11 Factors for Creating a Great Landing Page

Searching on the internet is a really quick process: all the user needs to do is enter a term into the search bar, click on one of the results and they can start judging. If the search results are interesting, they'll stay. If not, they go back to the SERPs and on to the next result - your competition is only one click away! This is why you need to make sure you have a really good landing page.

Watch your Competition

Improving your website and achieving good rankings is all for nothing if your visitors don’t stay on your website. If they go back to the search results after clicking on your website, you’ll end up with a high bounce rate, and visitors won’t convert.

Your landing page needs to shine against the competition. No matter what product or service you offer on your site, the visitors will always compare. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

That's why it's important to keep an eye on your competition - not only to look at all OnPage and OffPage factors, but also to see what content and sales points are being addressed. A good landing page will convince users to spend time on a website, with the aim that they end up on a purchase page.

11 important landing page factors

The following 11 elements are rated again and again as really important for great landing pages. The list is not exhaustive, but these factors have proved themselves to be the most important for influencing the conversion rate.

1. The logo

The logo is a recognizable symbol and differentiates providers from one another. It also conveys trust if users know and can recognize the logo. Poor logos (bad quality, meaningless, only writing without images) convey the feeling of an unreliable landing page.

2. Headline / Sub-heading

The first and most important question for users is, 'Am I in the right place?' If the user comes from the SERPs, the title they have just clicked on should also be on the page itself to give the user the impression they are going to find what they were looking for. The headline and subline should always be presented in a relevant and concise manner, but it should also appeal to emotions. Short and concise texts enable users to quickly take information on board.

Looking for a last minute holiday to Turkey, I found this result:

Figure 1: Result on SERPs for 'last minute holiday in Turkey'

The landing page shows the search items again, so the user thinks they will get what the want.

Figure 4: landing page for the searched item

3. Hero shot

Users want a precise presentation of what they are requesting/buying. It's called a hero shot, because the product really needs to be the hero of your landing page. Good product shots are absolutely indispensable for high conversion rates. If you want to do it right, you have to do some storytelling with the product so that it will stick in the head of your target group and create thought associations. From a consumption psychology point of view, visitors will remember this better and it will influence their decision.

Even if for 'last minute Turkey holiday' you can't present an actual product, you can get points with emotions. This example shows how you can get visitors in the mood for a holiday right away.

Figure 4: Expedia's landing page

4. Introduction

Especially for generic keywords, it’s important to introduce the users to the topic, create an overview and not to confuse with specialist terms. That is also the case for longtail keywords, because you need to convey that this is where you will definitely find what you were searching for.

5. UVP (Unique Value Proposition)

Since there are always nine other potential competitors in the organic search results, you need to differentiate yourself with your offer. What is the unique added value you can give that the others don’t provide? Do you have specific services, shipping conditions or long-term experience that makes you an expert? Show your users what makes you unique.

6. Price

Price is not always the decisive factor. Often, it is still the main factor for many products when it comes to the purchase decision. From a consumption psychology point of view, it makes sense to 'explain' prices. The price can also act as seals of quality, i.e., an explanation for the price creates transparency about the product’s value. Especially for deals or special offers, the savings should be highlighted. If something is running out, the time frame should be made clear ('Only available for x more days')

7. Call to action

A call to action figuratively takes the users’ hand and provides direction. It has to be clearly visible, but must also ensure that the user knows what is next. That's why an inviting description is important. If you print out your own landing page, you should always see what the aim of the page is – from the content, and also with call to actions. Here are some additional tips for the conversion killer 'no clear call to action'.

8. Reason why

Your users want a good reason to make a decision. If a landing page can deliver these, everything is fine. If not, you're opening the door to competition. Good and descriptive texts with good, easy to read formatting give a lot of added value to users (and to search engines too). You can work with statistics or comparison charts, videos, photos of the product being used, short lists, etc.
The only thing that is important is answering an important question, 'Why is the product/service/etc right for ME?' The price can be an important reason, but doesn't have to be. The TUI example aims at presenting 50% savings that needs to be true in the steps following the landing page.

9. How the concept works

Not every landing page sells a product/service that needs explaining. But precisely then, it is even more important to explain to the user in simple words how the product/service works. Short process steps or a short explanatory video are always helpful in these cases. Visualizing the concept helps avoid complexity and makes things easy to understand. It depends on the target group and the products whether a technical drawing, a rough drawing, or a video is best.

10. Testimonials

You can also convince the user that your concept works by letting others promote it. In marketing terms, this is called testimonials. These can be real customers ('I think the product is great, because ...' or you can use experts. These experts can be celebrities, or people of authority for example doctors or scientists. For credibility, it can be very helpful to authentically describe product pros and cons. The style should show that it was written by real people for users.

Figure 5: Testimonials on the Ryte homepage

11. Elements of trust

It's hard to trust companies that you don't know. You trust popular brands more easily. If users don't know your company, you have to find another way to convey trust. Examples that are often cited are seals, popular brands, editorial certificates or social media elements, like Facebook's Fanbox that displays friends as fans of this page. Besides these elements, a professional design and comprehensible page structure also foment trust. Customer ratings also increase trust - but it is important that there are several ratings, not just one. I shouldn't have to add that they have to be real, too :-)

If you're landing page includes these 11 factors, there's a good chance you'll manage to keep your visitors on your page, increasing your conversions and sales.

This article was originally published in the German Ryte Magazine by Gabriel Beck