A landing page is simply a page that promotes an offer; and its purpose is to maximize conversion rates.
With a landing page, the only thing a visitor can do is either opt-in to download the lead magnet or leave the page.
Today we’ll focus on landing pages that promote a lead magnet rather than a paid offer.
Over the years, I’ve tested many different landing pages. And I’ve learned the seven essential elements you need to produce higher conversion rates.
The conversion rate is simply the number of people who land on the page and then opt-in to download the lead magnet.
Calculate the conversion rate by dividing the number of opt-ins by the total traffic to the page and then multiplying by 100. Here is the formula to calculate the landing page conversion rate: Landing page conversion rate = (# of opt-ins / total traffic) x 100.
Often, the landing page conversion rate is presented as a percentage.
Why is the landing page conversion rate important?
The higher your conversion rate, the more subscribers opt-in.
If 1,000 people visit a landing page and 30% opt-in, then 300 new subscribers are added to the list.
If the conversion rate is 40%, the list grows by 400 new subscribers.
Increasing the conversion rate reduces the cost per subscriber. For this example, let’s say we spent $1,000 on Facebook ads to drive 1,000 people to the landing page.
Calculate the cost per subscriber by dividing the total ad spend by the number of opt-ins. (Cost per subscriber = Total ad spend / # of opt-ins.)
The 30% conversion rate example with 300 subscribers and a $1,000 ad spend equals a cost per subscriber of $3.33.
A 40% conversion rate with 400 subscribers equals a cost per subscriber of $2.50. Essentially, 100 additional subscribers were added to the list with the same $1,000 ad spend.
Elements of a High-Converting Landing Page
Here are seven essential elements of a high-converting landing page.
1. The Lead Magnet
Make sure the lead magnet solves a specific problem or fulfills an audience’s need. The greater the need and desire to solve the problem, the higher the potential conversion rate. For more information, read my article about lead magnets, Why These 3 Types of Lead Magnets Get Clients to the Next Phase.
2. Consistency
Ensure the landing page is consistent with the promotional copy that got people to click and visit the landing page.
Promotional copy can be a dedicated email, a social media ad (Facebook ads), a social media post, etc. I use all these to drive traffic to a landing page.
When people read the promotional copy and click on a link, the landing page should have a consistent message to the promotional copy. Consistency helps increase conversion.
Here are a couple of things to ensure consistency.
Headline
Make sure the headline highlights the lead magnet’s primary benefit. I use the same call-to-action at the end of the promotional copy to initiate the click. The headline on the landing page is often the lead magnet’s title. See the below image for an example.
Bullet Points
The bullet points I write are often a combination of straightforward benefit-driven and curiosity bullets.
Three to five bullet points works very well on a landing page. You want to communicate the benefits of the lead magnet, but do not want to overwhelm the reader with too many bullet points.
You do not want people to think a lot on this page. Instead, you want them to take action.
Moreover, the promotional copy has already generated the click. When the person clicks, the landing page should confirm the person is on the right page.
Often, I end the promotional copy with bullet points and then a call-to-action to click. When people click, they see the same bullet points on the landing page. This creates consistency.
3. Simple Design with Shorter Copy
A landing page is different from a sales page. A sales page often needs more words to persuade someone to take the next step because you are asking for a purchase versus an opt-in. Buying a product is a bigger commitment than opting in to download a lead magnet.
If you write strong promotional copy, and the person clicks, then the person is likely interested in the lead magnet. The landing page doesn’t need to introduce any new ideas or concepts. Instead, it needs to reconfirm and be congruent with the promotional copy.
Once people click on a link in the promotional copy, you want them to take the next step, which is to opt-in to the download.
Once people arrive at the landing page, I reduce as much friction as possible to make that download easy for them.
The entire sales process should feel like a greased slide, with people easily flowing from one step to the next. Reading promotional copy, clicking, and opting-in needs to be seamless.
I like to keep landing pages simple. Often, I only use a headline, a pre-headline and/or subhead, an image, bullet points with a call-to-action on the button. Often, the form for people to enter their contact info is a pop-up when they click the button. Or I will embed the form directly below the bullet points and above the call-to-action button. That’s it. Simple, clean, and easy.
4. Image of the Lead Magnet
An image of the lead magnet helps increase conversions.
The image of the lead magnet can vary depending on what item you are giving away.
I often include the title of the lead magnet on the image, along with any pre-headline or sub-headline.
Most of the headlines are benefit-driven, so I can include these headlines in the promotional copy, on the image, and the landing page.
The repetition creates more consistency.
5. The Landing Page Stands on Its Own
You should be able to send traffic to the landing page from a podcast mention, social media post, blog post, video, or any other type of content, and it should convert.
One reason is that the page stands on its own. Anyone who visits the page knows what they are getting in exchange for opting in.
6. A Lot of the Conversion Can Happen During the Promotional Copy
When I write promotional copy, I want to pre-qualify the person for the click.
If I do a good job of grabbing the audience’s attention, building interest, tapping into their desires, and presenting the offer (lead magnet) and the call-to-action, then I can get people to self-select their level of interest by clicking or not.
Most promotional emails and Facebook ads I write are between 300-500 words.
The more time someone spends reading the copy, the more interested they are.
Time is a good indicator of interest.
If someone reads the promotional email and clicks, they are more qualified.
The promotional copy leads to higher opt-ins and conversion rates.
7. The Audience
The list is another variable that can affect a landing page’s conversion rate. In direct marketing, the list can represent up to 40% of a campaign’s success. The other two components are the offer and the creative (copy, graphics, and how the offer is presented).
Marketing to the right list can dramatically affect a landing page’s conversion rate. Understanding the audience is the key to writing copy.
Bonus — Test Each Element to Improve Conversion
Designing landing pages with only a few elements makes it easy to test different components to optimize for conversions. For example, you can test and then optimize the headline, bullet points, and the call-to-action on the button.
Testing and optimizing for conversion is usually outside the copywriter’s responsibilities. However, you can write multiple headlines and bullet points to optimize the landing page.
Follow These Simple Guidelines
Whether you are writing the copy, designing the landing page, or creating a landing page to build your list, remember these elements to improve the conversion rate.
If you follow these simple guidelines, it can help increase the effectiveness of a landing page.
Finally, remember that conversion happens on the landing page when people opt-in to claim the lead magnet. However, the promotional copy can significantly affect the conversion rates.
Follow these simple ideas to improve your landing pages. Implement these concepts and watch the number of email subscribers soar.
