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You probably already know that the landing page is the most important part of your website. After all, that page can determine whether a random visitor turns into a lead for your business or a stat in your bounce rate. Maybe you’ve even read a few landing page checklists already, trying to figure out what strategy to use.
If you’re still unsure about how to design your landing page, you’re not alone. Lots of marketers and business owners are.
The truth is, even with a ton of articles on landing pages out there, it’s hard for business owners to find something that applies to them. The optimal conversion rate is going to be different for a Fortune 500 vs. a small business, for example.
Don’t worry — we’ve created a comprehensive landing page checklist that covers everything you need. If you follow the steps listed here, you’ll create an effective page.
Read on for the ultimate, 20-point landing page checklist.
First things first — you want to make it as obvious as possible what you’d like your visitors to do once they’ve found your site.
Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, or are you more interested in guiding them towards the sale that you’re running? This is your call to action. Whatever it is, it should be easy to identify and powerful.
Your call to action should be on a button with contrasting colors so that it stands out from the rest of the page.
Once a visitor is on your website, you’ll need a way to gather their contact information. This helps you maximize the chance that a visitor will convert into a customer — or, with any luck, a repeat customer.
To do this, you should include a lead capture form on your landing page.
Be careful, though — you don’t want to ask too much! Having to type in too much information can be a turn-off for potential customers.
Instead, ask the minimum amount of information that you need for a viable lead. If you need to ask several questions, try using a multi-step form. Both asking less and using multi-step forms can improve your opt-ins.
The third item on our landing page checklist is closely linked to the lead capture form. An important best practice is to integrate the opt-in form on your landing page into a system you already have.
Are you using CRM software? Do you have an email newsletter already set up?
Integrate your landing page opt-in form into these systems. Then you can receive notifications when someone signs up, and it will be easier to manage the new leads that your landing page generates.
The copy is important to all areas of your website, but you should take special care in designing the copy for your headline and sub-headline. It could make the difference between a new customer and loss of potential revenue for your business.
Your headline should be punchy and to-the-point. Your goal is to grab the reader’s attention and get them to read the sub-headline.
Think of it as a relay team. The headline is the first leg of your relay team passing the baton — the visitor — to your sub-headline.
Keep it short. For maximum impact, this should be no more than 10-20 words.
Your sub-headline can go into a little more depth, but it still shouldn’t be too wordy. You’re explaining more of what you promised in that eye-catching headline you wrote.
Be clear about what’s so great about what you’re offering. What will the visitor get out of doing business with you?
This is a great place to be persuasive. Tactics like appealing to the visitor’s fear of missing out (FOMO) can be useful.
How is your business different from others? How will the visitor benefit from working with you instead of someone else?
This is your value proposition, which should be included somewhere in your sub-headline if possible.
Ideally, your value proposition should be obvious in multiple places on your site. Including it in this section of your landing page is where you’ll see it’s most effective.
People don’t like reading large blocks of text, especially online. Our eyes jump from one line to another, made easier by lots of white space.
One way to make sure that people are reading — and processing — the information on your landing page is to write key information in bullet points. That way, people will know and remember your important points even if they’re just scanning the page. It’s also way more readable for mobile users.
Shoot for 3-5 bullet points with no more than three hundred words of copy.
So far our landing page checklist has focused on different aspects of what you need to have on your page. But what about the actual content? What will be most effective to write?
The best practice is always to focus on the potential benefit to your customers. Let them know the ways that their life will be better after working with you. You want to tempt them into learning more or buying your services.
You can also approach your content by analyzing pain points. What might a potential customer already be unhappy with? What has failed them in the past that your product or service promises to fix?
