Landing pages are a critical component of an online marketing campaign. An inadequate landing page can cost you a lot of potential conversions and sales while you figure things out, so it’s important to create the best possible landing page the first time around. Jacob Baadsgaard, founder and CEO of Disruptive Advertising, recommends asking these questions in order to build a better landing page:
Do I have a headline that clearly defines my business or offer?
Your headline is the first place people look for confirmation that your page matches their expectations. This is the ideal place to confirm what your business does and what your offer is. Remember, your main goal here is to maintain momentum and build confidence, so keep your headlines clear, concise and focused on the messaging that convinced someone to click on your ad in the first place.
Am I communicating value with my headline and subheads?
If you want people to stay and convert, you need to give them a reason to stick around and consider your offer. Focus your headline and subheads on how your business or offer will improve the lives of your potential customers. Instead of saying something generic like “industry-leading software,” it’s better to say something more along the lines of “Close twice as many deals with our sales software.”
Is the call to action immediately obvious?
The whole point of a landing page is to help transition potential customers from interest to action. For this reason, landing pages tend to work better if you make the next step immediately obvious. In some cases, you might want an above-the-fold CTA encouraging people to convert directly. In others, you may want an above-the-fold CTA that leads people to read more content farther down on your page.
Additionally, it’s almost always a good idea to make your CTA stand out (contrasting colors, smart placement and so on). The easier you make it to find and follow the next step in your conversion path, the more likely people are to do what you want them to do.
Are there any unnecessary links?
Unlike your home page, you know exactly why people are on your landing page and how they got there. As a result, you can give them the content they need, and you really shouldn’t have any reason to send them to another page. Unnecessary links to a site or social media profile pages simply distract people from what you want them to do on your landing page: Convert!
Does the copy focus on things that matter to our customers?
Your potential customers don’t care how awesome you think you are. They care about what you can do for them. Instead
of focusing on why your company is great, it’s best to focus on how your product or service will help them.
Are the testimonials compelling and relevant?
The right testimonials are incredibly compelling. The wrong testimonials undermine the credibility of your business. A great testimonial should be specific to you and
your business (or offer, ideally) and should come from a reliable, verifiable source.
Are all the form fields necessary?
Your CTA represents a degree of risk for your potential customers. The less you ask for, the lower that perceived
risk will be. If you don’t need a piece of information at this particular stage of your funnel, don’t ask for it.
Will the page make customers feel like it is for them?
If you can convince people what you’re selling is a match for who they are and what they need, it will be hard for them not
to convert. This can be challenging on your home page, where you don’t really know who is visiting or what their motivations are. Only people who match your targeting and are interested enough in your marketing message to click will see your landing page, so you should be able to create an experience that is personalized to them.
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