8 Essential Features Every Landing Page Needs

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page refers to a web page that has a specific purpose. Most of the time, landing pages are there to gain new leads or customers from your site visitors. Although there are various landing pages, the objective is usually the same. Landing pages will typically have lead forms that request contact information from visitors in return for something valuable, otherwise known as an offer. Consider what a business can offer to encourage people to give up their contact information online. A good landing page puts this across with a solid format and excellent copy that lets visitors know it’s worth it.

Why Are Landing Pages Needed?

What is the reason behind creating a specific page just for visitors to fill out a form when you could use the about page or even your website homepage?

The primary purpose of using a landing page for this is that it eliminates any distractions by removing the navigation from the website, eliminating any competing links, and doing away with alternative options, allowing you to get the full and undivided attention of your visitor. When you have the visitors’ full attention, you can guide them to where you would like them to go, which is usually your lead form. Simply put, a landing page is a page that has been specifically designed to create conversions.

How to Create a Landing Page

Most landing pages follow a very similar structure that has been proven effective over time. There will be many opportunities to get creative with your landing page through images and branded elements such as colours. However, the best way to ensure that your design is effective is to stick with a format that people are used to. A good landing page should have five basic elements, which include:

1. An attention-grabbing headline
2. An interesting image that is relevant to your audience
3. A lead form sitting above the fold to capture the attention of visitors
4. A compelling, action-oriented, and stand-out CTA
5. Copywriting that provides further information and value, encouraging the visitor to complete the form

While you might have spent much time on it, most people aren’t going to be reading all of your landing page copy – instead, most visitors will skim through and pull out anything more important to them. Because of this, it’s a good idea to check that the visitor can get the main message from it in less than five seconds. Write in short paragraphs, use bullet points, and engage white space to keep the visitor focused and ensure that the message is easy to read and digest.

When choosing colours for your landing page, these should always reflect the colours on your website. Make sure that you are consistent when branding and use colours in such a way that makes it evident that the landing page is from your brand. A landing page is often the first step in forming a long-term relationship with your site visitors, and it is a good chance to help them become more familiar with your brand colours and other unique stylisation.

Best Practices for Creating Landing Page

Now that you know the purpose of a landing page and how to create one, let’s look at some of the best practices you should implement when creating a landing page for your business. Some of the main best practices that will allow you to make an impact with your landing page include:

Focus on the Benefits With Your Headline

For every ten people visiting your landing page, you can expect around seven to bounce off. To keep the bounce rate low for your landing page, visitors must know and understand what they can gain from staying on the page within seconds of arriving on it. Since the headline is the first thing most visitors will read, you should use it to ensure that it clearly, and concisely communicates the value of your landing page and whatever you offer.

Use Compelling Copywriting

After spending much time putting together the perfect design and headline for your landing page, paying attention to the words that will be selling your call to action is essential. Any copy on your landing page should be clear, concise, and able to guide your visitor towards making the action you want them to. Make visitors feel more engaged by addressing them directly in your landing page copy.

Choose Attention-Grabbing Images

It’s often mandatory to include an image on your landing page, as it is a sure way to grab the attention of your visitors. To do this successfully, it’s a good idea to choose an image that is a good representation of your target audience. When using images on your landing page, their main aim is to convey feelings and illustrate how your visitor will feel when they take advantage of your offer. Some images might work better than others; this is where A/B testing can be a helpful strategy.

Add a Clear Call to Action

The call to action is arguably the most important regarding the different elements on your landing page. The CTA is one of the many elements that encourage conversion, which is why it must stand out on your landing page. Good design can come into play here – for example, you might want to use a colour that is in stark contrast to the other colours and elements on the page to make your CTA pop. Make sure that your call to action is obvious on what you want visitors to do.

Only Ask For What’s Needed

One of the primary purposes of a good landing page is to gather as much information on your new lead. However, there are several factors to remember when determining how much you should ask for. For example, where the customer is in the buyer journey, how acquainted they are with your brand already, and how much trust you have built with them are all elements to consider when determining how much information to request. Ideally, ask for only what you need; nothing extra will create a low barrier to entry and allow you to start nurturing a new lead.

