A landing page is often your brand’s first touchpoint with potential customers. Just like any first impression, it has to count. You may not need your entire landing page to be packed with bells and whistles to convert visitors efficiently, but it’s still got to hook your customers.
What can you say to get them interested in what you have to offer? And how do you make it as easy as possible for them to act? If you can answer these questions, design landing pages accordingly, and increase conversions, you’ll ultimately boost your bottom line.
Learn about what makes for great landing pages and step-by-step instructions for designing your own landing pages.
What is a high-converting landing page?
A high-performing, high-converting landing page is focused and built for one conversion action, and it achieves that specific goal well. A conversion action could be anything from signing up for an email newsletter to buying a product.
At its simplest, a landing page is just the first page of your site that a visitor arrives on. While any page could technically be a landing page, in marketing, a landing page is specifically designed as the first entry point, typically with a focused conversion goal.
Applying landing page principles, such as a clear call to action (CTA) and a strong value proposition to specific pages and campaigns, improves your overall conversion rate. This has downstream business effects, such as a better ability to gain new customers through ads and more efficient revenue growth. In ecommerce, a landing page conversion rate of 6.6% is considered average, and anything higher than that is considered successful.
What are the core pillars of a high-converting landing page?
These five core pillars work together to guide site visitors toward a conversion and define a landing page's success:
Value proposition
A value proposition isn’t just a fancy line of copy; it’s your brand’s core pitch and the reason why a customer converts. When visitors land on your page, they’re looking for a clear answer to the question, “What’s in it for me?” Your value prop should deliver the answer quickly and clearly, including:
- What is this product or service?
- Why should I care?
- Why should I choose you over the competition?
There is a common misconception that a value proposition applies only to a business’s products or services. In fact, a value proposition extends to the actions you want your audience to take, such as making a purchase or signing up for email offers.
Copywriting and storytelling
Often, a value proposition is expressed as a combination of copy and visuals. Strong copywriting helps the audience believe and understand the value of the action in just a few words, while storytelling builds an emotional connection.
Well-written copy makes your offer feel relevant to your audience, driving confidence in your brand or products. When a visitor “gets it,” they’re more likely to take the next step toward a conversion.
UX design
Good user experience (UX) design ensures your users don’t get lost, distracted, or frustrated on their shopping journey. UX design guides visitors toward the desired conversion, making their path clear and effortless.
This includes:
- Scannable content that readers can absorb at a glance
- Clear navigation signals
- Fast loading times
Cognitive ease
Cognitive ease refers to how effortlessly a visitor can engage with your landing page. The easier it is to grasp your message, the more likely a visitor is to convert. For example, social proof in the form of reviews or customer testimonials reassures landing page visitors by showing others who have already benefited.
Seamlessness
Friction creates resistance, like a headwind against a bicyclist. In addition to increasing cognitive ease, your landing page should reduce friction wherever possible. Friction can include copy, visuals, and usability—it refers to anything that makes a visitor slow down or second-guess their choice. Confusing navigation, unclear CTAs, slow loading times, and a lack of trustworthy signals, like testimonials or social proof, can all add unnecessary roadblocks.
How to create a high-converting landing page
- Define your goal
- Craft a strong value proposition
- Create a compelling headline
- Include high-quality visuals
- Add social proof
- Optimize for cognitive ease
- Reduce friction
- Test and troubleshoot
Here are some landing page best practices to help you squeeze more conversions out of each page you create:
1. Define your goal
Decide what action you want visitors to take when they land on the page. Is it a product purchase, sign-up, or call booking? Once you understand your goal, every element, from copy to design, should guide the visitor toward it.
2. Craft a strong value proposition
When crafting a value proposition, consider the following elements in the context of your audience’s pain points and your landing page’s goal:
-
Dream outcome. This might be expressed in terms such as “more money,” “more attractive,” or “fewer headaches.” It could be a benefit (“look thinner”) or a feature (“slimming fabric”).
-
Perceived likelihood of achievement. At this point, you want to minimize your visitors’ investment risk. This is usually done through social proof but also includes guarantees, credibility signals, or key features.
