Create landing pages that rank higher, attract clicks and convert visitors into customers by avoiding pitfalls and following best practices.
Over the last several months, I have tried to outline a more strategic approach to SEO.
This starts with creating a unique SEO strategy, a lightweight SEO plan and upper funnel SEO content ideation using SCAMPER and the Value Proposition frameworks. Finally, this month, I want to look at optimized service landing pages.
This is the bottom of the funnel: pages that will work for SEO and PPC traffic and are helpful, user-focused pages that are scientifically constructed to convert.
By following these articles, you can go from top-level strategy to lead gen with a strategic feather in your SEO cap.
To help in this endeavor, I have created a simple template you can copy and use as you work through this article.
Landing page optimization matters for SEO
Your customers may well browse around your website, but there will always be key pages that aim to drive conversions. We can call these landing pages for convenience, but a customer may land directly or get here via another customer journey.
The vital bit is that these pages are where the marketing rubber hits the website and you must convince the visitor to do business with you.
If these conversion pages are not finely tuned, you risk losing traction and seeing your customers return to wherever they came from – never to be seen again!
In this marketing environment, where more searches result in zero clicks, social networks are not keen on referring traffic and AI marches relentlessly on, when you get someone, you must convince them to take action.
Below is a simple process for building a high-performance landing page that does just that. A page that will rank highly, drive engagement and have customers knocking on your door to do business with you.
SEO leaks and leaky landing pages
Before we dive in, some important context helps frame the approach.
Earlier this year, we had the first major Google search algorithm leak, which covered some elements of how the dominant search engine ranks results.
There is a lot to unpack, and it is outside the scope of this article. However, one area of insight is user engagement metrics. The general takeaway is that behavioral metrics like clicks, time spent on a page and click-through rates (CTR) influence rankings.
More recently, SEO expert Cindy Krum has theorized that user engagement may be even more critical for SEO. The general idea is that Google is using users’ behavior in Google Chrome to help understand high-engagement pages.
Think about this for a second. Google has the most popular web browser, Google Chrome and the most popular mobile operating system, Android. That is a lot of engagement data, and in many ways, it would be crazy if they were not using it!
This is reassuring, as it means that good SEO and good marketing are the same. Sure, we need to dial in our technical SEO and optimize around the language of our target audience, but we also need to make pages that speak to their wants, needs and pains.
To create a solid landing page that ranks and converts, we focus on understanding and helping our target audience. That is music to my ears!
Common landing page problems
Before we outline what to do, let’s look at common problems and what you should avoid.
- The page is too complicated.
- Too wordy – message not clear enough
- No clear calls to action (or weak calls to action)
- Images and wording do not line up
- Unclear or flowery language
- There is no lead generation to feed the funnel
- Technical niggles like fast sliders etc
- Not focused on the needs of the visitor (and is all about you)
There are many reasons a conversion-focused page fails, but these are some of the usual suspects. It is helpful to know what you are trying to avoid upfront!
Who is the audience?
Before we get started, make sure to carefully define your audience segment.
This is marketing basics, but essential. Your messaging can only hit the spot if you are talking to a specific audience segment.
Choose a carefully defined segment and build your page around their pains, needs and wants.
A perfectly optimized landing page: 10 key elements
Landing pages must quickly and effectively communicate how you can help solve the customer’s problems or help them achieve their goals.
Most fail because they confuse or overload visitors by trying to do too much. The best landing pages focus on simplicity, clear messaging and leading the visitor through a series of steps towards a call to action.
As time-challenged marketers, this approach provides a simple framework for creating powerful, optimized landing pages. This removes some cognition regarding how to structure the page, allowing you to focus on what matters.
There are ten elements for the perfect landing page.
Generally, the more of these you use, the better. The order can change somewhat, but you can follow this precisely as laid out (and fill this out in our template as you read the document).
For some businesses, not all elements are needed and things like video can be a barrier, so consider the first six elements absolutely essential and the others icing on the cake.
Remember, the most effective landing pages have a clear message, outline the stakes of not taking action, build trust and convert into leads or sales.
