8 Tips for Creating Landing Pages that ACTUALLY Generate Leads

Landing pages are the digital equivalent of the front door to your business; they can be one of the most effective ways to generate leads. Oftentimes, landing pages are your brand’s first and only chance to make an impression on new visitors, and if they aren’t intrigued enough to convert on the first view, they may be uninterested in your brand going forward.

When you get it right, your landing pages could convert upwards of 10% of visitors into leads, which is a benchmark across many industries. However, designing landing pages poorly could result in not generating even a single conversion. With a strategically designed landing page, a single clear CTA, and an irresistible offer, some brands have increased lead generation by over 232%.?

The value of a well-constructed landing page is undeniable. Our team at SN:D Agency has years of experience in helping clients to plan strategic lead generation funnels and build landing pages that get results, and we’ve identified several tips to create landing pages that convert.

1. Choose the Right Title for Your Landing Page

Given that your page’s title is the first thing that visitors will see, it’s important to get it right to make the best impression. It should communicate what you are offering, include a clear call-to-action (CTA), and be descriptive so users can easily understand what they will get from visiting the site. You should also make the title concise; aim for 64 characters or less and include relevant keywords, but avoid keyword stuffing.

2. Create a Compelling Call-to-Action

The secret to a good CTA is in how you present the action. It should be clear and actionable, while also explaining what the user will get out of taking that specific action, such as “Start my free trial.” You should also make it easy for users to understand by using clear language and avoiding jargon or corporate speak. For example, instead of saying "Let us help you", try using phrases like: "We can help!"

You want your CTA to draw attention right away, so make it large and easily visible. If you have text above your CTA, make it short enough that it doesn't distract from the main focus of your landing page. Bonus tip: use bright colors that contrast with your background to help people notice the CTA more quickly.

3. Strategize Your Landing Page Layout

If you want to convince people to convert on your page, nothing about it should be random or haphazardly put together. The layout should be strategic. Your CTA, button, and form should be at the top, above the fold (the area first visible without scrolling) so that visitors will see those all-important elements right away. In addition to choosing what goes at the top, consider how your page appears horizontally. Text and elements can be arranged in columns, and there are advantages and disadvantages to different column layouts:

• One column: This makes it easy for users to see where they need to go on the page, but doesn’t give much room for extra content before getting into the nitty-gritty of filling out a form or signing up for something.
• Two columns: This gives you space for additional content and allows users to focus on one thing at a time, which can help increase conversions.
• Three columns: This allows even more room than two columns, giving you plenty of space for different elements.

4. Draw in the Eyes with Directional Cues

You typically have less than 10 seconds to capture the attention of your website visitors, so make sure their eyes go right to the important parts of the page. Use directional cues to draw attention to critical elements on your landing page. Arrows are the most effective directional cue, but even a subtle change in color can have a dramatic effect, whether people notice it or not. Photography on the page can also direct the eyes. For example, if people in your photos are facing a certain direction, position the image on the page so they appear to be facing where you want viewers to look—like toward your CTA.

5. Don't Forget About Your Form

It’s easy to lose visitors along the way of the conversion funnel, so the form you want them to fill out should not be a large obstacle.. Here are some best practices for creating forms that work:

• Simplify it. Including every piece of information can be overwhelming for users who aren't yet ready to commit. The more information you ask for, the more likely they are to abandon the process. Instead, focus on only asking for the essential details, such as name and email address.
• Make it easy to find. You might think that because the form is at the bottom of the page, users will first read everything and then know where to fill it out—but most people won’t be as invested in your content as you are. Make sure there are clear instructions directing users exactly how/where/when to complete the process.
• Illustrate a relationship between the incentive and the form. This helps prevent confusion and increases conversion rates because people feel more confident knowing exactly what they are getting in return.

6. Offer Lead Magnets

People love free stuff! Lead magnets are any content you offer to potential customers that also gives you a way to collect contact information from them. This can be an ebook, a cheat sheet, or even a video series—there are many possibilities.

Give away something useful in exchange for a person’s contact information so you can follow up with them later. Giving something of value gives your prospects a sneak peek of your full services and also shows that you care enough to help them without profit. Even though you aren’t generating direct revenue from this, it’s a win-win situation for both you and your potential customers. The user gets a piece of valuable content or information, while your company gets a lead that could turn into revenue down the line.

7. Optimize Your Landing Page For Mobile Devices

Over 60% of internet traffic comes through mobile phones, so it’s important to ensure your landing page works well for mobile views. Here are some of the best optimizations for mobile:

• Use responsive design: Develop your page to automatically adjust itself based on the device used. You can use responsive design by using a template in your website builder or creating it yourself in HTML and CSS.
• Use a mobile-friendly font: Fonts should be easy to read on any device, so make sure you are using fonts that are readable on smaller screens (for example, Helvetica or Arial).
• Make sure your page loads quickly: The faster your page loads, the better chance you have of keeping visitors from leaving before you have an opportunity to convert them into leads.

8. Keep Testing Elements to Find the Best Version

Your page may be generating leads, but is there room for improvement? Once you have the page up and running, you should continue to A/B test different elements of the page to gather more insights about what yields the best results. Is one background color more appealing than another? Will placing the button on the right side make visitors more likely to click? The only way to know for sure is to test it out and measure the results.

Landing pages are an invaluable tool for strategic digital marketing to drive lead generation; they can help you turn visitors into leads, and leads into customers. These simple landing page tips are a great place to start, but working with a professional agency like SN:D Agency can help your business stay on top of changing trends and best practices to truly take your landing pages to the next level.?

SN:D Agency has over a decade of digital marketing expertise and experience building successful landing pages to help companies achieve their business goals. As you’re looking to boost lead generation and optimize your website landing pages, we’d love to help. Contact us today to get started!