Landing pages are effective marketing tools that generate qualified leads. This is how leading companies around the world craft compelling landing pages.

Landing pages are powerful marketing tools designed with a single purpose in mind: to persuade visitors to take action. This action can take various forms, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, streaming a demo, requesting a callback, downloading a free resource, or scheduling a meeting. A well-crafted landing page is crucial for turning visitors into leads and ultimately into loyal customers.

For over a decade, we've been helping brands conceptualize, design, build, test, and optimize landing pages that truly drive results. Our extensive experience in creating high-converting landing pages has empowered countless businesses to achieve their marketing goals and grow their customer base.

In this guide, we distill our extensive experience into actionable insights that every brand can use to improve their results. Whether you're new to landing pages or looking to refine your existing strategy, these tips and best practices will help you create landing pages that captivate your audience and drive meaningful engagement.

What are landing pages?

Landing pages is where users "land" after clicking on a link from an ad, email, or other digital source. They're designed to focus on a specific goal, like getting visitors to sign up for a newsletter, download an eBook, or buy a product.

Simply put, instead of just being a regular page with lots of info, they cut straight to the chase, offering clear, concise content and a call to action (CTA). The whole idea is to keep visitors engaged and guide them to do something specific without getting distracted.

“Landing pages are designed to focus on a specific goal, like getting visitors to sign up for a newsletter or buy a product.”

For example, if you click on an ad about a new online course, you'll probably end up on a landing page that gives you the details of the course and nudges you to enrol. The page will have eye-catching headlines, relevant images or videos, and a big, bold button to click. In short, landing pages are all about conversion, turning casual visitors into leads or customers by providing just the right amount of information and a compelling reason to take action.

Why are landing pages important?

Landing pages play a pivotal role in any marketing strategy. Here's why they are so essential:

1. Focused conversion

Unlike regular website pages, landing pages are laser-focused on a single objective, whether it's signing up for a trial, downloading an e-book, or making a purchase.

Landing page conversion rate by industry

This focused approach increases the likelihood of conversion because there are no distractions.

Sidebar: what is conversion rate? Conversion rate is a key performance indicator (KPI) in marketing that measures the percentage of visitors to a website or landing page who complete a desired action out of the total number of visitors. The desired action, known as a conversion, can vary depending on the business goals. Common examples of conversions include making a purchase, filling out a form, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or any other action that moves a visitor further along the sales funnel. If your landing page received 1,000 visitors in a month and 50 of those visitors completed the desired action (e.g., filled out a form), the conversion rate would be calculated as 50 / 1000 x 100 = 5%.

2. Tailored messaging

Landing pages allow you to tailor your message specifically to the audience segment you're targeting. Whether it's a particular demographic, location, or interest group, you can customize the content to speak directly to their needs and desires.

3. Improved ROI

Since landing pages are designed for conversion, they tend to have higher conversion rates compared to regular website pages. You're essentially getting more value for your investment in marketing efforts, whether you're running ads, email campaigns, or social media promotions.

4. Data insights

Landing pages are excellent for collecting data and insights about your audience's behaviour. By tracking metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rate, you can gather valuable information to optimize your marketing efforts and improve your overall strategy.

5. Continuous testing and improving

With landing pages, it's easy to experiment and test different elements such as headlines, images, CTA buttons, and even layout. With simple A/B tests (where a single variable is changed at a time) helps you identify what resonates best with your audience and refine your approach for better results over time.

Types of landing pages

There are several types of landing page, all serving specific purposes. Here are some common ones you might come across.

1. Campaign Landing Pages

These are the most common landing pages. Specifically designed to support a marketing campaign, they are highly focused and aligned with the campaign's messaging and goals, often used for short-term promotions or seasonal offers. Campaign landing pages are usually created to capture the interest of visitors who have clicked on an advertisement, email link, or social media post.

2. Lead generation pages

These pages are all about capturing leads. They typically offer something valuable like an e-book, webinar, or free trial in exchange for contact information such as email addresses.

