When a visitor lands on a website, they typically do one of two things. They either click away from the site without taking any action, or they take action that puts them on the path to becoming a loyal customer. Naturally, it’s the latter that every business and marketer wants to achieve. And the way to boost the chances of casual visitors becoming paying customers or clients, is through landing pages.
NextGen Marketing, experts in every component of digital marketing, explains the importance of landing pages to increase conversion rates.
What is a landing page?
Unlike other pages, like a homepage or a services page, which provide information about a brand and company, a landing page has a specific purpose, to convert visitors into leads. A landing page is a follow-up to any promises that you have made in your content. As such, it comprises of different ‘call to actions’ that typically asks visitors for their contact information in exchange for something of value, such as a special offer, a piece of information, or a deal.
A good landing page will do its job in convincing visitors that it is worth exchanging their personal details for whatever a business is offering.
Research shows that across all industries, the benchmark for a good conversion rate is 10%. The conversion rates for landing pages are, on average, 9.7%, meaning they are certainly an effective tool for lead generation and customer acquisition.
How to optimise a landing page?
A well-planned and well-written landing page shows potential customers that you have their best-interests in mind. They can also be a place to showcase customer testimonials about products or services, to prove to potential customers they are dealing with a reputable brand.
Some of the most tried and tested features of a successful landing page that converts include:
A memorable headline
A memorable headline that is short, attention-grabbing, relevant and relatable.
An engaging subheading
An engaging subheading that provides more information in a punchy concise way.
Digestible copy
Digestible copy that offers value by concisely informing a visitor of what is on offer, and why they should take it.
Eye-catching graphics
Like with a lot of digital content, visual elements can often have more of an impact than written content, because graphics tend to be easier to retain. As such, make your landing page stand out with evocative images and other visual elements.
Video content
Videos also work well on landing pages, with 83% of marketers saying video content have helped increase the amount of time a visitor stays on a website. Make videos on landing pages short, to the point and engaging, which offer valuable information that will help convince visitors to take action.
Videos are also an effective way to provide information about a special offer or showcase customer endorsements.
Above the fold
High-converting landing pages are often designed with an above-the-fold form placement. Above the fold refers to what a visitor can immediately see on a landing page without having to scroll. All lead generation information should therefore be place ‘above the fold’ to help maximise conversion rates.
Compelling call-to-actions
As the whole purpose of a landing page is to convert leads into customers, it will need to comprise of powerful and convincing call-to-actions (CTA). Don’t be afraid to include more than one CTA on your landing page. But all CTAs should focus on the action you want a customer to do. It should also create a sense of urgency though words like ‘limited’ or take action ‘now’ to convince a visitor that there is no time to lose.
If you require any assistance in creating and marketing effective landing pages that help increase conversion rates, get in touch with the digital marketing experts at NextGen Marketing on 020 8064 0221 or hello@nextgen-marketing.co.uk.
