5 Essential Sections Of An Extremely High-Converting Landing Page | In-Depth Guide
Are you looking for ways to increase conversion rates on landing pages?
If so, this blog post is for you!
We’ve identified 5 essential sections that are necessary to create a highly converting landing page.
Let's dive right in.
A landing page is the one and only place to make a first impression.
It has to be engaging, clear, and provide all of the information that your potential customer needs in order for them to feel comfortable with their decision.
The landing page should be the first impression they see and their last.
It's vital to have a landing page that is optimised for conversions by including essential sections such as your headline, company background information (if applicable), features of what you're selling or promoting, testimonials from customers who've used it in the past with success stories, privacy policy if necessary, contact details where somebody can ask more questions about your service/product, etc.
Having these key items on-site will make landing pages much more compelling to any potential customer.
And since landing pages are one of the most important places to convert traffic into leads and sales - this article focuses on those five essential sections needed for an extremely successful landing page.
There are many landing pages in the world - but only a few that have all of these essential sections.
If you want your landing page to be successful, we encourage you to keep reading!
The Basics
Before you create your landing page, you need to know what it is you're trying to achieve.
There are quite a few goals that landing pages can help with: sales, leads, thought-leadership or even awareness of your organisation for example.
But before we get into the sections that need to be included on these landing pages - it's important to know why they are needed in order for them to work properly!
A landing page needs an objective.
This could mean anything from getting people signed up as affiliates and sending traffic back through affiliate links (commonly known as "click here" buttons) to selling products directly.
Having one goal will make landing page creation much easier than having many different objectives at once which may confuse potential customers who might not understand everything about your company all at once.
You need to know your target audience and define your user persona.
Every landing page needs to be tailored for the specific audience that you are trying to reach.
If your target audience is customers who speak English as their first language - then it's best to use that language on your landing pages.
You can also provide localized landing pages if there are certain features (such as shipping) that vary by region for example in order to display information about those particular items and show different prices depending on location.
Here are some questions you should answer while creating your buyer persona
- Who are my dream clients? Demographics such as gender, age, and education
- What is their job description? Data such as title, company size, industry, and general job responsibilities
- What is a day in their life like? Describe what an average day is like for them, who they are dealing with, and what decisions making process do they go through
- What are their problems are they trying to overcome? Describe the primary challenges they are trying to overcome that relate to your products and services you offer
- What drives their purchase decision and what are their goals? Explain what they value most in making a purchase decision (price, support, etc.), what they are trying to accomplish in each application
- Where do they go for information? Identify the primary sources they use to gather information in their research and purchase decision process
- What’s important to them in selecting a vendor? List what is most important, such as being a technology leader, having proven experience, being a domain expert, etc.
- What are their most common objections? List the reasons you hear most often for why your solutions won’t meet their needs.
Now that we know what landing pages are for and why they're needed, let's move on to the sections of a landing page:
1. The Hero section
The landing page hero section is the most important part of your landing page.
That's because it will be seen by first-time visitors to your landing page and may also be displayed prominently on a search engine results page.
This means that you need to do everything possible in order for the landing site to stand out from other competitors, make an offer, or attract attention!
A hero section of your landing page should have at least one call-to-action during this section such as "Buy Now", "Get A Quote”, ”Learn More" or “Get Started”.
The hero section makes the first impression for your landing page, therefore it has to sell them the utmost important piece of information like,
What you do, Why they have come to the right place, what key benefits they get and what to do next.
That being said,
There are 5 essential elements you need to put in place for your hero section to stand out;
- The Headline: This should be a statement that summarises what you do or what your product/services will do for your visitors. It should be simple, concise and straightforward.
There are a few different headline types you can test to find out what works best for your landing page.
- Ask a Question: “Want to rank on Google’s First page?”
- Be the Best: “The Best Rated SEO Agency in London”
- Give Value Upfront: “Our Free SEO can save you Thousands in Ad Spend”
- The Subhead: The subhead comes right after the headline. It is typically longer than the headline. It gives the visitor more information and it is meant to support and complement the headline. You can use the subhead to list the benefits of your product or service, call out your audience, state your unique selling proposition or how you intend to solve your visitors' problem.
- The Hero and Background Image: Like they say “A picture speaks a thousand words”
The hero and background image are crucial to the success of your landing page and by far the best way to create a good first impression.
