We’ve all come across websites that are confusing and, to be honest, a bit too in your face. Websites like these are off-putting and often too much to handle and rarely have success generating business.

A simple but stylish landing page is the key to growing leads for your business. So with this in mind we’ve decided to simplify the do’s and don’ts of creating effective and productive landing pages that will accelerate your return on investment.

First things first, designing a landing page takes practice and mastering the perfect layout to produce the most leads is an experimental process. It’s all about working out what your target audience likes and it can take time. This doesn’t mean to say you can’t use some tried and tested techniques to see how your customers respond. We want to share some of the tricks we use when creating high performing landing pages for our customers:

1)      Make sure your header is consistent with the ad that customers clicked on

-          Customers clicked on your ad for a reason; they wanted to know more! By maintaining consistency throughout your landing pages and ads, your customers will find it easier to use your site. It will be clear to them what they are reading and the purpose of that particular page. Consistency is key!

2)      Understand what your USP is

-          It is important to establish what your Unique Selling Point is so that your customers know what it is too. One way to get the message across is by making it a key feature on your landing page. A feature such as this is a simple way to set you apart from your competition but make sure you don’t go overboard with this idea. Keep it simple and concise. Be sure to include your USP when explaining what you can offer customers and what the benefit of using you is over a competitor.

3)      Make it visually pleasing

-          Research shows that our brains process visual items 60,000 times faster than text. So when it comes to grabbing your customers’ attention you want to take every opportunity to show them what you’re about and why they should choose you. You can achieve this by adding an effective hero shot, which communicates what you are offering in a visual capacity. However, make sure you don’t clutter your page with lots of images/videos. Remember, keeping it simple will always be the most effective and attractive.

4)      Logo

-          Have you got a logo? If so where is it? Your business needs an identity, something that your customers recognise and associate with you. By having your logo on your landing pages, in the same place and the same size each time, it creates clear branding.

5)      Favourable formatting

-          Having a layout structure for your page that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use will increase the likelihood of conversion. Creating a user-friendly interface is a simple element that can go a long way and shouldn’t be overlooked. If you format the header, hero shot, copy and call to action clearly, your user will have a positive experience. Plus, it really doesn’t take much effort.

6)      What are you actually offering?

-          When deciding what content to include on your landing page, less is more. Your customers want you to get straight to the point, so they know what you do and what you’re offering. If you write too much text, customers are likely to lose interest and move on elsewhere. At the end of the day it’s all about customer wants and needs and you need to address those in order to keep them interested. Emphasise the key points and deal with content on a need to know basis.

7)      Call to Action

-          This is a crucial part of your landing page; the feature that you are wanting your customers to interact with. Your Call to Action can vary, depending on what you’re looking to achieve. You can create a CTA for anything; from an offer you are trying to promote to lead generation, asking for people to contact you with regards to your products or services. Whatever it is, it needs to be obvious to customers and you need to use other features of your landing page to guide them to it.

8)      Testimonials

-          If a customer has given you good feedback, share it! It gives credibility and reliability and there is no doubt that customers will feel more comfortable spending their money with you after reading them. Don’t be afraid to shout about your great service or product; reap the benefits of it.

9)      Social Media

-          If you have other platforms you use to promote your business, then sync them up with your website. By adding links to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you give your customers the opportunity to check you out elsewhere and you lead them towards different content you’re posting. Social media is a very powerful tool when it comes to online marketing and it is one that you should look to utilise.

10)   Enjoy it

-          We understand that creating a landing page can be challenging but we hope that we’ve helped you focus on some of the elements that are important to get the most out of your efforts. Enjoy playing around with different styles and layouts, keep an eye on what customers like best and implement changes where needed. It’s a learning process and we hope you grow to love that process. Just remember, make it easy for your customers and you’ll see the results in no time!

If you need a hand creating your landing pages or website, just get in touch. We’d be happy to help!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

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