1 June 2023 Maria Simeone
Journal of Experiences
10 rules for creating an effective landing page that maximizes conversions and makes promotional ads more effective
An effective landing page drives people who access it to take a specific action.
Landing pages are usually used in online marketing campaigns as landing pages of promotional ads or promotional emails with the aim, for example, of acquiring new customers. These represent a great opportunity for brands that need to achieve a specific goal for their business.
But then, what is the substantial difference between a landing page and a website page? A landing page is an independent entity within the web context, specially designed with a specific conversion goal. It is usually dissociated from the main website, featuring a personalized design, targeted content and a clear call to action. On the other hand, a website or page within a website represents a set of linked pages that make up a larger online presence.
A website can boast different sections with distinct purposes and content, generally being more complete and offering a wide range of information and functionality to visitors, allowing them to navigate between the various pages according to their needs and interests.
Our method
At TSW, we work every day to make digital experiences as easy as possible.
Point 10 of our manifesto states: “An experience is simple when you are not forced to ask yourself too many questions.” It is precisely this consideration that we keep in mind when designing landing pages for our clients’ target audiences.
The use of customized landing pages is essential for the success of an advertising campaign. Indeed, if we intended to use a section of the website as a landing page for a campaign, we could not guarantee concrete results. This is due to the fact that the website offers multiple exit options which may undermine the main objective of the campaigns. In fact, on a website there are numerous distracting elements that divert people’s attention from performing a specific action.
Through a series of usability tests conducted at TSW, we have demonstrated what we have just stated. In fact, our approach involves the continuous experimentation of variants of landing pages that we produce in order to maximize conversions. In addition to usability tests, we use the A/B testing method, which allows us to compare two different versions of landing pages, differentiating them in both graphic and content aspects.
10 rules for creating an effective landing page
Rule 1
Continuous A/B testing
It is of paramount importance to conduct continuous A/B testing in order to optimize the performance of the landing page. In this phase it is possible to test different elements, both graphics and content, present on the page. Thanks to this method, it will be possible to evaluate which elements are more effective in order to progressively improve the performance of the campaign.
Rule 2
Accessibility
Accessibility is a topic of great importance. At TSW, we believe that for a landing page to be effective, it needs to be accessible to all people, including those with disabilities.
Rule 3
The call to action must have a single clear and direct objective
Another important element is the call to action, which tells people browsing a web page what to do, where to click.
All calls to action on a landing page must lead to a single action that coincides with the goal of the entire campaign.
Rule 4
No external links
It is essential that within the landing page there are no external links that lead users to leave the page. This is of primary importance as it could compromise the attention of users with respect to the action to be taken.
Rule 5
Consistency in the different elements
As expressed previously, to be effective, a landing page must lead people to take a single action based on the objective of the campaign. For example, if the purpose is the acquisition of new customers, each element of the page (call to action, textual content and graphic content) must communicate this intention.
Rule 6
A unique promise
It is important that the product or service to be advertised has a unique advantage that distinguishes it from competitors. Some questions to ask yourself may be: why should a person trust my company rather than another? What more does it offer? There could be many reasons, the important thing is to be clear about the advantage that makes your company or service unique on the market.
Rule 7
Complete and clear content
To be truly effective, a landing page must be understandable by all the people who navigate it. The contents must be both clear and complete and must inform people exhaustively, without taking anything for granted.
Rule 8
Smart graphics
For the organization of textual contents it is possible to use some graphic elements that help in understanding and reading the information. These can be: bullet points, comparative tables and anchored menus.
The anchored menu, for example, is recommended when there is a large amount of information on the page because it helps people navigate.
Rule 9
An effective landing must have effective ads
It is essential to develop highly effective ads that are able to capture the attention of the public and that align consistently with the communication of the landing page. It is, in fact, through the banners on search engines that people will be attracted. Communication coherence plays an essential role in the success of advertising campaigns.
Rule 10
Mobile oriented design
It is essential to adopt an approach to design that prioritizes the creation of a web page in its mobile version. This decision is motivated by the considerable presence of traffic from mobile devices.
