The money you spend on paid advertising is wasted if you are driving great traffic to poorly designed landing pages. If a person’s first experience with your business is on a confusing or poorly designed landing page, they may never return. This means you are burning cash to attract attention to your products, only to exhaust those opportunities and have to start over.
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a web page with a specific goal, typically to generate conversions in the form of leads or sales. If you think of your homepage as your physical store, landing pages are like pop-up shops or farmer’s market booths. The homepage targets people who already know your brand and website address. However, a landing page is created for a specific purpose or audience, usually achieved through a marketing campaign or paid traffic.
How to build landing pages around your audience’s needs
While we share template recommendations for designing landing pages that achieve higher conversion rates, they are intended to be a starting point based on your target audience and their unique needs.
Conducting conversion research to gain foundational insights is a critical part of setting up your landing pages for success, according to conversion rate optimization consultant Michael Aagaard. Conversion research typically includes things like user testing, web traffic source analysis, copy testing, and surveys.
“People often forget that the landing page is part of a larger user journey,” says Michael. “As a result, they end up wasting time tweaking shiny things that don’t really matter. There are many other factors beyond the landing page itself that influence a user’s decision-making process – everything from the ad source and device to their level of awareness and motivation. The better you understand these aspects, the more likely you are to make the right decisions and create landing pages that actually convert more users.”
Analyzing traffic source and device
Building a landing page based on the device a person is shopping on is one way to start your conversion research. Look at your site analytics to see where your web traffic is coming from and what types of devices visitors are using.
If most of your customers are coming to your site on a mobile device, you’ll want to optimize your landing pages for a great mobile experience. Or, if you learn that your customers prefer desktop, you will be better equipped to build a landing page that enhances the desktop experience.
Nick Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brands, recommends digging deeper into that traffic to understand what type of platform people came from – whether it was TikTok, Facebook, a blog article, etc.
“Failing to make your pages contextual to the platform they came from will lead to higher bounce rates and lower return on ads,” he says. This type of contextual listening drives a better overall customer experience and sets the best practices below for achieving success.
Understanding when best practices fail
The tips mentioned in this article have succeeded for the experts who have tested and applied them. But be cautious of implementing these design elements without understanding how they relate to your overall goals. Ben Labay, CEO of Speero by CXL, warns that “best practices fail when they lose context with the business strategy.”
Knowing what your target audience wants and needs is foundational to building landing pages that achieve high conversion rates.
“The better you understand your target audience, the better you can build landing pages. Don’t let yourself be tempted by the latest design trends,” says Michael. “Instead, make sure to have all the basics in place and conduct thorough user research so you can make informed decisions that drive behavior, rather than just tweaking the page layout.”
Considering
In the flow of information across the entire landing page
Focus on the flow of information across the entire page rather than just the design at the top and bottom of the page – the process of presenting everything a user can see on your landing page without reading.
No matter what works best for your clients, you’ll always want to be deliberate about the type of text and content you place at the top of any landing page. But, as Michael says, “Trying to cram too much content into the first screen often leads to a very cluttered experience that overwhelms users with too much information.”
Instead, he says, “Marketers should think less about ‘above the fold’ and more about the overall hierarchy of information and the flow of content on the landing page.”
Consider the following questions while building your landing pages. The answers will depend on your understanding of the general user journey of your target audience and the role you want your landing page to play.
- Does it answer the right questions and address the right obstacles?
- Does it manage expectations and follow up on the “promises” made in the ad source?
- Does it present content in the right order and build momentum towards the conversion goal?
Main elements of an effective landing page design
Now let’s break down the essential elements that go into designing a landing page. It’s worth noting that not all landing page design suggestions listed here will work for your clients. What you choose greatly depends on your target audience and their needs. Identify the elements you need to achieve maximum success – you don’t need to use them all!
1. Above-the-fold content
The content that appears above the fold is the content that can be seen without scrolling, which varies based on the device the person is using, whether it’s a computer screen, tablet, or mobile device, which differ in screen sizes from model to model. Generally, the fold is about 600 pixels from the top of the browser window.
Not all visitors to the landing page will ever scroll on desktop or mobile. In fact, most website visitors probably won’t scroll at all.
2. Landing page text
The text of the landing page consists of the words on the page, including product descriptions, calls to action, headings, and meta title and description. Use a bold headline that focuses on the problem to start your landing page.
