tying this with what you are trying to offer is key to good copy. You have to close the gap between your offering and your customer’s pressing needs.
Declutter your landing page
There are many more opportunities to show off other parts of your website. Your landing page should be as clutter-free as possible, even when it comes to page navigation. Remove all links that do not have anything to do with the landing page offer.
Keep the page clean or keep those links well away from the top of the fold. Remember: you only have two to three seconds to impress the customer and keep him on the page.
This means you have to maintain his focus on the CTA and everything else surrounding the CTA, which, hopefully, does not include any distracting or unnecessary elements.
Always optimize for mobile
Google has implemented a mobile-first policy for years now. This shows just how important the mobile version of your website (including your landing pages) is. There is no work-around for a landing page that doesn’t load properly on a smartphone.
Considering how many people are using their phones more than their laptops or PCs, your campaign would be much safer with a completely functional mobile version of your landing page. The mobile version of any page on your website should have the same excellent structure as the desktop version.
Last but not least: include a Privacy Policy
Sure, not everyone reads Privacy Policies in full. But it still is a reassurance that you are not going to sell private information to third-party entities. Ensure that the website’s privacy policy is visible and accessible at any time during a reader’s stay on the landing page
Summary:
Landing pages should be clear, concise, and visually engaging to make an impact on potential customers. Important elements should be kept “above the fold,” and unnecessary clutter on the page should be removed ASAP. If you want to continue the conversation or if you have questions about landing pages or digital marketing, don’t hesitate to contact me.
