7 mistakes you can avoid while designing a landing page
Let’s clarify a fundamental distinction first: the difference between a landing page and your website. In this article, our focus is on the landing page, a standalone web page crafted specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign. The primary objective of a landing page is to convert users into leads or customers by prompting them to take a specific action, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
In the realm of landing pages, your audience typically originates from an external source, be it email marketing, social media, or a paid ad — something that captivates their interest and motivates them to explore further, ultimately leading to action.
Crafting an effective landing page is no small task. There’s a multitude of goals to accomplish with a landing page that is both simple and impactful. In this post, we’ve outlined seven mistakes you should steer clear of when designing a landing page. Let’s delve straight into it!
✔️ Lacking a clear call to action
The call to action (CTA) is key to an effective landing page. When working on the call to action, ask yourself: What is the main task we want our users to do when they arrive on the landing page? A compelling CTA is as simple as making sure what you want them to do is clear, concise, and easy to find. It’s like a signpost or directive that is clear and impossible to miss. Some common CTAs include “Buy Now,” “Subscribe,” “Book a Demo," "Get a Free Trial,” or "Download.”.
If your landing page doesn’t have a clear CTA, your user will likely become confused and leave.
If a user has “landed” on your landing page, lead marketing has done the job to get them there. Now the landing page needs to grab their attention. If your landing page doesn’t have a clear CTA, your user will likely become confused and leave. The hard work put into capturing their attention just fell through the cracks. A clear and concise call to action is essential for guiding users toward conversion.
✔️ Poorly written headlines
The headline is the first thing users will see, and it should be compelling enough to grab their attention and encourage them to keep reading. If your headline is dull or misleading, your users are likely to lose interest and leave your page without taking any action. Users have already taken some action to arrive at this landing page (via social, advertising, or email)—don't let them down now.
Your landing page headlines should tie into where your users have arrived from. What led them here in the first place? Did they come via a social campaign? What was the tone, language, and wording used in the campaign? The headline can match, or should at least marry seamlessly. The user should experience a sense of arriving precisely where they intended, guided by you to the next stage of their journey. The headline needs to address their needs and point to the next step.
✔️Information overload
Don’t overwhelm users with too much. Too much copy and too much information without a clear CTA can confuse and discourage action. Remember, your user’s time is valuable. Providing key information in a clear, simple, and appropriate way will meet your users’ needs quickly, keep them engaged, and provide the key next steps to complete their task.
Keep your landing page focused on its main goal by ensuring your design is clean and uncluttered, and delete all of the fluff. For example, if you are offering an e-book download, give a short synopsis of what users can expect to find in the book, a picture of the cover, a short CTA of “download now,” and a catchy headline. That’s all you need. Give the user exactly what they want and not much else.
✔️No landing page testing
Test, test, and test again. Testing your landing page is crucial to making sure it’s performing as you and your client expect. Without testing, you won’t know what’s working and what’s not, and you won’t be able to make data-driven decisions to optimize your landing page for better results.
First-click testing is a great way to understand what and where users are landing.
First-click testing is a great way to understand what and where users are landing and being driven to on the landing page. Understanding where users click in the first instance can be incredibly helpful in knowing how your landing page is performing. If it isn’t hitting the mark, how can it be fixed? What will make it clearer?
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