By Sylvia Mukami

One of the greatest challenges of any business is convincing people to buy your products or services. Luckily, in the 21st century, this process can be automated through an optimized landing page.

You might be wondering what a landing page is, and why you haven’t heard people talking much about it in digital marketing circles.

This is because it is an underrated action. Everyone just wants their homepage to look visually appealing and understandably so, because it acts as your website’s store front. You want everyone who walks in to be wowed.

A homepage is perfect for direct traffic, but it serves the masses and is not focussed on any particular action that you would wish a user to take. It is littered with all types of messages which might make your visitor feel lost at sea.

This is why landing pages are important. They tell the user what you want them to do and why they need to take that specific action. Whether you want them to sign up for a service, subscribe to your newsletter, start a free trial or download an ebook, the action will be much clearer when expressed on a landing page.

A landing page also called a lead capture page is a key element to lead generation. And it is aptly named because that is where visitors ‘land’ after they click a link from an email, advert or any other marketing campaign.

If you have been directing visitors to your homepage, you have been doing it all wrong. A landing page has an average conversion rate of 5-15%. Au contraire, the average homepage conversion rate is 1-3%. There’s a lesson here: your homepage should not act as a landing page. Ever.

So how do you create a dedicated landing page that will give you the conversions that your business so desires? You can use this checklist for your next landing page.

 

A landing page must have a strong headline

The first point of contact you will have with the visitor on your landing page is the headline. First impressions matter, so make it last. The headline should be relevant and give a quick overview of the offer that you are presenting.

A headline that is customer focussed and provides a solution to the visitor will encourage them to keep on reading. You can also follow it up with a persuasive subheading to maintain their attention.

 

A landing page must have a unique value proposition

This is an opportunity to explain to the persona what your offer is about. Do not create a landing page for “Call Us” because it does not talk about the value that you are offering.

A landing page captures the leads through the offers that you give them, allowing you to nurture these visitors until they are ready to purchase from you.

From the onset, make it very clear what the page is about. Cut down on unnecessary words and complement copy with good images and graphics. Use bullet points to outline the benefits of the offer and how they will relieve the persona’s pain points.

Make one offer instead of two or more. For example, do not offer a trial consultation and a free webinar on the same landing page. Split-test multiple offers by creating a landing page for each.

 

A landing page must have zero distractions

Prevent distractions at all costs so that the visitor only focusses on the call to action.

Remove all main site navigation links and menus from the landing page. As a result, the visitor will either perform the desired action or leave instead of wandering about.

In the same breath, you want to avoid friction on a landing page, that is, objects that hinder the visitor from responding to your calls to action. Friction may be caused by:

• Animated objects that alter the visitor’s concentration
• Complex explanations that make it difficult to understand the offer
• Lack of credibility so that visitors feel uncomfortable giving you their information
• Too many calls to action – confusing the visitor on which one to choose

 

A landing page must have the same content as the visitor’s source

Always make sure that your messaging on the landing page matches that of your pay-per-click ads, email or CTA from another targeted campaign.

If your PPC ad says register for the August intake, your landing page should require the same action or something similar.

Otherwise, your target audience will feel like they have come to the wrong place and they will be more likely to leave the page. Your conversion path must be seamless.

 

A landing page must have a clear call to action

Once the visitor understands the offer, they must be called to perform an action.

The CTA, usually a button or a link should be structured in such a way that it compels the user to do this. It should be short and to the point and use verbs.

‘Download’ ‘Sign Up’ ‘Buy Now’ ‘Start Free Trial’ are all examples of compelling calls to action. CTA’s should stand out and be strategically placed on the landing page.

Digital 4 Africa helps businesses to increase their revenue through data driven marketing.

We understand the challenges faced by businesses while trying to sell online. We provide solutions to help you create landing pages that convince and convert.  

Digital 4 Africa can help you improve your lead generation efforts. Ask for a quote now.