Have you ever created something so great that you think people should be knocking down your door to see it, but your online visitors are slipping through the cracks? Your idea may be great, your content may be flawless, but without an eye-catching landing page you could be shouting without an audience. Like most people online, I have the attention span of a gnat. Also, like most people, you have about three seconds to lure me in before I open a new tab and continue on my way. The perfect way to do this is a well-prepared landing page.

What is a Landing Page?

Unlike the landing pages of the old Internet, current landing pages direct your visitors to where you want them to go. A perfect landing page is simple and eye catching and makes the user feel the need to continue his or her journey on your website. A landing page can be a specific page designed to lure visitors to your site, or it could be your normal home page. Either way, you have one objective: inspire and motivate.

Ok, so now you know what you need to do…the next question is how do we get there? The answer may surprise you at its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Take a look at our top five recommendations to help improve your landing page below.  As always, The Focus Group is here to help if you can’t get the traction you need.

Here Goes:

• Dummy-Proof Your App or Website

  This may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be amazed at how cluttered and unreadable some landing pages can be. If you want to attract people and up conversion rates, you need to unclutter your site and show your visitors what you want them to see immediately. You want them to sign up for a newsletter? Place it front and center with bold, stylized, eye-catching text. Make it pop. This is the same remedy for anything you want people to see. Make them notice you.

• Go Responsive

  This is a little more technical for the average user, but having a responsive site allows your visitors to use their mobile device to access your site properly. Give them a window, and they will open it. Mobile use is growing far more quickly and widely than desktop use, so get on board and make your site respond to your visitor’s needs.

• Show User Reviews

  Show your new visitors that you are trusted and used by other people. Give them a small glimpse of what you did for someone else, and let your previous clients or visitors do the selling for you. Through my experience, word of mouth can be attributed to about 85-90% of our sells. We give our clients a reason to brag about us, and they tell our story for us to potential clients. Just don’t overdo it with the reviews. Maybe two or three reviews in a fading scroller would suffice without breaking the first point above.

• Do it Big

  One of the newest trends in web design is going big. People are using bigger monitors and faster Internet connections everywhere. Create large, eye-catching graphics and make scrolling backgrounds that are full screen. Do it in a tactful way that will impress your visitor. Again, don’t overdo it or else risk breaking the first point above (See a trend starting?). Do it big or don’t do it at all.

• Motivate Your Visitors

  One of the biggest problems people run into is a lack of motivation. Why stay on your site when there are millions just like it? What puts you above the others? Motivate your visitors and help them use their trigger-happy clicking finger. People love sharing things that their friends do, that they like, and that they think people should be aware of. This technique is referred to as “validation.” Make the user feel validated by spreading the word about your app or website to their friends (so they can be the next cool person people talk about, or so they can have something to talk about with their friends). Everyone likes to push buttons, and pushing your button validates this feeling. Give them the opportunity to validate their time on your website or app.

There it is. A simple but effective list. A landing page can make or break a website. Using our tips above can make your way to filling the gap that your visitors were once slipping through. Retain visitors, and you retain potential buyers.

Did we miss anything? Do you have any great ideas that should be implemented on a website landing page? Let us hear about it in the comments below.

Eric Oliver
Director of Website Development