Chances are that at some point you will need to create a landing page. After all, a landing page is a central piece of any inbound marketing attempt. The good news is that landing pages are simple to create and a landing page template can take just minutes to set up. Making a landing page that converts, however, is a different story. We have compiled a handy list of do’s and don’ts for you to use when working with a landing page template.
#1: Landing Page Templates
DON’T waste time creating your own template. When it comes to creating a winning landing page, why reinvent the wheel? Site builders like Ucraft offer professionally crafted landing page templates so you can easily add your content and CTA to an existing well-designed layout.
According to Hubspot, a perfect landing page should have the following elements:
- A form to get info
- Headline
- Brief Description
- Image or Video that supports what you are offering
It is also helpful to have testimonials or customer badges.
#2: Don’t Use a Boring Call-to-Action
Using a generic call-to-action like submit or download is not very exciting and reduces the likelihood that visitors will want to further engage . According to a recent study, here are the top call-to-action buttons to use. Notice how they are both specific and inviting:
- Netflix – Join Free for a Month
- Yes – I want X
- theSkimm – Join Millions of Others
Each one elicits an automatic reaction and offers something in return for your visitor’s action. The 1st offers a free month, the second gives you what you want, and the 3rd makes sure you are part of something epic. You can also use other psychological tricks such as running out of time CTA’s – e.g. “don’t miss out” and “act now”.
#3: Don’t Have a Confusing Layout
One of the biggest mistakes people make is using their landing page as a one-page diatribe with too many design elements, awkward forms to fill out, and content that isn’t clear. What a landing page should be is clear, concise, and directive. In other words, DO NOT do these things:
- Ask your visitor to fill out anything more than their name and email address
- Say in a paragraph what can be conveyed using a strong line or two
- Miss a clear understanding of what you are offering
DO have an open layout that can be easily skimmed and that catches the viewer’s attention; these days, people are reading less and skimming more.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/aOWRA-irHgM” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>
#4: Don’t Forget SEO
SEO is a critical piece of anything you create, yet so many people ignore search engine optimization when it comes to their landing page. But landing pages are supposed to be simple, so how do you drive more visitors with limited content?
According to Unbounce, “this simplicity is what makes landing pages the best option for increasing the conversion rates of your Google Ads campaigns and lowering your cost of acquiring a lead or sale.”
Using SEO techniques will increase views and conversions. Here are some pro SEO tips for landing pages you should be implementing right now:
- Tons of outbound links – link-building strategies to get great backlinks is a must
- Good keyword density – optimizing your URL, page title and headings with your target keywords
- Higher word count – clear, great content that highlights the top-selling points and CTA
- Low bounce rates – 12% conversion rate is a good goal to have; if your rate falls below that, consider adjusting your CTA and content
- Loading time under 3 seconds
Luckily, many landing page templates often come with built-it SEO tools . Ucraft, for example, has its own SEO app to increase organic traffic and conversions, which allows you to easily optimize every element of your page.
Take Away
Creating a landing page may seem simple, but its one-page style can make it even harder to optimize. Keeping in mind our tried and true tips, you can use a landing page template and add readable engaging content and a CTA that will convert. Make sure you follow our “don’ts ” pretty closely as they can sneak in when you least expect it. SEO for landing pages can be more difficult, but there are great tricks to optimize your site while still maintaining a clean concise message to your readers. Pick a template today and start creating !