It needs to support the headline and subhead and also grab the attention of the website visitor.
- The Call to Action Button: Your CTA should answer the question’ “What should i do next?” . It should be clear and straightforward leading the visitor to the next phase of their journey.
Here’s a few of them for you to try out:
- Sign for Free Trial
- Get Started
- Book an appointment
- Get the Box
- Buy Now
- Order Now
- Try Now
- Book a Free Consultation
- Reserve Appointment
An example of a website with a great hero section is Moz
Why Moz’s hero section converts well:
- The headline is concise and straight to the point.
- The headline message is matched to a specific audience.
- The sub-headline supports the headline.
- The sub-headline lists the main benefits of the services.
- The background is neat, subtle, and doesn't steal the user's attention.
- The Call-to-action button is big & bold and in a contrasting color, therefore stands out from the rest of the elements.
- The Call-to-action button is as specific as you can in as few words as possible (Try Moz pro-free)
2. Process (How it works) section of a landing page
The section of the landing page explains basically how your products & services work and how to get started with it.
It is important to be clear about what services are being offered and why they're valuable, as well as any advantages or disadvantages that may exist in your product/service offerings.
This section will show visitors on landing pages how their pain points can be solved by using your business's service/product features which will increase trust when a visitor clicks "Buy Now" or "Get A Quote."
This section needs to be clear and concise on how to get started with the service offerings.
An example of a website with a great “process section” is FabFitFun
Why FabFitFun’s Process section converts well:
- The section makes the site easy to navigate through with clear images that shows the process
- The text in this section is concise yet informative as there's a specific description for every step.
- Each step in the section contains “Action Word Headers” like “Order” and “Get” It.
3. Social Proof
Social Proof is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when people are given the opportunity to follow what others might be doing.
It's also the reason for online testimonials on landing pages with customer logos or images of happy customers using their products, social media share buttons in your blog posts with share counts - all to help establish trustworthiness and build credibility.
A landing page without any form of social proof won't convert as well as one with lots of them.
Statistics have shown this to be true.
Here are some examples of social proof you can use for your landing page:
-Get logos of some of the big name brands or personalities you’ve worked with.
-Use testimonial callouts for top reviews from your most satisfied customers
- Images of happy customers using your products on the landing pages.
- Video testimonials showing your product/services in action
- Numbers of successful clients served
- Social media share buttons with share counts
Depending on the Niche you serve, some forms of social proof may perform better than others.
For example: A landing page for weight loss pills with Social Proof such as Video testimonials or before and after pictures of customers would clearly outperform another landing page with just logos on it.
If you are a business that is starting out and you need social proof for your landing page, you can give out your products or services to family and friends to try them for free or at a discount price in exchange for a video testimonial.
Social proof plays an important role in establishing credibility and building trust between you and potential clients so it should always be included somewhere on your landing page.
An example of a website with a great “Social Proof” Section is Lattice
Why Lattice’s Social Proof Section converts well:
- They featured logos of big name brands like Reddit and Slack.
- They used at least 3 forms of social proof.
- They included the number of people currently using their platforms giving visitors a sense of their massive scale.
- They featured an image and testimonial quote from an influential personnel in the industry.
The more proof we have about how good something is, the easier it becomes for us to make up our minds whether or not we should take action (buy).
4. Call to Action (CTA)
The landing page's CTA is where you can tell visitors what they'll get if they take the next step.
CTAs are a crucial part of landing pages because it tells people how to save money or time, and why this particular product will provide their needs more than any other similar products on the market.
Some popular CTAs include: "Buy Now", "Learn More", and "Add To Cart".
It's important that your landing page contains at least one call-to-action button so visitors know exactly what action you want them to make when visiting your site (and don't leave without doing anything).
It also helps with conversion rates as well - especially for those readers who might be less motivated in their search (which is why landing pages are usually designed to be short and sweet).
The call to action section should feature a headline statement just like the hero section, but this time, it’s best to sell your offer, e.g. “Join Our Waitlist and Get 20% Off”, “Sign up today for 7days free trials - No Credit card”, “Get Exclusive Offers in your Inbox”.
It should also feature a subhead and a call to action button that supports the headline statement and take the visitor to the next step.
An example of a website with a great “CTA” Section is Ahrefs.
