Want to Create the Perfect Landing Page? Try This!

 
 

Studies show that you have 8 seconds to convince an internet user not to exit your webpage. 8 seconds and that’s it. In a fraction of a minute, you need to get ahold of their attention. After you’ve captured them, then and only then can you convince them your company is the company they’ve been looking for all along.

What’s going to keep them on from clicking away? An excellent landing page, that’s what.

Crafting the perfect landing page, however, isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s about knowing what your goals are, who your competition is, and who your readers are. But that’s just half of it.

 

In the World of Online Marketing, Content is King

 

In 1996, Bill Gates penned an essay titled “Content is King”, which outlined his predictions for the future of the World Wide Web.

Content, Gates wrote, is central to the success of a website and in turn, the company behind it.

With over two decades between us and Gate’s initial declaration, it is more than evident that Mr. Microsoft was right all along. Content—any information directed towards an audience or end-user—is the lifeblood of the Internet. Users are engaging with it constantly and are always on the hunt for new, interesting content. Meanwhile, business owners and marketing firms are constantly tasked with crafting and disseminating valuable, high-authority, entertaining, and relevant content to the world.

Is content still king in 2019? Yes!

 

The Importance of a Landing Page

 

Content comes in many forms, but in the world of online marketing and SEO, it is often delivered in the form of the ‘landing page’.

For the uninitiated, a landing page is a page a web user arrives at after clicking a search result. It’s not your website’s home page. It is a campaign-specific webpage that *should* succeed in steering users toward your business.

For example, if you were an electrician, you might have a landing page on your website for “Electrical Services” or “Electrical Repairs”. When a user performs a Google search for something related to electrical repairs, your landing page will (hopefully) appear.

Sure, you might invest a lot of time on a sleek website design, aesthetically-pleasing graphics, and a user-friendly interface, but all your website has is one homepage void of information or content, few people will be interested.

 

Conversion-Driven Content

 

You might think the goal of the landing page is to intrigue users or generate further interest. In truth, a landing page should go further than that. Your targeted message should generate a conversion—that means the page should compel the client to pick up the phone and call you or shoot you an e-mail. It is as simple as that.

 

Crafting the Perfect Landing Page: Be Concise!

 

“Brevity is the soul of wit,” says Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet—before going on to say quite a few other things in not-so-brief a manner.

The same could be said of the perfect landing page. In the world of advertising, concision is what makes or breaks a piece of content.

Just think of the best catch-phrases, tag-lines, and slogans throughout history. Were those slogans long-winded tongue-twisters? Were they difficult to memorize? Definitely not!

You might not generate content as earth-shattering as a Nike or McDonald’s campaign, but that’s not the end-goal. However, the approach ought to be the same: Be brief!

Another trick when crafting a landing page or reviewing the handiwork of a freelancer you’ve contracted: Remember what people use the Internet and Google for. They take to the internet to find a reliable business because it is easier than wandering the streets looking for the perfect company.

If their patience or focus is put to the test by longwinded content, they’ll liable to close your webpage and look elsewhere. In the digital age, people want you to get to the point immediately. If they wanted to spend all that time looking for help, they might just step out their front door instead.

 

The Best Content Writers Have a Clear Goal in Mind

 

Aside from being concise, your landing page should have a point—that is, a goal. We touched on this issue earlier when we mentioned ‘conversion-driven content’, and we’re going to expand on that idea a little more here.

What’s the desired outcome of your landing page? Are you looking to get users to fill out a contact form? Do you want them to sign up for your company’s newsletter? Do you want them to donate to an affiliated charity, buy something, or contact you via phone immediately?

If you’re not sure, take some time to think about that question. Content isn’t just filler for a well-designed webpage. It is part of your company’s marketing strategy, and it should be in line with that strategy every step of the way.

Remember that the user discovered your landing page for a reason. Always keep that reason in mind when drafting the content for your landing page.

 

Who Is Reading Your Landing Page?

 

Knowing who your audience is will keep you from drafting a landing page filled with needless information or misguided passages.

You want your audience to be people looking for the very services you provide. This is something a lot of companies and their respective marketing firms often lose sight of. You can see their muddled approach all over their landing pages. Rather than espousing the credibility of the business or the benefits of working with them over other companies, they spend 500+ words rambling aimlessly.

If you specialize in home remodeling, do you want your audience to be DIY homeowners looking for tips on how to re-tile their bathroom? No. Your ideal user is someone who’s not interested in the DIY approach. They’re someone who wants someone else to re-tile their floors.

Many home remodeler’s websites are riddled with landing pages brimming with How-To lists and information on DIY approaches because of a bad marketing strategy. While that landing page might be a display of their knowledge and authority within the world of remodeling, does explaining how a user can do the job themselves say anything about how well the company does their job? Nope.

