Landing pages can serve different purposes – they are crucial to streamlining your sales funnels and generating revenue for your business.
You might be using a landing page to collect emails from visitors who opt in for a freebie, or you might want to get people to register for an upcoming webinar. Perhaps, in some cases, a landing page can be the sales page where you present your offer and allow visitors to buy your product or service.
No matter the role a particular landing page plays in your business, there’s always the same goal: to entice people to take action, subscribe, register, or buy. To help you accomplish your goal of creating high-converting landing pages, we’ve put together a 27-point landing page checklist that you should go through before you publish your next landing page.
In reality, most landing pages are not optimized for conversions. They’re “pretty,” but they don’t work that well…
A 27-point landing page checklist
1. Use your customer’s language
You want to get your message across using your potential customers’ words. Don’t get lost in professional jargon because you try to demonstrate authority. Use everyday language that resonates with your target audience.
2. Craft a compelling headline
Your headline is the first thing people will read. It’s the fundamental element of your page. Pack it with benefits to make it enticing and convincing. Don’t be afraid to be bold and blunt with your headline copy.
3. Use a complimentary sub-headline
Your landing page sub-headline is perfect for reinforcing your message and clarifying the benefits. Some marketers use it to call out their ideal customer and even place it above the main headline.
4. Write professional, solid landing page copy
As with all things in life, practice makes perfect. But before you get to a point where you can write compelling web copy, consider hiring a professional copywriter.
5. Attention-grabbing hero image
If you want your landing page to follow the AIDA model (Attention – Interest – Desire – Action), you need to draw attention with an image.
6. Your hero image needs to direct people towards the registration form
Place it strategically to draw the user’s eyes to your call to action, usually a sign-up form.
7. Keep the number of required form fields to the minimum
Your sign-up form doesn’t need more than a user will give up. If possible, eliminate all fields and keep the email address field only. People are much more willing to sign up if it takes less time and energy.
8. Only one call to action (CTA) per page
You want visitors to do one thing – not many different things. Eliminate all unnecessary CTAs that don’t serve your primary CTA. If you want people to subscribe to your list, stick to that and avoid throwing other offers at them.
9. Benefit-driven CTA text
When you ask people to take action, such as subscribing to your list, it’s always the best practice to be clear about what’s in it for them. Help them understand the benefits they will enjoy in exchange for giving up their email.
10. Above-the-fold CTA
Your CTA elements (usually an opt-in form and a button) should be visible without the user having to scroll down. Test your mobile page to make sure it is visible on smaller screens.
11. Striking CTA button
Beneath your form (or next to it, if it’s a horizontal one), there will be a button. That CTA button must have a vivid color, an easy-to-read font, and a maximum of five words.
12. Stripped out navigation
In most cases, landing pages will perform better without the main navigation bar. As mentioned above, you want to entice the user to take an action. Why throw in irrelevant information?
13. Avoid content clutter
The same goes for all extra information about you and your company unrelated to the message you want to get across on the landing page. For example, if you’re selling a product on that page, you don’t want to showcase all the other products you may have. Take the minimalist approach to the content you include on your landing pages.
14. Clear offer and benefit
We need to stress that your landing page copy, including your headline and everything above the fold, should describe a clear offer and the benefit of claiming that offer. If the random user has to go through your whole page to understand what it is about, you probably lose them.
15. The landing page copy should be a continuation of the ad copy
The landing page is not a standalone marketing element; it’s part of your sales funnel. That is why you need to keep consistent messages throughout your funnel. For example, when you drive traffic to your sales page from Facebook, the ad copy needs to prepare the user for what they may expect to see when they click through.
16. Understand buyers’ emotions that drive sales
High-converting pages always pay attention to the psychological elements of buyers’ behavior. A professional copywriter should be able to utilize those elements (scarcity, the need to feel included, or the fear of missing out) to drive more conversions.
17. Social proof
Testimonials and other social proof (such as a large social media following) are essential when the landing page visitor is nearly ready to buy. Social proof helps strengthen the feeling of security when making a purchase decision. It makes people feel that they’re in good hands and bolsters their feeling of having made the right decision.
18. Trust elements
Accordingly, trust elements, like an SSL certificate and site seals (or trust badges), will increase the user’s eagerness to buy. Trust elements may not be needed when you want people to subscribe to your list, but they’re essential to an ecommerce website and any checkout or sales page.
19. Links to “privacy policy” and “terms of service”
If you’re driving traffic from paid media, you need to have these pages in place. Also, a privacy policy and your terms of service are essential legal documents that your web visitors should be able to access with one click. Here’s a free tool to generate your business agreements and policies, but it’s always a good idea to consult a lawyer if possible.
20. Eliminate risk
Risk avoidance is a significant reason some visitors leave your page without action. When it comes to sales pages, most marketers and online business owners tend to eliminate risk by offering a 30-day money-back guarantee, whether it be a digital or physical product.
21. Give prospects a way to contact you
In the case of sales pages, and as a rule of thumb, you want to provide people with a way to contact you. Suppose you sell a high-end product, like a $4,500 coaching program. Although people might be familiar with your brand and services, you still want to allow them to pose questions that they feel are important to them before they hit the buy button.
22. Offer bonuses
Bonuses serve as the finishing touch to your landing page. With bonuses, people feel they get more value for the same amount. Choose bonuses wisely to complement your main offer, and you will get a conversion rate boost.
23. Keep it simple
Marketers often talk about the KISS principle. What does it mean? Keep It Simple, Stupid! We do not need to elaborate on that, do we? 🙂
24. Brand congruence
Brand consistency across all channels and on your landing pages is essential. Not only will it make your brand recognizable, but it will also positively affect the emotional state of the potential buyer.
25. First impression and design
Accordingly, your landing page’s layout, colors, and fonts are also essential. There’s a theory about the impact of colors on purchasing decisions, but even if you don’t want to walk the extra mile, make sure your page looks good design-wise. Always have a professional designer create your page or use a pre-made template instead of trying to combine random colors.
26. Mobile responsiveness
Now, let’s briefly discuss a couple of technical elements. Rarely will you find a landing page that is not mobile responsive. Many, if not most, users browse the internet from their mobile devices. That is why you must also test your pages to ensure they look good on smaller screens. Here’s one of the many tools available to test your web pages for responsiveness. Also, here’s Google’s mobile-friendly test.
27. Loading time
Attention span is diminishing for most internet users due to spending a lot of time online and being subjected to constant distractions. Ensure your page loads fast, ideally in 1.5 seconds or less, if you want to reduce the bounce rate. Here’s a popular tool to test loading speed and get recommendations on how to improve it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mastering the art of creating a high-converting landing page is essential for any digital marketer or business owner looking to enhance their online presence and drive sales. While our 27-point checklist provides a comprehensive guide to optimizing your landing pages, the journey toward digital marketing excellence doesn’t end here.
If you want to delve deeper and elevate your skills, check out DoneWithYou.com. Whether you’re struggling with crafting compelling copy, designing eye-catching layouts, or understanding the intricate psychology behind consumer behavior, our program provides personalized guidance and expert insights. You’ll gain access to a wealth of knowledge, tools, and resources crucial for navigating the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape.
Don’t let your landing pages be merely “pretty”; make them powerful tools that convert visitors into loyal customers. Take the next step in your digital marketing journey by learning more about the Launchpad Accelerator. Transform your approach, refine your strategies, and watch your business soar to new heights. Visit our website now and start your path to becoming a digital marketing maestro.
Conversion rate optimization should be your top concern when building an opt-in, webinar registration, or sales page. Use the landing page checklist in this article to ensure you have considered all the essential elements of a successful landing page.