Why Ahref’s Social Proof Section converts well:
- The headline is concise, straight to the point, and also sets an expectation.
- The subhead strongly supports the headline.
- It features a unique illustration that blends with the call to action
- The call to action button supports the headline and subhead. It also includes an action word (start), prompting the visitor to take action.
5. Benefits - Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
The landing page should also include the benefits of your product or service.
Your businesses’ unique selling proposition is what differentiates you from other products that offer a similar solution.
Your unique selling proposition can be based on: price, reliability, quality, and features/benefits of the product (and sometimes all four).
It's important to have a clear explanation for why someone would purchase your company over another one because it will help with conversion rates and sales numbers in general.
Here are some things to consider when deciding how to position your business.
-What qualities does our business have?
-What do we want potential customers to see before they make their decision about us?
-How do we stand out?
-What is a good Unique selling proposition for our business?
-What are the strengths of our company, and what do we want to highlight that makes us different from competitors in this industry?
- Benefits of your Service Include, e.g "We offer a lower price than any other similar service out there."
An example of a website with a great “CTA” Section is EcoLifeSupplements.
Why EcoLife Supplement’s Benefit Section works:
- It lists the benefits, making it easy for visitors to easily read
- It has a call to action button for easy checkout
- A good background Image
Other Website Features that can Increase Landing Page Conversion Rate.
The landing page should also include any features that will improve your landing conversion rate.
This includes things such as: live chat, popup forms search engine optimisation, landing page layout, landing page design and more. ,
It's important to think about what your landing pages are supposed to achieve: information gathering (a landing page for cookies) or a landing page that will help with conversion rates (a landing page for an online store).
Here are the most popular features that can improve conversion of your landing pages:
- Live Chat: Some landing pages also include live chat features for visitors to get help from a customer service representative.
It's important that you have this feature on your site because it will provide the best experience possible for customers who need assistance with something and any questions they might have about how to use your product or what is included in each purchase.
It can also help with conversion rates, customer loyalty and retaining website visitors who might be on the fence about purchasing.
- Popup: Some landing pages also include Pop Ups to engage with visitors and provide them with additional information that may be of interest.
It's important to have this feature on your landing page because it will help in the marketing process, lead generation and establishing brand awareness.
It can become difficult when landing pages have many pop ups or there are more than one pop ups on a website.
It's important to focus your marketing efforts and choose the popup that will provide you with the best conversion rates for each individual goal.
- Opt-in form - An opt-in form allows users to sign up for something, which can be anything from a newsletter list all the way to newsletters about special deals at your company.
Opt-ins should always include fields like first name, email address, phone number etc., because this will allow marketers to create stronger customer relationships by providing additional information about their interests.
- Money Back Guarantee: This feature is one that often boosts landing page conversion rates as customers feel more confident. It gives them an added sense of security and lets them know they can get their money back if the product doesn't work for them or does not meet expectations in any way shape or form.
- Mobile Optimisation: Landing pages should be optimised so that they are appropriate for use on mobile devices.
This would include shorter forms, condensed content and more focused landing page features. Mobile landing pages might not contain the same number of features as desktop landing pages but you will want to make sure all important elements such as key benefits, pricing information etc., are present in some way shape or form.
- Landing page copywriting: When creating a great landing page, it's important to remember that you want your landing page copy to engage readers. Great stories are compelling, but they're even more so when the words flow seamlessly from one to another.
Here are some ways to keep your copy great:
- Keep it simple: Don't use words that are complicated or hard to understand. The more simple and clear you make your content, the better it will be received. So avoid using overused business-speak such as "synergy" or "think outside of the box." If you're not sure whether your words are jargon,
- Spark the desire: People don’t want your product or services, they want a solution to their problems. Use your copywriting to connect your product to the result your customers desire.
The more you know about your target reader, the easier it will be to write for them.
Conclusion
In this post, we've covered 5 essential sections of an extremely high-converting landing page and shared a free checklist to help you get started.
It's time for your business to reap the benefits that come from having these few key elements in place!
We know that business owners are extremely busy so you may not have the time do all this by yourself. That's why we offer Webflow web design services to help business owners increase conversions, sales and much more.
Get in touch with us today and we'll more than happily provide a free video site audit that explains the current state of your website as well as practical tips + resources to improve.