-
Time delay. This factor is often overlooked and could be the difference between a conversion and a bounce (a visitor who leaves without taking any action). Clearly state how long it will take for the visitor to see benefits (“look thinner instantly”).
-
Effort and sacrifice. This might include monetary or time sacrifices. If you’re selling a high-ticket product, justify the investment by emphasizing ease, support, or long-term payoff (“easier than a gym membership”).
Free Value Proposition Template
Share what makes your brand stand out. Convince customers to consider, click, and buy. Our template makes it easy.
3. Create a compelling headline
You only have a few seconds to grab your visitors’ attention. A clear and compelling headline should communicate your unique value proposition instantly. Prioritize outcomes over features to show users what they’ll gain.
For example, an outcome-driven headline for a portable blender’s landing page would be “Healthy smoothies anytime, without the kitchen mess.” A feature-driven headline would be “USB-rechargeable 6-blade portable blender.” The first headline appeals to the user’s desire for health and convenience, while the second tells what it is, but not why it matters.
4. Include high-quality visuals
Use high-quality images, lifestyle photos, and demo videos to show your offer in action. For example, you might include images of people making smoothies while camping or at the office, as well as a demo video on how to use the smoothie maker’s rechargeable battery.
5. Add social proof
Are you more likely to purchase a product if there are no reviews or if the product has lots of five-star reviews and images of customers using it? Include testimonials, user-generated content (UGC), and media logos if your product has been featured in high-profile publications. These all build credibility and reduce reluctance to convert.
6. Optimize for cognitive ease
Make sure the landing page content is pushing the visitor toward a conversion. This includes:
-
Urgency. Create time pressure (“Only 3 left!”) to encourage faster decision-making.
-
Sunk cost fallacy. Take advantage of the sunk cost fallacy and leverage past investment to motivate the visitor to complete the action (“You’ve come this far—don’t miss out now”).
-
Framing effect. Present information in a more appealing way to influence perception (“95% fat-free” versus “5% fat”).
-
Halo effect. Employ the halo effect, or using positive associations to elevate perceived quality, such as celebrity or influencer endorsements.
7. Reduce friction
Successful landing pages remove anything that might slow the visitor’s conversion decision. To reduce friction on your pages, consider:
-
Usability. Make sure the page is simple and intuitive to use.
-
Clarity. Make sure all copy, visuals, and CTAs are clear and compelling.
-
Distractions. Remove cluttered text, distracting visuals, or unnecessary links that might steer visitors away from their path to a conversion.
-
Effort. Minimize the number of steps or clicks required to convert.
-
Trust. Include trust signals, like return policies, and recognizable payment icons.
8. Test and troubleshoot
Once your landing page is live, give it at least two weeks to get data you can analyze. Is it performing as you expected it to? If not, use A/B testing tools like Shoplift, Intelligems, or VWO to test different variations and see which results in more conversions.
Start with a clear objective, such as improving add-to-cart clicks or increasing scroll depth. Create two variations of the same element, such as two versions of CTA copy. Avoid testing more than one element simultaneously, as this will muddy results. Collect data until you reach a statistically significant result—typically at least 1,000 visitors before making a call. Consider looking beyond the landing page if a page’s performance looks off. Sometimes, it may not be your page that’s the issue, but the quality of traffic coming in.
“If the traffic you get is bad, the landing pages aren’t going to work,” says Mike De Lia, ecommerce manager at the accessories company Ridge. For example, in one case, Ridge’s team found a $30 average order value (AOV) difference between two landing page variations. Upon further digging, Mike says the team found an underperforming ad sending low-quality traffic to the page.
Sometimes, a winning result may not get permanently implemented. Continue testing until you reach a result that aligns with business goals as well as produces impactful conversions.
High-converting landing pages FAQ
What is a good conversion rate for a landing page?
A high-converting landing page is a web page with a singular focus that successfully guides visitors toward taking a specific action.
What is a good conversion rate for a landing page?
A landing page conversion rate of 10% or above is considered good. However, this will also vary according to industry and the page’s goal.
How do I increase conversions on my landing page?
When creating landing pages, craft a compelling value proposition and use copy and design elements to reinforce it throughout the page. Reduce friction to conversion wherever possible and improve cognitive ease.
