Touchdown Web page: What’s it? Examples, suggestions and greatest practices
A well-designed landing page can significantly increase conversions for your PPC or email marketing campaigns.
Instead of directing visitors from these sources to your general website (where they may have a hard time finding what they're looking for), you can direct them to a specially crafted landing page that will point them in exactly the right direction.
Creating effective landing pages is not the same as creating a successful website or email newsletter. There are certain guidelines that you should follow to maximize your site's success.
Here's what you need to know in order to create an effective landing page.
Set a goal for your landing page
Landing pages, like any other part of your online marketing strategy, need goals. Without concrete, specific goals, there is no way to create an effective site. Your goal should be clear before you start designing your page.
For example, your page could be designed to promote:
- sales
- Registrations for email lists
- Whitepaper downloads
- Software trials
- Webinar registrations
You also need specific expectations for your landing page against which to measure success. These expectations can be based on previous experience, anecdotal evidence, or simply wishful thinking.
It helps to have a specific number that you can use to compare your actual results. This could be the total number of conversions, or the number of people making it past your landing page, or a different number based on your own goals.
A clear call to action is crucial
Once you know what your goal for the page is, you need to come up with a clear call to action. This is possibly the most important part of a landing page.
Your call to action should be specifically tied to your goal and supported by everything else on your end, from the headline and copy of text to images and the overall layout.
The backpack landing page has a very clear call to action, although they choose to direct visitors to more information about their plans and pricing first, rather than opting to sign up directly.
Keep the copy clear and concise
Your copy should be clear and precise. It should also be convincing. Landing pages are not the place to show your creativity unless that creativity is clear, concise, and compelling. Let the creative twist on your blog.
It's pretty safe to assume that most of the people who visit your page are already interested in what you say, as they likely have clicked through from a PPC ad or email. Just because they're interested when they arrive doesn't mean they'll stay interested if you don't get to the point.
Every single sentence and word on your landing page should serve a purpose, and that purpose should be to support your call to action. If it doesn't, cut it off. Be inconsiderate in editing your copy. In as few words as possible, tell your visitors what they want to know and get them to respond to your call to action as quickly as possible.
The VideoWizard example has a simple design with a clear copy that has specific goals.
Keep your landing page form simple
If your page contains a form, make sure that only the most important information is asked for. If you're trying to get visitors to sign up for an email newsletter, make sure you only ask them for their email address. Anything else will reduce the chances of them filling out and submitting the form.
When you ask them to buy, keep it simple. Just ask for the most important information: billing and shipping information and a confirmation screen before placing an order. Wait until you have requested more information after placing your order.
This form only asks for your name and e-mail address, which do not deter you from registering.
This shape, on the other hand, has too many fields. Do you really need a phone number and company name? And wouldn't it make more sense to ask for a name in just one field instead of two?
Remove navigation items
The main difference between your regular website and your landing pages is that your landing pages shouldn't have your usual page navigation. Instead, the only clickable links should be your call to action and possibly a link to more information for those who are undecided.
Linking your logo to your regular homepage can also be a good idea.
This example only shows the important links without a lot of extraneous navigation.
Forget about links to everything else. All they do is clutter the page and increase the chances of your visitors leaving your landing page (and ultimately your website) without converting it.
Simplify your normal site design
However, your landing page should still reflect the design of your regular website to reinforce your branding. This can be done through the graphics, general appearance, or your color scheme and choice of fonts.
This is important for branding and lets users know they are on the right page.
Choose Long Edge or Page Series
There are some questions about whether it is better to have a single page for your landing page that requires scrolling, or whether visitors would respond better to a series of short pages (sometimes called a "mini-site").
Mini websites generally have multiple pages of short content that take visitors from one step to the next during the conversion process. This has the benefit of getting users into the habit of switching from one page to the next, which can help them find the right psychological mindset for the conversion.
The downside to mini sites is that they are best for conversion funnels that need a lot of content.
Landing pages, on the other hand, are perfect for shorter content. They also only have to be loaded once. This can be a big consideration for businesses targeting people in rural or developing countries where bandwidth and connection speed could be an issue.
The downside is that a lot of content becomes overwhelming and can appear as spam if not well designed.
The CameraPlus page is quite long and has all the information you need about the app. (The above image is split because the entire page would be several thousand pixels long.)
Compare this page, which barely fills a screen and collects information in several steps.
Pay attention to the crease
While there is a lot of discussion about the importance of "the fold" in web design, landing pages are one area where the fold is vital. Make sure your call to action is at the top of the page where someone can click on it without having to scroll.
This doesn't necessarily mean that your visitors won't scroll down the page to read more information. Hopefully at least a percentage of your visitors will be ready to buy once they arrive on your landing page, either because the email or the link that took them there already won them over, or because they are not visiting the page for the first time.
