7 Easy-to-Follow Landing Page Best Practices

There are so many factors to consider when developing a landing page, it can be hard to know where to start. Luckily for you, we know a thing or two about landing pages, so we’ve compiled this list of the 7 most important things you should consider before creating one.

1. Mobile-First

As marketers, we must accept that today’s landing pages need to serve users on the devices from which they are landing on the page. This report by Criteo reveals that mobile transactions have already surpassed desktop transactions as more and more retailers have begun to adopt consumer-friendly mobile sites and transaction-driving commerce apps. That means you actually have  to think about a mobile user experience first, and then translate that into a desktop experience. It also means that you’ll have limited real estate for messaging, so every pixel counts. Cut to the chase with your message, including only necessary info about your product/offering that persuades your customer without crossing the line by serving irrelevant content. Check out this article on the best mobile landing pages from Unbounce.

2. Keep Your PPC Landing Page Relevant to the Keywords You Are Bidding On

It should go without saying, but this is actually quite often overlooked. Landing page relevancy is paramount to the success of your conversion rate. The visitor should have a cohesive experience between your paid ad and it’s landing page, otherwise you’ll end up with confusion. Test your messaging with PPC ads until you’re blue in the face! You can make it easier on yourself by using a platform like Optimizely.

3.Social Proof

Many companies use testimonials, badges and/or company logos to increase social proof and increase conversion rates. What is “Social Proof”? In a marketing context, it is evidence that other people have purchased and found value in a product or service offered by a business. The most important thing to consider is how you are utilizing social proof on your landing page. Most testimonials are not well-written by consumers.  After all, they are not professional writers. You’d be better served to write them yourself and then ask for a user’s permission to use them. A word of warning- be careful your social proof is not working against you. Here’s is a great resource from Unbounce to test your theory.

4.Ad matching

Don’t confuse people. Use similar language and consistency in your approach as you guide them from an ad to your landing page. Too many brands focus on creating the perfect ad… And then completely fail to follow it up with a landing page to match. Message matching makes all the difference in PPC campaigns. To really nail your message matching, check out this post on creating a minimum viable page (MVP) – it goes into depth on what your page needs in order to be a top performer.

5.Strategically Position Your Landing Page Elements to Drive Conversions

Neil Patel defined the key elements of a landing page as:

• Top of Page
• Headline
• Sub-headline
• Image
• Video
• Brief Copy
• Call to Action
• Trust Signals
• Explanation of the product or service
• Benefits of the product or service
• Testimonials (if done right)
• More CTA6. Use Unique Imagery That Will Connect with Your Target Personas

Imagery is going to be an important element of your landing page’s performance. People connect with people. For product based landing pages, include detailed interactive photographs of people that increase attention and drive the visitor to find out more information. Avoid using stock photography whenever possible. Sittercity use human imagery effectively on their babysitting PPC landing page. Rather than opting for a stock image of a baby, they have chosen to use a professional image that portrays trust and subtly directs the user towards the call to action. Finally, be sure to avoid high resolution imagery for faster mobile-friendly loading speed.

7. Strong Headline to Drive Conversion

Last, but not least (since it might even be the most prominent message on your landing page), make sure not to confuse a headline with a call to action. They both serve their own unique purpose. A call to action gives the user an intended action to follow, while a headline conveys your product/service’s most imperative message relevant to that audience persona. The first thing that a visitor will see when they land on your page will be the headline. When you are creating your headline make sure to include a keyword theme that ties back directly to the ads you have written. Be specific, succinct and quickly reflect your expectations to your visitors. Here are 5 landing page headline formulas you can test right now.