Give a Relevant Offer Away

The landing page can be considered an essential part of the lead’s journey to getting your ultimate offer, which is your product or service. The offer on the landing page is what you are prepared to give away in return for your lead’s contact information. It should be relevant to your brand and compelling enough for your visitor to provide further information about themselves.

Remove the Navigation

The one objective of your landing page is to gain more leads. Any alternative links, along with navigation links to other pages on your website, should be removed from the landing page, as otherwise, they could provide a distraction to your main goal. Removing all navigation on the landing page ensures that all your visitors’ attention is on your call to action.

Make Sure It’s Responsive

Like all the other website pages, your landing page needs to be responsive. People will likely be viewing it on various devices, so it is crucial to ensure that you can accommodate all viewing experiences.

How to Create a Landing Page Without a Website

While it is always recommended that your business has a website, there might be times when you need to create a landing page for a business that does not yet have one to gather customer information and start building relationships. The good news is that many of the best DIY website and webpage building tools available today allow you to easily create a single landing page, even if you don’t have a main website for your business just yet.

Landing pages are there to convert visitors to leads and customers. They can be a very powerful way to gather further information about your customers and gain brand awareness.

Features That a Landing Page Might Have But Doesn’t Necessarily Need to

Landing pages are a pivotal part of digital marketing, designed to drive website traffic and generate leads. While there are essential building blocks that contribute to high converting landing pages, not all landing pages need to have the same features to be effective. Here’s a look at some of the features that can enhance a landing page but are not strictly necessary for every situation.

Landing Page Layout and Design Elements

Landing Page Images and Hero Images

Images can draw attention and make a landing page visually appealing. While hero images are often considered an important element, not every landing page requires them. Sometimes, stock photos or other types of landing page images can serve the purpose just as well.

White Space

White space is often used in landing page design to break up sections and make the web page easier to read. However, the use of white space is a stylistic choice and can vary depending on the target audience and product or service being offered.

Content Elements

Main Headline and Supporting Headline

A compelling headline is usually considered an essential element of an effective landing page. However, not all landing pages require both a main headline and a supporting headline. Sometimes, a primary headline is sufficient to convince visitors.

Detailed Description and Bullet Points

While a detailed description can provide all the main points about your product or service, bullet points can make the information easier to digest. However, depending on your unique selling proposition, you may not need to include both.

Unique Value Proposition and Closing Argument

Your unique value proposition is what sets you apart from competitors, and a closing argument can help seal the deal. However, if your call to action (CTA) is strong enough, you might not need to include a separate closing argument.

Trust-Building Features

Social Proof and Customer Testimonials

Social proof, such as customer testimonials, can help convince users to take the desired action. However, these are not mandatory for all landing pages, especially if you’re just starting out and don’t have testimonials yet.

Pain Point and Benefits Describe

Addressing a pain point can make your landing page more relatable, while listing benefits can describe the value of your product. However, if your unique value proposition is strong enough, you may not need to elaborate on all the rest.

Functional Elements

Lead Gen Form and Lead Capture

A lead gen form is often used for lead capture, but not all landing pages aim to capture leads. Some might be click-through pages that serve as a direct extension to other pages on your website.

Call to Action Button and CTA

A call to action button is usually considered a building block of landing pages. However, some landing pages may have the CTA in the form of text links or even on the same page but in different sections.

Mobile Devices and External Links

With the rise of mobile devices influencing online buying decisions, having a mobile-responsive design can be beneficial. However, it’s not a strict requirement. Similarly, external links can either help or distract visitors, affecting conversion rates. Therefore, they should be used judiciously.

Additional Considerations

Competing Links and Other Pages

Competing links can distract visitors from the main goal of the landing page, which is to convince visitors to take a desired action. Make sure any links to other pages are truly necessary and won’t distract from the primary goal.

Features Describe and Benefits Describe

While features describe the functionalities of your product or service, benefits describe how those features solve problems or add value for the customer. Both are important, but depending on your landing page’s purpose, you might focus more on one than the other.

Final Thoughts

Landing pages are more of an art than a science. While there are essential elements that can contribute to generating leads and convincing visitors, the features you choose to include should align with your digital marketing goals and target audience. Whether it’s a standalone page, click-through, or any other feature, what works best will depend on the specific needs and context of your landing page.