The key components are:
1. Clear header section
You have around 10 seconds to make an excellent first impression on your visitors and get them to grasp your offer, or you will lose them forever!
A few valuable aspects to consider here are:
- What do you offer?
- How does it make the customer’s life better?
- How do they buy it?
It is helpful to ask those questions and ensure you are going some way to answering them immediately.
Clarity matters here. There should be no complexity or clever wording, just concise, clear messaging.
The components of your header section should be:
- Headline: A clear, concise headline that defines the problem you solve. It should address your customer’s main pain point or goal in as few words as possible.
- Sub-headline: A short line explaining the solution your business offers and how it benefits the customer.
- Call to action (CTA): A strong and visible button that directs visitors to take immediate action, such as “Buy Now,” “Schedule a Call,” or “Get a Quote.” Consider also a transactional CTA for a mailing list, discount or voucher for those needing more time to take action!
- Soft call to action (CTA): A secondary CTA for maybe an email or a download or something to allow you to carry on the conversation (optional)
- Hero image: A visual or video that captures attention and reinforces your message (product image, video, or lifestyle shot of your customer benefiting from the solution).
Note: The visitor is not likely to convert here initially but may well bounce back to the top of the page at any point during the following steps. We want a clear, strong call to action so they know exactly what to do!
2. The problem section
This section covers what will happen if the prospect does not act. You outline the stakes and paint a picture of failure for them to avoid.
You want a sprinkle of negative to make the positive that follows all the sweeter! Don’t overdo it.
Some questions to ask:
- What are you helping the customer avoid or overcome?
- What is the cost of not using your solution? Wasted time etc.
Here, you should:
- Identify the problem: Briefly outline the specific problem your customer is facing, demonstrating that you understand their pain points.
- Agitate the problem: Emphasize the consequences of not addressing the problem, creating a sense of urgency.
3. The solution section
This is where the psychological aspects of this structure start to take hold. You have outlined what you offer and the impact of not buying your product.
Now, you must follow up with the results the customer can expect and what I like to call the promised land. The positive aspects here feel all the more potent due to the negatives in the problem section.
Outline your value proposition and justify charging more than competitors by adding value.
Often, these are things that the business already provides but still needs to articulate.
The Value Proposition Canvas can help with this process by listing all elements of the product and the relevant benefits.
- Introduce the solution: Present your product or service as the solution to the problem. Be clear about how your offering provides value and solves the customer’s issue.
- Benefits list: Highlight three to four key benefits or results your customer will experience by choosing your product/service.
4. Trust-building section
If you do the above well, we will have the visitor’s attention and must get them to trust us. This continues to add layers to the steps above and nurture them towards action.
To build trust, you have to demonstrate empathy and authority. Empathy shows that you truly understand how the customer feels and authority shows that you have the hard experience to help.
Example: “We know how frustrating it is to have a website that is converting. This is why we took 25 years of web design and digital marketing experience to create this winning framework for websites that convert every time.”
In this section, include the following:
- Empathy and authority statement: a simple statement that shows empathy and experience. Can be a header and subheader.
- Testimonials: Include customer testimonials demonstrating how your business has successfully helped other people like your target audience.
- Logos or trust badges: Display logos of well-known clients or certifications that build credibility and trust.
5. A three-step plan
At this point, your visitor should have their credit card in hand. You need to give them a simple, scannable, three-step plan detailing how they proceed.
The plan must show the customer how easy it is to work with you and get results, removing complexity and making the customer journey clear.
- Step 1: What the customer needs to do. (e.g., “Schedule a consultation.”)
- Step 2: How your business will help them. (e.g., “We will create a customized plan.”)
- Step 3: The desired outcome. (e.g., “Start growing your business”)
It’s best to keep this bit visually simple. Three columns usually do the trick with a 1, 2 and 3 with a short header, an image and a simple description that is as concise as possible.
Remember that people will skim through the content before reading it thoroughly, so ensure it’s easy to scan and encourages a second, more detailed read.
6. The explanatory section
Not all products are straightforward. While some customers may be hooked by the earlier sections, others will need more detail.
