Landing page design that sells

There are a number of key elements and traits that effective landing pages share. A combination of copy, layout and design principles that work together to increase conversion rates. The key is the 'working together' bit.

No single magic formula will work for all landing pages. Fundamentally, an optimal landing page is dictated by the optimal sales pitch. And that is ultimately determined by the target audience. Successful products or services deliver what people want and successful sales pitches ensure that gets across loud and clear.

Pitching it just right

The driving principle of an effective landing page is therefore to get the right sales pitch across loud and clear.

Before you get designing your landing page you need the right sales pitch. That's a massive subject way beyond the scope of this article, but the common building blocks are:

1. Be clear and engaging
2. Keep focused on the key selling points
3. Show how your product is exactly what the person wants
4. Build trust and credibility
5. Close the deal
6. Don't do anything else

The last point is a crucial but often overlooked one. Focus on the sale. Now's not the time to raise general awareness, for lengthy informing, social networking or trying to sell everything.

Here's how that translates into landing page design.

The key elements of a landing page

1. The headline – should be engaging and intriguing but also make it clear what the page is about and where the visitor is. It should match what was promised in the source link (e.g. email, ad or webpage) and get the core message across.

2. The lead – exactly how it sounds. Lead the reader from the headline into the sales pitch itself that has your key selling points. Be clear and concise, but not at the expense of personality. You want smooth and flowing, not cold and corporate. And then lead seamlessly into a strong call-to-action.

3. The call-to-action – make this highly visible but don't make the mistake of making it isolated. People don't just click on it because it stands out. They click on it because your headline grabbed them, your lead pulled them in and your pitch made the sale. You're just making it easy for the deal to be closed.

4. The 'break' – the first 3 elements are enough to close the deal. If your pitch is right and the offering good (i.e. the person wants it) then 'click', you've closed the sale. Adding a visual break at this point helps keep the pitch clear and the person pause on the call-to-action.

5. Trust-builders – testimonials, guarantees, independent ratingsâ€Ĥ these are all powerful ways to build the trust it takes for people to turn a decision into action. Put them after the break to try and catch those who are wavering, or above if building trust is a crucial part of your sales pitch.

6. Last-chance – Don't do anything else in your sales pitch, but, despite your best intentions, people don't always hit your landing page at the right time. They may need more education on your product/ service or know enough about your business. Put a secondary call-to-action with little emphasis, that leads elsewhere onsite after the 'break'.

Graphics and layout play a key role in supporting these 6 elements. They should tie-in with the sales pitch made by the copy and create the right visual hierarchy to guide visitors' attention. Every design choice and pixel added should have a specific supportive role. If it doesn't then it's decorationâ€Ĥ it's not obeying the 6^th building block of a successful sales pitch – 'don't do anything else'.

 Be flexible

If product aesthetics are crucial, or showing folks enjoying using your product/ service, or an inforgraphic is the best way to get your product/ service acrossâ€Ĥ then make that centre stage:

If trust-building is crucial, focus on that:

Build landing pages that maximise the effectiveness of your sales pitch, whatever that takes. Don't look for magical templates.

Written by Jason John Mills