3. Event registration pages

If you're hosting an event, whether it's virtual or in-person, you'll want a landing page specifically for registration. These pages provide details about the event and collect attendee information.

4. Product launch pages

When you're gearing up to launch a new product or service, a dedicated landing page can generate excitement and anticipation. These pages often include teasers, countdowns, and early access offers.

5. App download pages

These are designed to encourage visitors to download a mobile or desktop application. They often highlight the app's features, benefits, and provide download links for various platforms.

6. Lead magnet pages

Lead magnet pages are specialized landing pages designed to offer a valuable resource (the "lead magnet") in exchange for a visitor's contact information. Common lead magnets include eBooks, whitepapers, free trials, webinars, templates, checklists, and exclusive content. These pages focus on a single, compelling offer to attract visitors and convert them into leads.

Lead magnet pages are highly effective at generating leads. By offering something of value, these pages incentivize visitors to provide their contact information, which can then be used for further marketing efforts.

Limitations of landing pages

While landing pages are incredibly useful in many ways, they do have their limitations.

1. Limited content

Landing pages are designed to be concise and focused, which means you have limited space to convey your message. This can be challenging if you have a complex product or service that requires more explanation.

2. Single objective

Landing pages are typically created with a single goal in mind, such as capturing leads or driving sales. While this can lead to higher conversion rates, it also means that other potential actions, like exploring other products or services, may be neglected.

3. Requires ongoing optimization

To maximize the effectiveness of landing pages, they often require ongoing testing and optimization. This can include experimenting with different headlines, images, and calls to action to find what vibrates best with your audience.

4. Dependency on traffic sources

Landing pages rely heavily on traffic sources such as ads, email campaigns, or social media posts to drive visitors. If these sources dry up or become less effective, the performance of your landing pages can suffer.

5. Not ideal for every stage of the buyer's journey

While landing pages excel at capturing leads or driving immediate action, they may not be the best choice for nurturing leads over time or providing in-depth product information. For these purposes, other types of content such as blog posts or product pages may be more suitable.

6. Can be time-consuming to create

Crafting effective landing pages requires careful planning, design, and copywriting. This can be time-consuming, especially if you're creating multiple landing pages for different campaigns or target audiences.

What does a great landing page look like?

A solid landing page should include a few key ingredients to make it effective.

1. Catchy headlines

Landing pages have roughly 15 seconds to capture the attention of a user who lands on your site so smart, fun, catchy headlines are important. But landing pages that get results reveal something that visitors need right away. For example, pages that offer exclusive prices or benefits in the headline achieve better results.

Keep in mind that only 20% users will scroll to the end of the page so the area “above the fold” (where you don’t need to scroll) is key. And, on average, five times as many people read the headline as the complete text. Getting straight to the point creates a good impression on consumers and drives them to stay longer. The same goes for the headlines along the page. Subtitles, bullet points, brief sentences, words in bolsd - all these are common traits among best performing landing pages.

2. Engaging visuals

Use high-quality images to capture attention, compelling videos, or graphics to help convey complex ideas. All those can be relevant to your offer and help to reinforce your message.

3. Concise copy

Highlight the key benefits of your offer and use persuasive language to encourage visitors to take action. Pick the 3 to 5 key messages that might prompt the selected target group to the desired action and stick to them. In the best performing pages, these advantages are strategically placed in high-visibility areas such as the main title, meta descriptions, subtitles and call-to-actions.

4. Irresistible Call to Action (CTA)

Make sure your CTA stands out and clearly tells visitors what you want them to do next, whether it's signing up, downloading, or making a purchase. Don’t assume the audience knows want you want then to do. If you want a user to download an e-book you're offering on your landing page, instead of using a CTA like "Click to download the e-book”, use something like "I want that e-book”.

