The 5 elements of an effective landing page (and how to nail them)

Landing pages are designed to do one thing: persuade your reader to take a specific action. (Bonus points for doing this in a non-creepy way.)

The action is down to you and your purpose – it could be to sign up to a fabulous newsletter like this one, download an eBook or make a donation.

An effective landing page is one that achieves its intended goal. It’s as simple as that. 

But crafting a landing page isn’t as simple as it looks. You need to know the basics, sure, but you also need a deeper understanding of how all the elements work together to achieve your goal. 

In this issue I’ll delve into these elements, and show you some examples so you can see how it all works and apply it to your own landing page.

What makes an effective landing page?

1. Clear and compelling headline

I know a picture can tell a thousand words yada, yada, yada, but as a writer first and foremost, the headline is the most important thing for me.

The headline is your first impression so it needs to capture your reader’s attention and interest, plus incorporate the benefits of them taking action. 

Did I mention that the best headlines are also short, punchy and clear? (That’s clear, not clever.)

Yikes. That’s a lot. 

Fear not. To get those creative juices flowing, here’s an example of an effective headline from CAMFED, a female education charity:

This headline works because it hits on all of the points I mentioned above. Iit’s short, clear and loaded with benefits.

It also tugs at the ol’ emotions. Joy? Yes please - I’m a fan of joy. Support a girl in school? I didn’t know I could do that and now I do — I feel empowered.

This headline is punchy, benefit-driven and positively framed.

2. Striking, positive imagery

Along with your copy, your hero image needs to tell a story. When selecting an image to use on your landing page, think about how it will make your audience feel — and if that’s the feeling you want people to have about what you’re offering.

Negative images? Images reinforcing stereotypes? Stock images? All out. 

Solution-focused, positive images? Bold, striking images? Absolutely in.

Let’s look at the below example from Lyft:

Looks like Lyft want to attract and recruit more women drivers. They don’t need to say that, the image says it for them. 

The woman’s clothing is bold against the dark colour of the car, making it striking. The woman is also smiling, looking straight into the camera — and generally looking pretty pleased with herself. 

Together with the headline, we have ourselves a story. This woman is earning money every day with her car and looks like she’s enjoying every gosh-darn minute of it.

You might even say the image on this landing page is doing all the heavy ‘Lyfting.’ (I’m so sorry, I literally couldn’t help myself.)

3. Convincing, benefits-led supporting copy

Your subheading and any other copy on your landing page should support your headline and provide more information about the benefits of taking action. 

It should also address the pain points or desires of your target audience, and explain how your offer or campaign can solve their problems or fulfil their needs. 

Make any supporting copy concise, persuasive and abundantly clear. 

Here’s an example from… me! This is the landing page I use to ask people to subscribe to the Write Like You Mean It newsletter:

The copy hones in on the benefits subscribers will get from subscribing to my newsletter. It clearly explains who the newsletter is for, what to expect, when to expect it, and how much it costs. (It’s FREE?!)

4. Social proof

Social proof and credibility are powerful ways to build trust and confidence. You want to come across as legitimate, credible and popular on your landing page (and everywhere else). Featuring testimonials, reviews, ratings, company logos and stats are an effective way to achieve this.

Social proof works. That’s why everybody’s using it.

Here’s the landing page for Newsletter Operator, which I subscribe to and thoroughly recommend:

See how that stat at the top makes you feel confident? See how you’re drawn to the authority of the CEOs and company names even before you’ve read what they’ve got to say?

Told you — this stuff works.

5. Strong and specific call-to-action (CTA)

Your CTA must be super specific, very visible and, of course, action-oriented.

Every CTA is different so I can’t tell you the exact words to put on or above that button, but if you use words that convey urgency, value and / or emotion, you’ll be off to a winning start. 

For buttons, forget generic terms like ‘Submit’ or ‘Click here.’ You need something stronger and more convincing. It’s OK for it to be something simple like, ‘Start my free trial’ or ‘Download now’ – just make sure it’s clear and compelling.

And don’t forget the golden rule of CTAs: One CTA per landing page. Even if you need multiple buttons (i.e. if your page is long) make sure the links points to the same thing each time.

Here’s a great CTA from Patagonia’s activism arm:

The call to action here is clear: Ask government to stop extraction in Alaska. The copy on the button itself is fantastically effective — combined with the copy above, this makes for a pretty persuasive CTA. These folk are literally calling us to action!

Now you’ve got the 5 elements of a stonking landing page and examples to inspire you, it’s time to get to work on your own.

Any questions, just hit reply or comment on this post. I read everything from everyone. I’m very starved of social interaction.