You might send someone to a landing page for various reasons. Perhaps they’ve clicked through from a PPC ad, and you have a product to offer that matches their needs. Or maybe you’ve promoted a post about your ebook on Facebook, and this landing page will provide a download link. Whatever your purpose, it’s important to make sure your landing page is perfect.

So what makes up a fantastic landing page?

Attention-Grabbing Heading

Your heading, or title, should be short and direct. It should grab people’s attention and deliver on the promise you made when you enticed them to click through to this page. The subheading then clarifies or provides details about the heading.

Compelling Copy

The copy on your landing page should be short and to the point. People aren’t going to read a white paper about why they should download your white paper. Give them the most important points in writing that is clear and packs a punch. If you don’t know how to write copy like this, hire someone else to do it, because it’s important!

Eye-Catching Bullet Points

Most successful landing pages include some sort of short list. Bullet points or a numbered list will draw your visitor’s eye and give them something to think about. Consider including a list of benefits of your product or an outline of topics covered in a white paper.

Useful Images

The image or images on your landing page are very important. You’ll usually have one or two main images, called hero shots, that show page visitors what the page is about. These images should be high quality and should let them know what they’re getting – whether it’s a free trial of your product or a webinar presentation from your handsome young VP.

Proof of Trustworthiness

Although not necessary, it’s helpful to provide some sort of proof that your brand is worth trusting. A testimonial from a customer does this nicely. Many successful landing pages also use logos or badges in order to display their trustworthiness – the McAfee security badge, a BBB accreditation, symbols of awards one, and so on.

And Of Course, a Clear Call to Action

The call to action, or CTA, is the most important part of your landing page. It should be direct and should compel the page visitor to take a specific course of action. For example, “Download the Ebook Now!” or “Sign Up For Your Free Trial.” This call to action needs to stand out in such a way that there is no question what to do next. Oh, and don’t litter your landing page with CTAs – there should only be one so that people have no chance of getting confused.

If your call to action is for people to fill out a form, make sure not to include any conversion-killers – that is, don’t ask for too much or too personal of information. Only get what you really need, like a name and email address. Anything more can turn people off.

A Few More Tips for the Perfect Landing Page

• Don’t use more than one link on your landing page, even if it’s to your website or social media. Any links other than the call to action will bring visitors away from the landing page, sharply reducing your chances of getting a conversion. Some people like to include little buttons for their Facebook and Twitter, but think about it: Perhaps they click through and “like” your company page, but then they see that little red number and begin looking at their Facebook notifications…and then you’ve officially lost a conversion.
• Make sure that whatever you’re offering is of irresistible value. Ebooks and white papers should offer information that they might not be able to get elsewhere, and webinars should give people a dang good reason to attend. It’s okay to offer value for free – that’s a fundamental aspect of good content marketing.
• Always be sure your landing page has perfect grammar and an attractive design. The last thing you want is to drive people away because of a stupid typo or ugly font.
• Also, make sure that all important information is above the fold – that is, don’t make people scroll down to see your call to action or essential copy.