5. FOMO

Every brand hopes to convince customers they can help solve a specific need. But leading marketing brands take things one step further. These marketeers can convey to customers that if they don’t act, they might miss out on something new. FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, applied to landing pages means people are more likely to subscribe or download something even if they don’t have any immediate need for it, just so they won’t be left behind.

Take Netflix or Spotify. These brands provide visitors the opportunity to try their service for free, either offering a 30-day trial with no payment commitment, or a free service, but with ads included. With no apparent downside, FOMO kicks in. Landing pages that muster an irresistible CTA, that conveys FOMO, are likely to receive more clicks.

5. Abundance of social proof

Show that other people like and trust your brand, product, or service. Include testimonials, reviews, or social media mentions to build trust and credibility with your audience. Success stories or case studies can be helpful to demonstrate the tangible results your offering has achieved for others.

6. Killer testimonials

Around 88% of consumers read online reviews before deciding on a purchase. Specifically, most people look for star rating, legitimacy (real reviews), recency (73% of consumers only pay attention to reviews from the past month), sentiment (positive vs. negative feeling) and quantity (the sheer number of reviews).

7. SEO

Our research indicates that for a landing page to establish a good ranking and produce a higher Return on Investment (ROI), marketeers should have SEO as a top priority from the onset. SEO means Search Engine Optimization and concerns, among other things, the selection and implementation of relevant search terms (keywords) that each target audience might look up in search engines. Overall, landing pages that focus on very specific, long-tail keywords achieve higher conversion rates that those which fail to do so.

8. Concise forms

As forms get smaller, conversation rates increase. Customers simply do not have the time to fill out long forms. By preferring shorter forms, with only a few essential details to collect leads, marketeers drastically improve performance. Unsurprisingly, “name and email” forms perform better.

Number of form fields vs Conversion rate

Hubspot found out that overall, more form fields yield lower conversions. Either way, remember to keep it short and only ask for essential information that you need to follow up effectively.

10.Trust signals

Display trust badges, security seals, or certifications to reassure visitors that their information is safe and secure. Let the visitors know they’re in good hands.

11. Limited navigation

Minimize distractions that could lead visitors away from your conversion goal. Strip away unnecessary navigation links or menu items and focus on only one primary action that you want them to take. Remember: focus on simplicity and clarity.

12. Maximalist design

Bold, bright and flashy landing pages outperform their minimalist counterparts. For designers, mixing vivid colours and big buttons with striking pictures may prove challenging. And matching them with the brand’s current identity is no easy feat. But it pays off - recent A/B tests have shown that increasing fonts, images and buttons is likely to translate to more leads. In landing page design, more means more.

Landing pages benchmarks

Landing page benchmarks can vary depending on factors like industry, audience, and campaign objectives, but here are some general ones to consider.

1. Conversion rate

The average conversion rate for landing pages across industries is around 9,7%. However, top-performing landing pages can achieve much higher conversion rates, sometimes reaching double digits.

2. Bounce rate

A bounce rate below 40% is considered good for a landing page. This means that the majority of visitors are engaging with your content and taking some form of action before leaving the page.

3. Average session duration

Aim for an average session duration of at least 2 minutes on your landing page. This indicates that visitors are spending enough time engaging with your content to absorb your message and consider your offer.

4. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The average CTR for a landing page CTA is around 3,5%. However, this can vary depending on factors like the clarity of your CTA, the relevance of your offer, and the effectiveness of your copy and design. Besides, don’t’ forget to put this information in the context of the industry.

5. Cost per Acquisition (CPA)

The marketing metric Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) represents the total expense incurred to acquire a new customer through a specific channel or campaign. To calculate CPA, divide the total cost associated with customer acquisition (whether it's overall media spend or costs attributed to a specific channel or campaign) by the number of new customers gained from that channel or campaign.

“The average conversion rate for landing pages across industries is around 9,7%”

CPA benchmarks can differ based on industry and channel. On average, the CPA for pay-per-click (PPC) search across various industries is $59.18.

