When it comes to successful digital marketing, designing landing pages which genuinely convert can be the ultimate difference between success and failure. They act as the shopfront; your ten-second window to demonstrate why your goods or services are different (better) and encourage users to act.
Now, all of the above sounds great in theory, but just how easy is it to design a landing page that truly converts? One which has a meaningful return on investment to turbocharge your bottom line?
In truth, it requires a blend of ingredients: eye-catching visuals or animations; engaging functionality; and persuasive copy to boot. Below, we’re going to shine the spotlight on a trio of standout examples of winning landing pages to illustrate the key principles of landing page design in practice.
The power of visual hierarchy
It’s important for promotional landing pages to have a clear hierarchy of the most important elements a user should be looking at. Slack’s page promoting its ‘Channels’ service, the collaborative platform which creates flexible and transparent spaces for remote working together, is proof of the power of negative space.
After a powerful one-line strap line and a brief description of the service, Slack then positions two immediate call-to-action buttons, directing users to create an account or speak directly to their sales team. Then follows a string of clever, modular sections, each showcasing a feature of the Channels service in practice. Thanks to the advent of HTML5 technology, landing pages can benefit from feature-rich animations, and this has never been more apparent than here. You can watch a demo of each feature to get a feel for the platform before a closing call-to-action.
Clarity is king
The number-one priority of a promotional landing page is to clearly communicate the offer, as effectively and quickly as possible, which you can see in the following example. Buzz Bingo is an online bingo platform in the UK and its bingo welcome bonus page is the ideal example of a landing page which gets straight down to business. Its H1 headline “£40 Bingo Bonus and 200 Slots Spins When You Join” makes the proposition and added value clear to users from the outset.
Beneath this introduction is a clear breakdown of how the promotion works and the slot games eligible for the free spins. The package is reinforced again before a “Join Now” button. This is placed below the fold for most desktop browsers but, cleverly, there’s also a green “Join Now” button within the header of the landing page to cast a wider net over potential customers.
Showcase your features
Wix is one of the fastest-growing website builders in the industry right now. It’s on a mission to simplify web development, enabling anyone to build their own business or brochure site to showcase their portfolio.
What’s great about Wix’s homepage is that it’s one big promotional landing page. Best of all, it’s got captivating digital illustrations which replicate some of the features you’ll find within its website builder. Whether it’s the text boxes, the image resizing boxes or the AI image editor, as you scroll down the page you’ll soon understand Wix’s drag-and-drop approach.
There are multiple clever touchpoints for potential conversions too. Whether it’s the domain name search box or the “Get Started” button – which reinforces that you can start building your website for free without having to provide any payment details upfront – it’s possible to attract instant clicks above the fold and further clicks for those engaged enough to read below it.
The core principles of designing landing pages fit for conversion are thus as follows. Declutter as much as possible and prioritize simplicity. Focus on your goods or services and how users can claim them. Be sure to A/B test and refine elements to pinpoint exactly what resonates best. So, if this guide has converted you, hopefully you now have this power, too.