The single most important element in your online marketing is your landing page.
If you don’t have a landing page that immediately captures attention and speaks directly to your target audience, you have no chance at getting a conversion (let alone a sale).
The landing page does it all.
It will help you collect email leads, convince visitors to buy your product, sign up for your webinar, and ask people to try out your service.
Everything revolves around what’s on your landing page.
Think about it…
You could have the best product in the world and spend thousands on advertising, but if your landing page doesn’t convert, you’re just throwing money away.
Today, we’ll show you exactly how to create landing pages that convert, including real examples from major brands that are doing it right (and a few doing it wrong).
What Makes a Great Landing Page?
Before diving into the technical details, let’s look at the core elements that make up a high-converting landing page.
A classic landing page will be a simple page where the visitor can only take one action – clicking the button to go further into your sales funnel.
The Hook (Your Headline)
Your headline is the first thing visitors see when they land on your page.
According to the data, 90% of web visitors will only read your headline and CTA button text.
Think about that…
If you don’t nail the headline and CTA, you are wasting a ton of energy.
That means if your headline doesn’t grab attention immediately, you’ve lost them.
Let’s look at what makes this headline work:
Direct and concise
Addresses the visitor’s main desire (selling products online)
Includes social proof (“over 1 million businesses”)
Creates instant trust and authority
But Shopify isn’t the only one getting it right. Let’s look at another example:
Slack knows their target audience – business professionals and office workers.
Their headline is simple and direct, using an informal, conversational tone that matches their brand voice.
This isn’t by accident; it’s carefully crafted to speak directly to their ideal customer.
The best headlines share these common traits:
- They’re immediately clear about what’s being offered
- They evoke an emotional response
- They speak directly to a specific audience
- They make a promise or state one clear benefit
The Exact Content That Converts
After your headline grabs attention, your content needs to maintain it.
But here’s the key – you don’t need to write a novel. Your content should tell visitors, in the fewest words possible, the main benefit or value they’ll enjoy.
Look at that example from Slack again. It follows all of these principles…
- Uses short, punchy sentences
- Highlights clear benefits over features
- Incorporates bullet points for easy scanning
- Maintains a conversational tone
Here’s another example we love…
IBM’s landing page is fascinating because it breaks some conventional rules – but for a good reason.
Their content is more technical and detailed because they know their audience (IT professionals) wants that level of detail.
This illustrates an important point: while there are best practices, you need to adjust your approach based on your specific audience.
When writing your content, remember these key tips:
- Use “bucket brigades” to keep people reading – these are words or phrases that keep people reading
- Break up long paragraphs
- Focus on benefits, not just features
- Use industry-appropriate language
- Keep your sentences concise and clear
- Remove any unnecessary words or jargon
The Call-to-Action (CTA)
Here’s something crucial: There should only be ONE call-to-action on your landing page.
I really mean ONE. When you give visitors multiple choices, you risk them making no choice at all.
Your CTA needs to consider three key elements:
1. The Look
- Must stand out from the rest of your page
- Should be “above the fold” (visible without scrolling)
- Needs to use contrasting colors
- Should be sized appropriately for easy clicking
2. The Wording – The most effective CTAs use strong, action-oriented language. Here are some proven examples:
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- “Start Free Trial”
- “Get Yours Now”
- “Try It Free”
- “Download Now”
3. The PlacementMost effective CTAs are placed:
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- Above the fold
- After key benefits
- To the right (following natural reading patterns)
- With enough white space to stand out
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Now that we’ve got those basics down, it’s time to think about how your landing page meshes with your ad.
This is another step many people overlook!
The Ad Scent Concept (Don’t Lose Your Visitors)
Have you ever clicked an ad for one thing, only to land on a page talking about something completely different?
That’s a broken “ad scent” – and it’s killing your conversions.
Here’s an example of what NOT to do…
Check out this ad from MailChimp (yes, even the biggest names can get it wrong).
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So far so good. Their ad contained exact word matches for my search phrase.
But once I clicked their ad, I saw this:
This is what happens when your ad scent is broken.
The visitor searched for “free email tools,” clicked an ad about email marketing, but landed on a page about Instagram ads.
Confused visitors don’t convert.
Maintaining Strong Ad Scent
Now let’s look at how to do it right. Here’s the ad…
And here’s the landing page…
Notice how everything matches:
- Same messaging
- Same offer
- Same call-to-action
This consistency isn’t just about looking professional – it’s about maintaining trust and reducing friction in your sales process. When everything matches, your visitor feels confident they’re in the right place.
Understanding Your Audience Temperature
One of the biggest mistakes I see in landing pages is treating all visitors the same way. The reality is, you need different approaches for different audience temperatures.
Cold Traffic: First Time Visitors
Cold traffic consists of people who have never heard of your brand before. These visitors need more convincing and a different approach.
For cold traffic, your landing page should:
- Introduce your brand briefly
- Offer something valuable for free (like an eBook or guide)
- Focus on building trust
- Include more social proof
- Have longer, more detailed content
The key here is to remember that these visitors don’t know you yet.
Think of it like a first date – you wouldn’t propose marriage immediately, would you? Instead, you’re looking to start a relationship.
Warm Traffic: Familiar Faces
Warm traffic includes people who know your brand but haven’t bought yet. They might have:
- Seen your ads before
- Visited your website
- Followed you on social media
- Joined your email list
Notice how this page is much shorter and gets straight to the point. There’s less explanation needed because these visitors already know and trust HubSpot.
Hot Traffic: Your Customers
This is your most valuable audience – people who have already purchased from you. Your landing pages for this group can be much more direct.
Here is where you can sell, sell, sell!
Acquired customers are the easiest audience to sell to as they no longer need convincing about your product or service. You don’t need to use as many offers or complex messaging. You’ve already previously converted them.
Clicking on an ad sends you directly to that product. There is no landing page, because Wayfair knows that since I am an existing customer, there is no need to convince me to buy from their website:
For hot traffic, you can:
- Be more direct with sales messages
- Use shorter landing pages
- Focus on exclusive offers
- Highlight customer-only benefits
Common Landing Page Mistakes to Avoid
Let’s look at some conversion killers that you need to avoid:
1. Too Many Navigation Options
When you give visitors too many places to click, they often end up clicking away from your offer. Remove navigation menus, social media links, and any other distracting elements.
2. Mismatched Messages
Your landing page should maintain consistency in:
- Tone and voice
- Value proposition
- Offer details
- Visual elements
- Call to action
3. Form Field Overload
Only ask for information you absolutely need. For email leads, that might just be an email address. For high-ticket items, you might need more information – but always balance what you ask for against what you’re offering.
Making Your Landing Page Work
The final piece of the puzzle is ensuring your landing page actually works in the real world. Here are the key factors to consider:
Testing and Optimization
- Test different headlines
- Try various CTA button colors
- Experiment with form fields
- Test different content lengths
Mobile Responsiveness
Your landing page must work flawlessly on mobile devices. This means:
- Easy-to-click buttons
- Readable text without zooming
- Quick loading times
- Properly sized images
Speed Matters
A slow landing page will kill your conversions. Ensure:
- Images are optimized
- Code is clean
- Hosting is reliable
- No unnecessary scripts
Taking Action
Now that you understand what makes a great landing page, it’s time to put these principles into action.
Start by auditing your current landing pages:
- Check your ad scent
- Verify your audience temperature match
- Test your page speed
- Remove unnecessary distractions
- Strengthen your CTAs
Remember, the perfect landing page isn’t built in a day.
It’s an ongoing process of testing, measuring, and improving. But with these principles as your foundation, you’re well on your way to creating pages that convert.