When writing your landing page text, consider the voice of the customer. Use reviews and social media, and incorporate the words and phrases your audience uses into your landing page text.
Remember to emphasize benefits instead of features. For example, if your landing page promotes a waterproof phone case, talk about how people can take pictures while swimming when highlighting the waterproof rating.
Finally, your landing page text should be written in accordance with your brand voice. Consistency is important, even when it comes to targeted promotions and campaigns.
3. Images and colors
Similar to text, images, fonts, and colors should be on brand. Although you may have more flexibility in designing the landing page, it’s still important to provide a cohesive brand experience across all touchpoints.
Your landing page design should consider colors and fonts, as well as have space to place images well. Many people start with their landing page text and then develop the visual elements to ensure harmony between text and image. Remember that images can include illustrations and videos as well as product photos.
4.
Customer Reviews
One of the small yet impactful tweaks made by Ezra Firestone, founder of Smart Marketer and co-founder and CEO of BOOM by Cindy Joseph, was placing customer testimonials at the top of the box instead of the product name.
Here’s an example: notice how easily the customer testimonial can be read, adding social proof to persuade users to convert.
Including a quote at the top builds trust, eliminating the need for people to search for reviews, and allows your customers to speak for you. Just make sure to choose quotes that address a benefit or pain point solved by each product directly.
Additionally, consider including an entire section dedicated to customer opinions so that shoppers can read the thoughts of real people who have actually purchased your products. Be sure to show some negative and mid-range reviews so that others can gain a complete understanding of what they like and dislike.
5. Call to Action (CTA)
Every landing page needs a call to action to be effective. The call to action should drive users to take the action you want them to take. Depending on your landing page, the call to action could say something like “Learn More,” “Buy Now,” or “Subscribe.” It may also include pricing information here, if relevant.
If you’re wondering where to place the call to action, it also depends on your audience’s needs. You’ll determine it based on testing that placement to see what drives the best conversion rates. Generally speaking, you’ll want a call to action at the top of the page and throughout the landing page, depending on how long the page is.
Landing Page Design Examples
Let’s take a look at some real landing page design examples for inspiration for your own page. Brightland
Brightland sells premium extra virgin olive oil from California. It has received positive acclaim from magazines like Women’s Health, which it uses in its paid social media ads.
Brightland uses a set page as a landing page. The design is simple and clear, showcasing its various features up front. It also highlights its five-star rating.
Olipop
Olipop sells healthy drinks packed with plant-based ingredients and prebiotic boosters to support a healthy microbiome. In this example of a Facebook ad, it directs users straight to the product page, using that instead of a separate landing page. The design is bright, fun, clean, and simple – all features of Olipop’s visual brand identity.
Path
Path is a virtual photo editing studio with a Shopify website. It offers basic product photo editing services. One of the channels it uses to market and communicate with customers is email. Path has a dedicated landing page to encourage email newsletter sign-ups.
You can see that the page is clearly focused on the goal – increasing subscriptions – and doesn’t provide too many distractions from that goal. The page is not easily accessible from the company’s site, but targeted campaigns can drive newsletter sign-up traffic to this page.
How to Create the Best Landing Page Design
You’ve captured a potential customer’s attention, and now you have a few seconds to share what makes your brand and products unique. It’s a tall order to accomplish that in just a few words or images, and even tougher when leads have little context about your brand.
Here’s how to design better landing pages to achieve it:
1. Optimize the checkout box for conversion
Ezra considers the checkout box the most important part of your product landing pages. It’s a real box on the page that contains a significantly optimized set of conversion assets, including the buy button. What is the checkout box?
Box
The purchase is a small part of the entire landing page that needs to have a big impact. It’s simply the conversion engine on your landing page.
In general, if you’re viewing it on desktop, the purchase box includes a carousel of images next to the product image on the left, along with your summary, sales copy, pricing, star ratings, a purchase button or Shop Pay button, and a unique selling display beneath the button on the right. Below is one example of a purchase box on desktop.
2. Capture Great Product Images
The images you include for your products are probably the only thing potential buyers can rely on when considering purchasing your products, especially if you’re a direct-to-consumer brand. Images are how the buyer visualizes the item without being able to hold it themselves. If you don’t capture the photography to fully showcase how great your products are, it’s very difficult for customers to do the same.
