Landing pages have become one of the most essential parts of every website. They are very important to the success of your business.

The design of your landing page has one of the biggest impacts on your conversion rates. It is vital to lead generation on your website. In this article we take a look the essential elements of a good landing page. An understanding of these elements will help you to optimise your landing pages to maximise conversions.

 1. Video Showing Context of Use

Adding a video showing the product being used or highlighting its benefits is a great way to improve conversions on your landing page. Whether it’s a cooking knife or a social media app, displaying a video that shows your product being used can help generate more leads or sales on your website.

A study by Eyeview digital that found that using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%. In other words customers who see a video for your product are 80% more likely to buy. It is thus a no-brainer that you must include a product video on your landing page if you are serious about driving conversions.

2. Attention Grabbing Headline

A good headline that highlights the core benefits helps to grab the attention of visitors and can boost conversion rates. Take a look at the example below.

3. Simplify Your Form

There is nothing users dislike more than filling out a large form. Reducing the number of form fields and simplifying your lead capture process is an easy way to improve the usability of your website and increase leads on your website.

4. Compelling Call to Action Button

The design of the button in your lead capture form plays a vital role on your landing page. Use a bold, descriptive Call to action button that stands out and grabs the attention of visitors. The text used in your buttons is very important. Instead of using generic words such as Click here, submit or register, try to emphasise the benefits or the action you are requiring the users to take e.g. “Access the Webinar”, “Avail of This Offer” or “Download the Free Guide”.

5. Trust and Confidence Building Elements

Consumers need to be able to trust your service in order to buy. There are several elements you can add to your landing page to build customer confidence and trust.

Here are a few things you can use:

• Social proof e.g. live stream of social interactions or conversations about your product
• Testimonials or case studies
• Logos of high profile customers who use your product
• Reviews: You can syndicate reviews from review sites such as Yelp.

6. Incentives

Offering a free incentive to users in return for the desired action you want them to take, is one of the most effective ways to drive leads and boost conversions on your landing page. Offering a free eBook or whitepaper to those who sign-up to your email list is a perfect example of this.

7. Statement of Guarantee

Providing a guarantee with your offer is a great way to boost conversions. Clearly labeled statement of guarantee on your landing page reduces the risk perception for users and motivates them to go through with conversion. 30 days money back guarantee, or free one month’s trial are some examples of this.

8. Visual Cues

Visual cues such as circling important words or directional cues such as arrows that redirect attention towards the benefits, can be very effective on your landing page. Take a look at the two examples below.

See image below for example:

9. Preview Image

A study on landing pages by Search Engine Land has found that a landing page that includes a preview image of the offer had a 359 percent higher conversion rate than a landing page without the preview image.

Take a look below at the two variations of the landing page used in the test. The landing page on the left that includes a preview image produced better conversions than the variation on the right without an image.

10. Well Formatted Content

No one likes to read long content, particularly on landing pages that are trying to sell a product or service. Well formatted content that is short and to the point is essential on your landing page.

Rather than long paragraphs, try to get your message across in as few words as possible. Take advantage of bullets, lists, and sub-headings to maintain users attention and to keep them focused solely on the benefits. make your offer compelling.

11. Social Sharing Elements

Good social sharing on your landing page helps to encourage visitors to share and promote your offers with others on social media. It is a great way to attract new customers and provides additional opportunities to drive leads.

12. Effective Confirmation Page

Most people are so focused on their landing page that they fail to give due attention to the confirmation page that is displayed after the lead is captured. A well designed post lead capture confirmation page offers extra opportunity for creating additional leads.

Take a look at Hubspot’s confirmation page below that is displayed after a user has successfully signed up for the free guide. In addition to the download link, it offers multiple opportunities for generating new leads.

One of the primary goals of any business website is to generate leads and sales for the business. This is where a landing page comes in useful. The exact elements to include on your landing page depends on the nature of your business and t he product you are offering. However, the above essential elements usually work on most landing pages.

What methods do you use to increase conversions on your website?

Do you use any of the methods above to drive conversions on your landing page? We would like to hear from you. Please add your response by leaving a comment below.