Your business may have a website, but do you have at least one landing page that converts?
In today’s world, having a landing page or two is necessary to convert your web traffic into warm leads. After all, any business needs conversions; otherwise, it won’t have the funds to thrive, much less stay afloat, agree?
Of course, having a landing page that converts audiences into possible paying customers isn’t easy. In fact, it takes more than just making one and uploading it, hoping for the best.
But that’s what this article is for. Keep reading as we share valuable tips and tricks to help you create & build not just pretty-looking landing pages but also ones that get you sales and help you with business success.
Build and test a landing page in a WordPress Sandbox >>
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a standalone page that we can say is tailored to a customer’s interests. They ended up on your page because they’re interested in its content, right? That’s why they clicked on the link leading to it, whether it came from an email, a Facebook post, or a Google ad.
And yes, you could say that a landing page is technically a website. And it does have a URL/web address.
But here’s one big difference: Websites typically call for visitors to do many things. They can browse galleries, read blogs, watch videos, etc. In short, websites call for exploration.
Landing pages, on the other, only call for the person to do one thing. It can be any of the following calls-to-action or CTA:
- Sign up
- Enter their email address to get a free digital download
- Register for a webinar or event
- Try out a product for free
Here’s an example from Uber:
The landing page just calls for you to sign up or log in as a driver. Not much choices, right?
Here’s another example: Alex Hormozi’s Acquisition.com:
If you want to join the virtual event launch, just enter your email and phone number. Again, no choices.
But that’s the magic of landing pages. This simplicity makes it easier for people to know what to do; after all, people don’t want to have too many choices. So they’ll either opt-in (which they usually will since they’ve already clicked on your ad or link) or won’t.
That’s why landing pages are one of the best options for increasing your conversion rates of marketing campaigns—you have little to no distractions or potential points of exit. You’ll easily guide your visitors to a path of minor to no resistance. Their likelihood of doing the desired action increases as a result!
What Makes Your Landing Pages Important?
Not convinced that you need a landing page? Well, Hubspot already has 11 reasons why your business might need it and why it’s an indispensable tool to increase your conversion rates. But if you need more convincing why it’s an essential component of digital marketing strategies, here are some more reasons:
You give a focused and simplified user experience.
As mentioned above, unlike websites that serve multiple purposes, landing pages will compel your visitors only to do one thing. Concentrating on that one CTA will provide a straightforward user experience and make for a higher conversion rate, especially since you’ve made it less complicated for them.
You have targeted messaging.
Landing pages allow for highly targeted messaging. Unlike websites that can appeal to different kinds of people, you can design your landing page to appeal only to a certain niche. That way, you’ll only get people who are really interested in what you’re offering on that page—and again, that means a higher likelihood of conversion.
Landing pages are great for lead generation.
If you need new leads, landing pages are the way to go. Create a lead magnet like an eBook, sales video, or new course, then direct audiences to your landing page. For customers to get access to that freebie, they’ll have to enter their email address.
Here’s an example from The Bailiwick Academy, which offers a free brownies class in exchange for a signup and an email address:
Once you get customers’ email addresses, you can easily contact them for future offers or ask them for more information.
You’ll get measurable results.
Speaking of continual performance-based testing, landing pages provide data that is both clear and trackable. That’s how you’ll know which landing page version works. You can measure click-through rates, conversion rates, how long visitors stay, and more.
The data you get here will help you understand how to improve your marketing campaigns, especially since you’ll be making data-driven decisions.
You get SEO benefits.
It’s not only websites that can give you the benefit of ranking in search engine results. Landing pages can also rank in search engine results, especially if you optimize them with targeted keywords.
In other words, you don’t necessarily have to rely on paid ads or social media alone. You’ll be able to get organic traffic from people who use Google or other search engines to search for what you’re offering.
6 Expert Tips for Creating Landing Pages that Convert
As mentioned earlier, creating landing pages is not exactly straightforward. A landing page should definitely be something visually appealing, but it can’t stop there. You must also design it with conversion rate optimization or CRO principles in mind.
In no particular order, here are six expert tips to help you design your landing page or pages and achieve high conversion rates.
Tip 1: Have a compelling headline.
The headline is the first thing visitors will see when they land on your page. That means it has to be engaging and appealing to whoever you’re talking to on your landing page. Make it concise and immediately convey the value of your offer.
Tip 2: Create a powerful CTA.
