A properly-crafted landing page is one of the most rewarding marketing tools a business can have. When constructed with user experience and conversions in mind, a great landing page can propel your sales to new heights. But how can you be sure your landing page design is the absolute best it can be?

Tweaking and A/B split testing will always be necessary to keep your landing page fresh and performing at its best. After all, maintenance and continuous improvement are a part of any effective marketing strategy. But there are several things you can do to ensure your page is a cut above the rest from the very beginning.

What are they, you ask?

That’s the focus of this article!

Here are five landing page design tips to strengthen performance and increase sales:

1. HIGH READABILITY SCORE

Nothing kills conversions like lengthy, long-winded blocks of text. Immediately, your potential customer will feel overwhelmed and begin questioning if they want to commit to reading all the information in front of them, increasing the likelihood that they exit your page and move on to something else.

In order to captivate your viewers, having clear, easily-comprehended copy is a must. You also need to consider how the text of your page looks to users who are seeing it online. Does your CTA stand out on the page? Are there design elements that break up the copy to make it more appealing to the eye?

Remember to keep the spacing between sentences, paragraphs and blocks of text even and consistent. And use contrasting colors to make important phrases stand out.

It’s also recommended that elements like bullet lists, images, headings and other landing page design elements be used to give readers a break from large blocks of text.

In the screenshot below, TD Bank does a great job of breaking up their landing page text into small, tidbit-sized pieces. Notice how they highlight the benefits of their car insurance plans at the bottom, focusing on how the customer can save money by switching their insurance plan.

Always ask yourself whether your page could be easier to read for your viewer. How can you share the benefits of your product or service in a succinct, straight-to-the-point way?

The more concise, the better!

2. SOCIAL PROOF

Have you ever heard of normative social influence? It is a psychological reaction that has been documented and researched since the 1950s. What does it mean? Simply put, it means that human beings tend to conform to certain behaviors in order to be liked by or accepted by other human beings.

How does this apply to your landing page? We’re glad you asked. When you include social proof icons that show how many other people have liked or interacted with your page, new page viewers are more likely to view your page positively. Why? Because you are exposing them to normative social influence.

It is human nature to be more open and interested in products, services, or topics that other people have already expressed a fondness for. The more examples you can provide to your potential customers to demonstrate that others have had a pleasant buying experience with you, the more inclined a lead will be to purchase from you.

So, how can you include social proof in your landing page design? There are a few different ways:

• Include testimonials from past clients on your landing page
• Include case studies that show how a client benefitted from your product or service
• Add social sharing buttons that indicate how many shares your page has already received
• Embed social media posts from satisfied customers in your landing page for everyone to see

Below you will see a great example of social proof from MyEmma, an email marketing software company. Notice how they included a photo of the person providing the testimonial, along with information about the business the client owns/works for? This adds credibility to the testimonial and builds a sense of trust with those who see their landing page.

Does your landing page provide transparent, authentic examples of social proof? If not, it’s time to update your page.

Remember, it’s always a bonus if you can link a testimonial to the client’s social media profiles or company page. Potential customers will want to check the source of your testimonials, and giving them that option will impress buyers who like to do their research.

3. AUTOFILL FORMS

Keeping forms as short as possible while still collecting all the vital pieces of information you need can be a bit of a balancing act. On the one hand, you don’t want to inconvenience potential buyers, but on the other, you don’t want to miss out on valuable data you can use to retarget those you have visited your page.

An excellent way to combat this dilemma is to add a LinkedIn autofill button to your landing page. By doing so, you allow users to simply click the button and all of their contact information will be automatically imported from their LinkedIn profile – no manual entry required!

Since forms are essential to conversion rate optimization, this is one landing page design tip you’ll want to implement ASAP.

In today’s world, spending even a couple of minutes on a single online task can feel tedious to internet users, especially if they are accessing your landing page from their mobile device. Adding this convenient feature will boost form completions and bring more qualified leads into your sales funnel.

4. MULTIPLE COOPERATIVE CALLS TO ACTION

You probably heard the term CTA (call to action) the very first time you looked into building a landing page. And rightfully so! Your CTA can make or break your landing page. All the best landing pages have strong CTAs that encite a potential customer to act now. But did you know that your landing page can (and should) have more than just one CTA?

Depending on the length of your landing page and the amount of information being communicated, having several CTAs can ensure that you are reminding the viewer to do something. Without these constant reminders, your run an increased risk of readers clicking away from your landing page without completing a trackable, actionable step.

This is bad for your conversion rate optimization and for your bottom line.

Remember, it’s better for a potential customer to complete just one small step, than to click away without providing you with any information at all. Even if the user only provides you with their email address and doesn’t buy anything, you can still retarget them through email marketing and continue to nurture that lead.

So, how can you incorporate multiple CTAs that work together to bring your possible client closer to the same goal?

One fantastic way to do this is to have a CTA that encourages users to sign up for a free trial. While this does not actually earn you any cash, it does bring leads into your sales funnel in the form of emails and contact information. Once a user signs up for the free trial, you are then able to target that user and show them the benefits of an upgraded account.

Another great idea? Offer something of value to your landing page viewers at no cost. This could be a free recipe book, a white paper, access to a video tutorial, a checklist, an e-book or even a discount code. Whatever it is, make it easy to access. The less complicated your giveaway is to sign up for, the more likely it is that people will take action.

Below you’ll see a screenshot of an ICSLearn page for online cooking classes. Notice the multiple CTAs? The various options provide viewers with a range of ways to act on the information they are receiving, from phoning the school, to clicking for more information, to enrolling online.

Remember, think small. Ask your landing page viewers to complete small, quick tasks along the way without seeming overbearing. And consider designing a unique CTA button using an online graphic design software! The more your button stands out, the more likely people are to engage with it!

5. STRONG DIFFERENTIATION

It is almost unheard of to find an industry where there is little to no competition. Chances are, if you are investing in landing pages and online marketing, there are other businesses similar to yours who are doing the same. So, how do you convince potential buyers to see the value in selecting you rather than your opponents?

You communicate your differentiators, of course!

Unfortunately, a lot of landing pages don’t do this well enough. They highlight the benefits of their product or service, but they don’t specifically identify what separates them from their competitors.

When constructing your landing page, you must ask yourself: what is the most impactful thing about my business that makes me different from other companies in my niche?

Maybe it’s your money-back guarantee, or your short shipping time. It could even be the expertise of your staff members or your loyalty reward program. Whatever it is, you need to communicate your uniqueness to your landing page readers.

Below is an example of differentiation from Indentifix, a leading auto repair management software. On their landing page, Indentifix decided to focus on the fact that their software can cut down diagnostic times for their customers.

While there are certainly other auto repair programs on the market, Identifix is deciding to focus solely on this benefit with a strong statement: “Cut your diagnostic time in half.”

This is their differentiator. Potential clients who are looking to get jobs done faster without compromising quality will likely choose Identifix over a competing software simply because Identifix is speaking to their specific need.

It may be worth your while to survey your current client list and ask what appeals to them the most about your brand, product, or service. If the majority of your customers appreciated your two week free trial, you may want to make your free trial one of your key differentiators and highlight it in your landing page design.

Remember, one-size-fits-all rarely works in any industry. Find what separates you from all the others and shout it from the rooftops!

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