A landing page checklist to make sure you've covered all your bases

Landing Page
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Looking to increase your web presence without bogging down your website with more bulk? A landing page just might be the solution you’re looking for! Here’s what you need to know about landing pages so that you can convert leads and increase your web presence. Take a look at our landing page checklist as you design your very own landing page!

What is a landing page?

If you’re looking to invest in what landing pages can do for your web presence, you should first understand what they are, what they are not, and how do landing pages work?

Unlike websites, which tend to be broader in nature than landing pages, landing pages are stand-alone destinations for your web visitors. They generally end up on specific landing pages in search of particular information or to take certain actions.

Landing pages are far narrower in scope than websites, which comparatively host many subpages, offer an overview of multiple topics, and serve as introductory resources for target audiences. Visitors may visit websites at the top of the sales funnel, but will usually end up on a landing page once they are further down the sales funnel.

Somewhere in between the specificity of a landing page and the exploratory nature of a website lies a microsite, an immersive content experience that is more focused than a website but has more room for varied content than a landing page. If you want some wiggle room for your clients who are somewhere in the middle of your sales funnel, microsites can quickly move them down it.

What are the benefits of different landing pages?

Landing pages are multifaceted tools that can help you achieve more than one goal.

If your goal is to boost lead generation, you should start with building up your web presence. Revamping your search engine optimization strategy with the help of a landing page SEO checklist is an easy way to make your business more search-friendly, putting your web content—website, landing pages, and microsites—in front of more potential leads’ faces.

For example, businesses with blog pages generate 67% more leads than those without. It’s a small but mighty addition to your web strategy that can result in serious output! Landing pages are perfect for this sort of content, and make it easy to keep your main webpage decluttered while adding opportunities for SEO content.

Offers on your landing pages not only help with lead generation, but when well-crafted, they are also effective conversion tools. Targeted content that is bolstered by strong calls-to-action (CTAs) and engaging content makes it easy to direct visitor traffic to action.

A user experience that is easy to navigate, information-rich, and consistent with your branding is the most promising way to see a return from your web arsenal.

What are the drawbacks of a landing page?

While content that is narrow in scope has many benefits, the limited functionality of a landing page also poses some shortcomings that more robust options, like microsites, can offer.

Because landing pages are so focused, creating different landing pages for different audiences and purposes may require a bit of time, maintenance, and manpower. This is especially true if you want to personalize your landing pages for each client or target audience.

Creating a landing page, unfortunately, doesn’t guarantee results either. The landing page that is created needs to be specific in scope, target the right audience, and drive the right actions to return results. This can be a challenge, especially if your landing page is not created with a tool that supports robust analytics and insights to monitor the performance of a landing page.

Some options allow you to leverage the full functionality of a website with the same narrow content experience that landing pages offer. Microsites, for example, can be created using easy-to-customize premade templates, monitored with a full suite of analytic tools, and can be crafted to reach a broader audience than a single landing page might.

A landing page checklist to ensure your page is perfect

Only the best landing pages convert visitors! Here are some elements and tips you should keep in mind as you create landing pages that convert.

Create landing page headlines that grab attention

Headlines are the very first thing that your landing page visitors and search engines will see. They are far more important than they may at first seem!

When it comes to SEO, your headlines will offer search engines the keywords and information that is needed for it to return the appropriate results to users. If your headline doesn’t properly capitalize on those keywords or highlights the wrong information, you may find yourself with high bounce rates.

The best practice for landing page headlines is to keep them short and sweet, no longer than one sentence is a good rule of thumb! Use specific, concise language that cuts out the fluff. Most of all, remember that some of your site visitors will exclusively use your headlines to make decisions about what they interact with and don’t.

Add informative subheadings based on your landing page content strategy

We’re not in high school English anymore, we can be honest when we say that we just skim when we read most things. If you expect site visitors to read your content word for word, you’re in for a rude awakening.

Only 16% of web users read content word-for-word, and the remaining 79% prefer to scan new pages, according to a study conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group.

Part of making your landing page skimmable boils down to using meaningful subheadings that point your visitors where they need to go. Opting for something stylistic rather than something functional may not work in your interest here, as it won’t clue readers in on the information they can find.

As with headings, keeping them short and to the point is critical.

Prioritize a primary offer on your landing page

If the goal of your landing page is to drive action and increase conversion rates, you need to include a primary offer.

A primary offer is a promotional strategy that gives your visitor an opportunity they can’t refuse at the front of the landing page. You can incorporate it within the headline of your landing page, in the form of a pop-up form, or combine it with a targeted call to action.

The primary offer on your landing page should be relevant to the content that is being highlighted and should be simple enough that your user can understand it immediately. This isn’t the right time for special offers that come with a laundry list of stipulations and conditions.

This would also be a good time to include some supporting offers that pair well with the primary one. It can further entice the visitor to click through to the CTA (more on that next).

Include a clear, actionable CTA on your landing page

The focus of your landing page is action-driving elements, so your CTA’s are incredibly important!

CTAs drive conversion. They are explicit instructions or suggestions for your site visitor so that they know which actions they should take to have access to services, partake in promotional programs or finalize purchases.

Using direct language that is concise and specific is important. The placement and design of CTAs also have an impact on their efficacy. For example, CTAs that look like buttons increase clicks by as much as 45%.

Integrate social proof and contact information into your landing page

Showing what your products and services look like in application is the cherry on top of your sales and marketing strategy. This builds trust and shows your clients that you can walk the talk. Don’t skip out on the opportunity to drive sales with client testimonials, product reviews, and case studies that make your business stand out.

Plus, you should add your information so a visitor can further inquire about your business and offers if they’d like. Never miss out on an opportunity to connect with potential customers!

Need more than a landing page? Give a microsite a try!

If you’re realizing that creating a landing page for each piece of your marketing strategy will require more maintenance and time than you may have thought, but want a way to offer users a tailored experience, a microsite may be for you!

Microsites offer your target audience an immersive content experience that is sure to drive action, target behavior, and leave your visitors with a memorable web experience. Check out how Zoomforth can help you effortlessly create microsite experiences that impress and convert!

Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash

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