Optimising your landing page can be a bit of an art form and will inevitably take some focus and investment - but its investment that can pay huge dividends on ROI in good time. Here is your simple and foolproof guide to creating and optimising landing pages that actually work. 

Tip 1: It must load fast

There are a tonne of studies that have shown that most people won’t wait any longer than 2 seconds for a web page to load. Page loading speeds are a fundamental component of your user experience (for example, many people don’t trust slow websites), they play a critical role in conversion and even affect where you rank on search engines. 

Hard facts:

• 47% of people expect your site to load in less than 2 seconds.

• 40% will abandon it entirely if it takes longer than 3 seconds.

• 85% of internet users expect a mobile site to load as fast or faster than on their desktop.

Source: https://neilpatel.com/blog/loading-time/ 

Tip 2: Make your hero copy and image as clear as possible 

You’d be surprised how many people get this wrong. It’s the first thing that people see, and will ultimately influence their relationship with your site and service. For an effective hero component, you need these three pieces of the puzzle: your header text, subheader text and an optional image.

Header

This is the most important component of your landing page. If your visitor reads nothing else on your page, they should be able to at least describe what you do. Try keeping it within 6-12 words so people can quickly scan it.

Subheader

Now that people understand what you do, use your subheader to describe how. An example might be “We provide your car, insurance, tax, maintenance & breakdown cover - all in one monthly payment.” Be sure to keep your subheader within 10-13 words too. 

Image

The optional image should complement your header copy. It’s a chance to show off the product - maybe with a screenshot or a photo - or maybe use some illustrations to bring your brand to life. It’s best to avoid stock imagery which can often confuse your prospective customers with their ambiguity. 

Tip 3: Use a persuasive call to action

The right call to action can make the difference between a great looking page and a genuinely valuable page. Be sure to use a button with a contrasting colour to the background to make it really stand out - and don’t be scared of making it big (you’d hate for people to miss it!). Make the button CTA a compelling one - don’t just write “Submit”. It should sound exciting and persuasive - even use 2-3 words if it gives you more scope to sell.

Tip 4: Keep all the copy concise

When it comes to copy, every word must exist for a reason. People don’t read everything on the page - so use signposts and sanctions to make it easy for them to find what is relevant. Two key things you’ll want to surface:

• List out the key values of your product and why you are unique

• Try to address the reader’s concerns and skepticisms

Each paragraph should be a maximum of 3 sentences, and be sure to tie each paragraph back to the main value proposition in the hero section - to hammer your core message home. 

Tip 5: Social Proof 

People almost always rely on feedback and the actions of others to determine their own course of action. Social proof significantly increases trust in your brand, and increases the chances of people taking the action you want them to. Forms of social proof you might use could include:

• Press coverage - icons of publications that have featured your company. 

• Best known clients (B2B) - icons of companies you have worked with or supplied. 

• Customer testimonials (B2C) - quotes from happy customers go a long way (or ratings from services such as Trustpilot front and centre).

• Case studies - A best in class example of your work to bring your product or service to life.