Optimize Product Images for Speed and Compatibility
Nail down the finer details to ensure a smoother experience. Use an image compressor like TinyPNG to reduce image sizes for faster loading. Add image borders and contextual text that speaks about the benefits, rather than the features, of your products. Use your website builder to check how the image gallery and calls to action appear on both desktop and mobile to ensure they’re optimized for both.
3. Expand Your Product Descriptions
The description you might include in your purchase box is a brief text that explains what your product actually is. You have more space below the page to provide details that directly address any objections that might prevent the customer from completing the purchase.
Peepers Eyewear is a pro at this: the top of the page contains many product photos, and below you’ll find the details and a description that mentions all the benefits of using Peepers lenses.
When developing your product detail text, first write what your product is and what it does. Then, define the unique benefits, which can speak to the pain points you’re trying to solve or the gap you’re trying to fill in the market. Do you prefer to include everything in the purchase box? Consider adding a toggle option, like Brightland does for its olive oils, and explore more of the product benefits there.
4. Include Testimonials and Unique Selling Propositions
Testimonials go a long way with shoppers, and some won’t purchase a product without them. Testimonials for bunny-approved products, non-GMO products, or B Corp certification are three examples. If you’re certified for anything, showcase it on your landing page.
You likely have some great unique selling propositions (USPs) for your products. If you haven’t written them down yet, spend some time developing what makes your product different from the competition. This exercise takes time, but your USP copy will influence how you position your brand overall in the market and how you structure your landing pages.
5. Add a Promotional and Cross-Sell Section with Suggestions for Other Products
You have the shopper’s attention; why not promote additional products they’ll love? If they see something they like, you’re providing a quick and easy way for them to add it to their cart. You can add a feature to your store to do this. If you’re using Shopify, ReConvert Upsell & Cross Sell, Honeycomb Upsell & Cross Sell, and One Click Upsell – Zipify OCU are all great apps you can check out.
6. Include a Trust Bar and a “Why” Section
Have you been featured in a publication like Forbes, The New York Times, or Wired? Showcasing those logos on your landing pages with quotes from the articles is what Nick Sharma calls a “trust bar.” These publications add credibility to your brand, and mentioning them goes a long way with shoppers looking for more information.
Section
“Why” is another section invented by Nick. Instead of embedding the reason for purchasing your product throughout the text of your landing page, Nick recommends clearly highlighting it in its own dedicated section. The heading could simply be “Why [Your Business Name]?” with a paragraph of benefits below. Alternatively, you could choose some icons representing the different key factors of your brand and write accompanying text for each.
Testing Your Landing Page Design
Once you have landing pages that are working and directing meaningful traffic to your site, you can start testing different parts of your landing page design to ensure they achieve the highest possible conversion rate.
It’s not just about finding the best-performing phrase, but Ben notes that “if you’re testing, you don’t want to test opinion evidence, but instead challenge strategy or test hypotheses directly related to customer problems or business opportunities.”
Ben says tests should be directly proportional to the factors associated with the growth of your business model. If you want to attract more customers, monetize your Instagram, or retain existing customers, your landing page experimentation and hypotheses should change accordingly.
Building Beautiful Landing Page Designs with Shopify
Shopify provides all the tools, apps, integrations, and templates you need to start designing your landing pages. Start from scratch or use a template, customize it to fit your unique brand, and manage everything from anywhere. You can also browse thousands of Shopify apps to add features and functionality to your landing page, helping you increase conversion rates and maximize your investment.
Are you ready to build your business? Start your free Shopify trial – no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions About Landing Page Design
What is landing page design?
Landing page design is a web page created to convert visitors into customers or leads. It has a specific goal and is designed with a clear purpose in mind. Landing pages are often used to capture leads, promote products or services, or provide information to potential customers. They typically include a form to collect contact information, a headline, and a call to action.
How to create a landing page?
Choose a platform like Shopify or Squarespace to create a landing page. Design your page with a headline, call to action, and any other necessary elements. Use an effective headline. It should be concise and engaging. Add content to your page such as images, videos, and testimonials. Use keywords and best practices for SEO to ensure your landing page is discovered by search engines. Test your page and optimize based on the results.
What should a landing page consist of?
A landing page typically consists of a headline, a brief introduction, a call to action, and a form for visitors to submit their contact information. Additionally, a landing page may include extra elements such as videos, images, customer testimonials, product offers, and more. Ultimately, the goal of a landing page is to generate leads, so it should be designed to collect as much information as possible.
Leave a Reply