When it comes to inbound marketing, landing pages are critical to success. Landing pages are web pages that provide an offer to the website visitor in exchange for information about the visitor. This offer can be an e-book, whitepaper, webinar, video or other type of content. Visitors complete a form to provide requested information, usually including name, email and the answer to one or more questions that helps qualify them as a good prospect for a company’s products or services. These pages are extremely important because they are an integral part of lead generation. If you do not attain qualifying information, you will be unable to contact the visitor or provide information to convert them into a marketing qualified lead. Effective landing pages can improve conversion rates throughout the inbound marketing process. Here are some effective best practices for creating lead-converting landing pages.
Be concise: Today’s website visitors look for instant gratification. If they feel your content offer is valuable, they’ll be willing to give you their information. However, if they have to spend too much time reading or filling out a long form before they can get the download, they will leave the landing page and you won’t get your contact. Placing too much text on a landing page can result in a low conversion rate. Make sure your landing page text is to-the-point. Clearly and concisely state what you’re offering in headers and sub-headers and use bullet points for less important details. Get your point across in the most efficient way possible.
Don’t overpower the page with colors and images: This goes back to the idea of instant gratification. If the landing page is cluttered with multiple images, overpowering colors and too much text, it is very unlikely a visitor will submit their information. Make your offer and the submission form the focal point of the landing page. This will improve conversion rates. The user shouldn’t have to scroll to see the most important information on the page. Visitors do not like to guess what they have to do next; having a basic submission section with clear direction is important.
Be sure to include your logo: You want visitors to remember that it is your company providing this helpful content. Having your logo strategically placed on the landing page without overpowering the content message is helpful for brand promotion.
Be social: Including social media icons for content sharing will help spread your message and improve exposure. Don’t make social media icons the focal point, though. We suggest adding these to the bottom of your landing page. If your content is helpful and intriguing, visitors are likely to share on social media.
Only ask for info that is necessary: It is very easy to fall into the trap of asking for too much information at once. The more a visitor has to fill out, the less likely they are to fill out the submission form. Stick with no more than four very brief questions.
Use templates: Using landing page templates is extremely helpful when you are creating a new landing page for each new content offer. This will allow you to quickly create landing pages and keep the formatting consistent throughout your webpage. It’s especially easy to create landing page templates if you use a CMS like WordPress or marketing software like HubSpot.
Place a Call-to-Action on the Thank You Page: After a visitor submits a form, they should automatically be directed to a “Thank You” page. On this page, thank the visitor for their interest and include a call-to-action for another helpful content offer. This call-to-action should link to another landing page where you can gain more qualifying information. Offering additional information in this way will also reinforce your company as an industry authority. Be sure that the call-to-action maintains formatting consistency with your landing pages and matches visually.