This is where the explanatory section comes into play.
Here, you can have a paragraph or other page elements, such as FAQs, drop-down menus, etc., that help explain the offer and answer any customer questions or concerns.
This section is useful for SEO so always:
- Clarify the offer: In a paragraph or two, explain your offer in more detail without jargon or technical language. Reinforce how the customer will benefit and why it’s the best solution for their problem.
- Overcome objections: Your sales team should be able to provide insight into the most common customer objections. This section can help you overcome some of those and remove any barriers to conversion.
- Include FAQs: If you need to, you can add a series of FAQ questions that are accessible via a drop-down so the customer can skim and pick out the points of interest.
7. Video (Optional)
Some people prefer video. They may skim the above but a video may be what pushes them forward. Your video, although optional, should simply lay out the steps above.
This is optional and can create a barrier in some situations, giving you even more potential traction.
- Time – 1 to 3 minutes: Keep it short and sweet. Make it as short as possible.
- Engagement: Make the first 30 seconds compelling to get people to keep watching.
- Video Hosting: be sure to host the video on a professional video hosting platform so it scales and keeps the site loading fast!
You have already done the hard work here, so simply lay out everything from the process above, and you will grab those users who prefer to watch rather than read.
Remember, if you use SEO for your content marketing, you may find other ways to make this video work for you!
8. Pricing (Optional)
If suitable for your product, have a pricing table. There is a reason why pricing pages are often some of the most highly clicked pages on a website.
This reminds me of the old 4Ps of marketing: product and price being the first two. The product has to be right, but so does the price.
- Pricing tiers: If applicable, include pricing options that let visitors see what they’ll get for different service levels. Show that you offer value at each price point.
- Options: Customers like options, so have three tiers if possible, even if this means bundling products.
9. Final CTA
Here, I like to have a simple, strong CTA. Typically, just repeat the primary CTA from the top of the page and use both a lightweight (email signup) and heavyweight (buy now) CTA.
- Repeat your CTA: At the bottom of the page, repeat the main call to action. Keep it direct and actionable (e.g., “Get Started Now”).
10. Everything else
Visitors may want to know a bit more about you, so anything else you feel is important can go down here.
Typically this ends up looking like a standard website footer with links to your About us and Contact pages.
Conversion tips
To recap, there are a few guiding principles here to ensure your landing page is effective:
- Clarity over cleverness: Avoid using fancy language or creative metaphors that might confuse visitors. Be straightforward and focus on solving their problems, using crystal-clear language.
- Limit distractions: Remove unnecessary links, text, or images that distract from the main call to action. The goal is to guide the customer down the page in a logical, focused way.
- Consistent CTA: Use the same primary call to action (e.g., “Schedule a Call”) throughout the page to avoid confusing visitors with too many options.
- Mobile optimization: Ensure that your landing page is fully optimized for mobile viewing, as many visitors will access it from their smartphones.
- Page load speed: Make sure the page loads quickly. A slow page can cause potential customers to leave before they see your message.
- Video hosting: Use professional video hosting so the video can be scaled to the correct bandwidth for the device used to access the page!
Sample wireframe layout for your landing page
This should then give you something that looks like this
- Hero section
- Headline
- Sub-headline
- Call to action
- Hero image/video
- Problem section
- Outline the customer’s problem and agitate it.
- Solution section
- Introduce your solution and highlight key benefits.
- Trust-building section
- Include testimonials and logos/trust badges.
- Plan section
- Present a three-step plan to show how easy it is to work with you.
- Explanatory Paragraph
- Clarify your offer in simple, clear language.
- Pricing Section (Optional)
- Display pricing options, if relevant.
- Final CTA
- Repeat the main call to action with emphasis.
The result
The result of this process is a blueprint for a page that will rank, engage and convert.
Typically, we fill out each section in the template and maybe even scratch this out on a sheet of paper to get a feel for the layout.
This can then be fed into your web designer or development team to wire it up and make it look pretty.
This process makes it easy for you to specify high-impact landing pages that remove any ambiguity for your visitors and guide them inexorably toward a conversion.