Placing a call to action at the top of the page will make it easier for these visitors. (It can also increase your conversion rates.)
The main navigation elements are just above the fold, and the call to action is well above the fold.
Here, too, the registration button is clearly above the fold.
Calls to action the bottom line
That doesn't mean you should neglect the scrolling users. Make sure to periodically display calls-to-action on your page that are linked to the copy of the page.
This becomes more and more important the longer your pages get. Make sure that your users only have to do a minimal amount of scrolling once they decide to convert.
FreshBooks includes links to a free trial or tour across the landing page.
Use minimal images and larger fonts
Your landing pages should only use one or two images at most. You want to avoid visual clutter on the page or anything that interferes with the message and call to action.
Larger font sizes are also a good idea to help focus the visitor's eyes on the essentials and reduce eye strain. Just don't go overboard and put everything in a heading-sized font.
The ideal line length for legibility of copies is 39 characters. Adjust your font (and column width) accordingly.
Typography becomes an important part of the visual representation of that landing page, minimizing the need for graphics.
Start with a centered, single column design
Studies show that centered, single column landing pages convert best. That said, there are still plenty of marketers opting for two-column designs.
Make sure you test single-column versions with two-column versions before committing to a draft.
This is a great example of a centered page that makes the most of the available space.
Customize the look and feel of your campaign
If your page is tied to an email or PPC campaign, make sure that the landing page reflects the look and feel of the ad or email.
If the designs of the two are very different, your visitors may be wondering if they have landed in the right place. The easiest way to do this is to transfer fonts, images and colors from your campaign to your landing page. This is especially important for paid ads as it can increase your Quality Score.
Use the landing page tools to get it right
If you don't want to use a web designer for your landing pages, there are options for creating great pages without any technical knowledge.
Unbounce is one of the easiest methods to use and allows landing pages to be created without any IT experience. They have best practice templates that you can customize (or create your own page from scratch) and flexible pricing (including a free plan for websites with limited traffic). Unbounce also integrates with Google Analytics to track your traffic and Qualaroo to collect user input.
Don't forget to test your landing page
Creating effective landing pages is not a single project. What works for one site may not work so well for another. Finding the most effective page design is a matter of trial and error.
It is important to test the different versions of your landing page (called an A / B test) to find the version that works best for your particular situation. Without doing so, you could leave a lot of potential conversions on the table.
Some features to consider are:
- heading
- CTA
- Button size and placement
- Number of form fields
- images
- Right, left or middle column design
- Colours
Remember to test each variant individually. If you change five different items, you don't know what impact it will have on conversions.
Landing Page Guide
Needed time: 6 minutes.
A well-designed landing page can significantly increase conversions for your PPC or email marketing campaigns. Find out how to do it.
- Set a goal for your landing page
Without concrete, specific goals, there is no way to create an effective site. Your goal should be clear before you start designing your page.
- A clear call to action is crucial
Your call to action should be specifically tied to your goal and supported by everything else on your landing page, from the headline and copy of text to images and the overall layout.
- Keep the copy clear and concise
Landing pages are not the place to show your creativity unless that creativity is clear, concise, and compelling. Let the creative twist on your blog.
- Keep your landing page form simple
If your landing page contains a form, make sure that only the most important information is asked for.
- Remove navigation items
Your landing pages shouldn't have your usual site navigation. Instead, the only clickable links should be your call to action and possibly a link to more information for those who are undecided.
- Simplify your normal site design
However, your landing page should still reflect the design of your regular website to reinforce your branding.
- Pay attention to the crease
Make sure your call to action is at the top of the page where someone can click on it without having to scroll.
- Use minimal images and larger fonts
Your landing pages should only use one or two images at most. You want to avoid visual clutter on the page or anything that interferes with the message and call to action.
- Start with a centered, single column design
Studies show that centered, single column landing pages convert best. So test this version first.
- Customize the look and feel of your campaign
If your landing page is tied to an email campaign, make sure that the landing page reflects the look and feel of the email.
- Use the landing page tools to get it right
You don't need a Masters in Computer Science to design a landing page. Instead, use tools like Unbounce to create great looking landing pages.
- Don't forget to test your landing page
Creating effective landing pages is not a single project. What works for one site may not work so well for another. Finding the most effective page design is a matter of trial and error.
Conclusion
Landing pages are web pages that were created with the aim of generating conversions. By following the tips above, you can create a powerful website that leads users to your business.
Just make sure it's easy. This is because landing pages have very specific goals and shouldn't contain irrelevant information that could distract your visitors and prevent them from converting.
Are you thinking of creating a landing page? What is your goal for the landing page?
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