 

When Your Marketing Strategy Doesn’t Have an Audience in Mind

 

When your content isn’t geared to your desired audience, it will not only scare away your ideal reader, but users who have no interest in your business might discover it. This happens when your page is filled with lots of general information about the service but no inventive pitch or conversion-driven strategy. Those DIYers might find your landing page helpful, but will it persuade them to abandon their Do-It-Yourself mentality? Probably not.

You’ll see these sorts of landing pages all over the internet. Like we said, do you really think someone in the midst of a plumbing emergency wants to read a 1,000-word essay on how to fix a leaky faucet with a single wrench? No! What they want is for a company to come and save the day.

 

Always Remember Who You’re Competing Against

 

Who are your competitors? What is it that YOU do that the other companies in your service area don’t do?

Always write your landing page with that in mind. Find clever—and brief—ways to communicate that you offer things that other companies are unable to provide. It is all about standing out. Establishing your credibility is important, but so is establishing your superiority.

When there are so many other options for the user to investigate, you need to make them feel like they’ve hit the jackpot by discovering your webpage.

Knowing competition is another way to sharpen your marketing strategy. Take some time to look at the booming businesses in your area. How does their content strategy differ from yours? Are their pages a mixture of eye-catching Before-After images and succinct blocks of text? Don’t be afraid to shift your approach if you think you could benefit from a change.

 

Use Your Landing Page to Highlight Your Credibility

 

Any company can say they’re the best. The fact that anyone claims to be the best at their job is what makes most savvy consumers wary of such statements. What really stands out is someone else singing your praises.

This can be in the form of a link to your Customer Reviews page on Google My Business, glowing testimonials on Yelp, or anything of that sort. You could also benefit from mentioning any awards, certifications, and company milestones. Those are things that set your company apart from the rest, so embrace them! There is no reason to be modest when it comes to online marketing.

 

Is Your Landing Page Easy to Scan?

 

Readability is extremely important. Not only does it ensure your content makes the desired impact but shows a level of professionalism that really goes a long way. And sometimes, professionalism is a client is looking for.

Whether we like to admit it or not, not every client who calls you will have read every line of text on your website. What they’re looking for is a company who is legitimate, credible, and can give them what they need. All these things can be communicated in ways other than clever wording and well-paced sentences. A sleek design and an assuring typeface can sometimes be all a client needs to feel like you’re the person to trust.

In the interest of making your page scannable and easy to read, here are a few other tips.

 

You Should Always Utilize Headers

 

You might not know what headers are, though you’ve definitely seen them before. By this point in our blog post, you have already seen 12 of them!

At their most basic level, headers operate like clear and catchy titles that introduce the next topic of discussion. On a more technical level, headers are integral to search engine optimization. Though what we’re talking about here is user optimization and readability, so that’s what we’ll focus on.

 

Headers Make Your Landing Page Readable

 

Headers improve the navigability and readability of your landing page’s content. They prevent a 500-word piece from being one long an unattractive block of text. An endless scroll is something that no potential customer wants to sift through. Just think of the fine-print on a contract. Is that something people enjoy reading? Definitely not.

When headers are used, that block of text is broken up into bite-sized chunks. It is less overwhelming to the eye, and also great for your SEO.

Like we’ve said, many users will not read your entire page. With catchy, relevant, and informative headers, however, they won’t even have to.

If knowing that people aren’t reading your content hurts your Inner Artist, just remind yourself of your page’s objective. You’re not out to win the National Magazine Award for your pastoral prose on septic services, you’re out to get a new client. All that matters is whether they pick up the phone to call you.

 

Headers Give the Appearance of Less Rather Than More

 

Though a 350-word piece with 4 Headers might take more time to scroll through than a 350-word piece void of headers, it probably won’t feel that way.

With headers, your page has more room to breathe. That negative space between paragraphs isn’t wasted space that should be filled with more text or a lot of obnoxious GIFs.

 

Conclusion: It is All About the Conversions

 

A Landing Page isn’t like other forms of web content. It isn’t an informational blog-post or the manuscript for your long-awaited novel. It is a concise pitch geared to a specific audience who are looking for a specific service. It is a place for you to boast and establish your credibility. Every paragraph should support the primary objective, and there should be many moments where you invite the reader to contact you as they wish.

It should hold a reader’s interest while not demanding that they read the entire page. If they’re interested in calling you after they just see your page’s professional layout, what’s the matter with that?

 

Want Help Creating Landing Pages That Drive Sales?

 

LinkNow Media’s content department is here to help. With an SEO strategy specially designed to help small businesses get leads, our content has been proven, time and again, to get businesses ranking on Google.

If you’re already a client, contact your account executive to find out about how our content can make a difference for your bottom line. If you’re simply interested in getting some information about our conversion-driven content strategy, give us a call at 1-888-667-7186.

Or, simply leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

Aubrey Grant

Author: Aubrey Grant

About Aubrey Grant

Aubrey is a copy writer and Head of Content at LinkNow Media. An expert content marketer, he is obsessed with developing strategic solutions that emphasize elegance and simplicity. Although generally mild mannered, he has been known to fly into rages at the sight of a semicolon.