MN Interactive

Create A Compelling Landing Page

Create a landing page, and technically you should spend most of your time designing your home page. This is because for most websites their landing page is their home page. Research has shown that visitors who arrive at your site will spend a couple of seconds scanning your landing page. If they like what they see, only then will they proceed to browse through the rest of your site. A well designed, well thought out landing page should be the blueprint for every successful website.

So what does a good landing page need to do? No matter the type of business or service you’re offering, your landing page should reflect your requirements. It needs to be filled with elements that allow you to guide visitors to the next level, be it to make an enquiry, click on a link, or buy a product or service. If your site offers a single service, logically the next move would be for visitors to either find out more about it, or make an immediate purchase. If you have multiple offerings at hand, your landing page will allow them to select the ones that most interest them.

Before you begin, ask yourself: Who is my audience? What do I want to achieve via this page? What am I offering? Why would they be interested in my offer? What do they need to do to participate in my offer?

There are typically 7 elements that your site in general, and landing page in particular need to incorporate. Most of the elements will be intertwined. For example, your product may be of a generic kind, but your site design can be innovative, giving it a unique twist. Or your service itself may be easy to use, and this is reflected via a simple script outlining what’s on offer. The 7 elements are:
• Design
• Ease of use
• Compelling script
• Interactivity
• Use of technology
• Innovation
• Valuable Content

A great design and compelling script are the two cornerstones of a working landing page. Most designers will tell you that a black background, with white script is a definite no no. Yet, black with white when used in small amounts can create a dramatic effect.

Contrasts and use of colors work well, and your site design should depend on the kind of product and service you’re offering. Design elements to consider are those which make the site clean-looking versus cluttered, make browsing a breeze, include uncomplicated linkage to other pages and sites, have short, concise sentences, use space to facilitate easy reading, and possess a fast browse time. Your design will typically incorporate your logo, business name, a strong headline, links to your products and services, any specials currently on offer, and images. It may also include a customer service number and client testimonials. Images are important, so ensure you have the right ones to reflect what your company is offering or believes in. Don’t place external links on a landing page which might draw visitors away from your site. Do install a privacy policy at the end of the page.

The main reason for you to create a website is to directly or indirectly sell a product or service. If it’s a direct sell, it’s often much easier to follow a proven script to get visitors to invest money into your products or services. An indirect sell might be to build up a subscription list, or enhance a DM strategy. Whatever the reason, your script acts as a call to action, and this needs to be reflected most strongly in your landing page.

There are typically 6 questions your audience will ask before making a decision:
• Can I trust you?
• Should I believe you?
• Does it fulfill my requirements?
• What’s in it for me?
• Is it worth my time and money?
• How do I get started?

All the above questions work in conjunction with each other to allow the buyer to make his final decision. In order to establish trust and credibility, it’s important to prove yourself on your landing page. This can be done via testimonials, case studies, guarantees, awards, and even partner and affiliate mentions (assuming they are noteworthy).

Your script should also have a strong headline. An example could be Organic Inc. Winners of numerous awards, they are not afraid to shout about it. Their credibility lies in their awards, strong headlines and bold designs. Another great site which reflects a strong design and striking headlines is media giants Turner Broadcasting System’s Humor Study arm.

A great headline when combined with the other elements outlined here, will draw in visitors to your site, but it’s an opening line or hook which encourages them to stay. Create a crisp, strong opening statement infused with humor, facts or statistics. Keep the paragraphs following this short and tight. Where possible, use bullet points to enable visitors to scan and retain information.

And finally, ensure you have a call to action. This can be repeated in the copy of your script, or added to the top of your landing page. A call to action will simply tell the potential buyer or client what he should do next- make a purchase, subscribe to a service, pick up the phone and call, or in some instances, click on a link to receive more information.

Landing pages are specific and measurable. The latter is important given that all businesses have a strong competitor base. While today most websites have self design mechanisms that make it easy for anyone to create a website, I’d recommend hiring a web design company to create your site, and develop in particular, your landing page. Take advantage of their technical know-how and their updated knowledge to maximize the potential value of your page. A good designer will best be able to create an interactive site, which is easy to use, innovative in design and incorporates all your valuable content in the right spaces. A designer will also know how to avoid design overkill. Graphics and text should be limited to relevant content. The same holds true of forms with multiple fields to fill in. Fonts should be easy to read, colors can contrast, but not jar and images should be placed so as not to distract from the text. In the end, a simple yet well designed landing page can draw in a much larger web audience than one which is overpowering. So keep to the basics, enhance as you go along, and watch those audience numbers grow.