To increase your conversion rate, your landing page should have one compelling CTA. Make sure it’s easy to spot whether you use it on multiple areas on your page or it’s at the bottom. Ensure also that it’s actionable and that it speaks to the result your audience is looking for (i.e. Get Thinner Now; 2X Your Money Here).
Tip 3: Use high-quality images.
The images you use can be a powerful tool for increasing the interest and engagement of your audience—if they’re visually appealing. Make sure not to use any images that are blurred, dark, and less than high-quality. And, of course, they should be related to what you’re selling or pitching on your landing page.
Tip 4: Include social proof.
Social proof can help build credibility and make your audience trust you more. It can be photos or videos of customer testimonials and feedback.
Here’s an example from Andy Frisella’s 75 Hard Program:
If you saw these, you’d be compelled to want to try the program as well, right? Especially if it so happened you knew the people in the testimonials section.
Social proof can also be case studies where you worked with a client and got positive results, or even logos of companies you’ve worked with. In short, it’s in your best interest not to look like a scammer or snake oil salesman by showing you’ve worked with actual people.
Tip 5: Make sure the landing page is responsive.
55% of Internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. That means your landing page should be optimized for laptops, computers, tablets, and phones. Ensure all the elements look good and work well on any screen size to ensure conversion.
Tip 6: Ensure fast loading times.
If visitors wait more than a few seconds for your landing page to load fully, they will likely leave, especially if they’re impatient. That will potentially cost you a conversion or sale. It will also alert Google that your page has a high bounce rate, which lowers the possibility of your page ranking on search engines.
Make sure everything is optimized on your page before you launch it.
Testing your Landing Pages
When you’ve created your landing page, what’s the next step? Well, you’ll have to test it!
What exactly is testing? Testing refers to two things. First is testing different versions of your landing page to see which performs best, which we can also call A/B testing.
Just because you’ve come up with one landing page design doesn’t mean it’s the one that will work for you best. Maybe you need to change the images, make the CTA bigger, or change some text portions.
In other words, compare two landing page versions to see which is more effective. Try changing only one element at a time and run the test before ultimately deciding which version is the best for your goals.
It also doesn’t mean you stop testing—you can keep doing it, especially if your offer is evergreen or will run for a long time.
The other meaning of testing is seeing if the plugin you used to create landing pages works on your WordPress website.
Why it matters?
The conversion rate is essential for the first part, so you must test your landing page’s different sections. And for the second, well, you have to remember that some plugins may not work well with the theme of your website or with other plugins you have installed. And if that happens, you may encounter website errors or security problems—none of which are desirable, right?
How to do it?
The first part is easy because all you have to do is check the data you get and adjust accordingly. The second? It’s actually easy as well!
If you’re looking for a way to test your landing page plugin without messing up your site, you need InstaWP.
It’s an online tool that helps you create WordPress test sites or sandboxes in seconds. These sandboxes are regular WordPress sites where you can install any plugin or theme or add content.
You need to go to your WordPress site, go to Plugins, then search for InstaWP Connect:
This free plugin will let you create a copy of your site where you can do all the testing you want without compromising your original site. When you install and activate it, go back to Plugins. Press Create Site.
You will be taken to this menu:
Using this plugin will require you to create an account in InstaWP. Don’t worry—it’s free! Just sign up for an InstaWP account, then go back to WordPress and click the Connect button.
You’ll be taken to your InstaWP Dashboard with this notice:
Press Approve, and you will be taken here:
If you want a clean site with absolutely no plugins whatsoever, you can choose the Quick Staging Option. But if you want a copy of your live site, select Full Staging. At the Next Step…
You’ll be given the option again to have plugins and/or themes installed, or to skip them entirely. Click the next step button to reach this screen:
Press Create Staging so that InstaWP can start building your test site. The time for the process will depend on what you have installed—the more you have, the longer the process.
When the site creation is done, congratulations! You now have a copy of your live site. And now, you can install any plugins or themes to begin bulk or effective landing page creation.
Once you are done, if you’re happy and you want to take your changes live, just go to the InstaWP Dashboard and look for your site:
Press the three dots on the right, and look for Migrate to take it live. It’s that simple!
Conclusion
Landing pages are important for a variety of reasons, including giving your clients more value, generating more leads, and making warm leads into sales. While there are many steps you need to take to get an effective landing page, ultimately, as long as you understand what your audience needs and give them a good user experience, your landing page WILL convert and your business will grow.
And of course, don’t forget to save time and money using bulk page creation plugins or great themes/editors to create plenty of dynamic landing pages in minutes. Make sure to use InstaWP to test everything before going live 🙂