6. Page load time

A fast page load time is crucial for keeping visitors engaged and preventing them from bouncing. Aim for a page load time of 3 seconds or less to minimize the risk of losing potential leads or customers.

7. Form completion rate

If your landing page includes a form, track the completion rate to see how many visitors are successfully submitting their information. A completion rate of 20-30% is considered good for most forms.

How to build a great landing page, step by step

Over the years, we've crafted hundreds of landing pages for several high-performing brands. Through this extensive experience, we've developed a refined process that consistently delivers exceptional results. This is our step-by-step approach to building a great landing page.

1. Define your goals

Clearly outline what you want to achieve with your landing page. Whether it’s generating leads, driving sales, increasing sign-ups, or promoting a product, having specific goals will guide the entire process.

2. Settle on a budget

Establish a budget for your landing page campaign. Consider costs for design, development, advertising, and any other associated expenses.

3. Segment your audience

Divide your target audience into smaller, more specific groups based on demographics, interests, or behaviors. This allows for more personalized and relevant messaging. Ideally, each landing page should target a single, specific audience. For instance, if you’re targeting both managers at SMB and at large organization, build a separate page for each group.

4. Define the offer

Determine the value proposition you’re offering. This could be a product, service, free trial, eBook, or any other incentive that will attract your audience.

5. Craft compelling messaging

Develop clear, concise, and persuasive copy that resonates with your audience. Ensure your headline grabs attention, and your body copy communicates the benefits of your offer.

6. Optimize for Mobile

Ensure your landing page is fully responsive and performs well on all devices, especially mobile, as a significant portion of traffic often comes from mobile users.

7. Optimize for SEO

Ensure your landing page is optimized for search engines. Use relevant keywords in your headlines, meta descriptions, and content. Make sure the page loads quickly and includes alt text for images to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

8. Choose your marketing channels

Select the appropriate channels (e.g., PPC, social media, email) to promote your landing page. Consider where your target audience spends their time and tailor your approach accordingly.

9. Ensure fit with other campaigns

Check how your new landing page and its campaign fit with other active marketing efforts. Ensure consistency in messaging and avoid audience overlap or campaign cannibalization.

10. Build the pages and variations

Construct your landing page using a reliable platform or tool. Develop multiple variations (A/B testing) to see which design and messaging perform best.

11. Set up analytics and tracking

Integrate tools like Google Analytics, heatmaps, and conversion tracking to monitor visitor behavior and measure performance.

12. Test and measure

Continuously test different elements of your landing page (headlines, CTAs, images, etc.) to see what works best. Analyze the data to understand user interactions and conversion rates.

13. Learn and adapt

Use the insights gained from testing and measurement to make informed adjustments. Continuously optimize your landing page based on feedback and performance data.

Landing page inspiration: 3 case studies

Over the years, we have collaborated with numerous high-performing brands, helping them overcome unique challenges and achieve their marketing goals through expertly crafted landing pages. Here are a few case studies that illustrate our approach and the impactful results we've delivered.

EasyPay

Challenge: EasyPay, a payment gateway provider, was struggling to convert Google Ads visitors into leads. Merchants from various sectors had different needs, which made it difficult to create a one-size-fits-all landing page.

Solution: We built baseline landing pages tailored to each customer type, segmenting merchants by industry and business type. For each segment, we developed multiple variations of the landing pages. These were paired with specific Google Ads groups to identify which combinations performed best. Additionally, we optimized all landing pages for SEO to increase organic traffic.

To enhance user engagement, we designed the landing pages to be interactive, allowing users to configure their product options. This interactivity not only provided a personalized experience for the users but also gathered valuable information for the commercial team. The collected data enabled the team to start informed conversations with potential customers, tailored to their specific needs.

Results: The targeted approach led to a significant increase in traffic, leads, and form submissions. EasyPay saw improved ad performance and a higher conversion rate, effectively turning more Google Ads visitors into valuable leads.

Siemens Healthineers

Challenge: Siemens Healthineers faced difficulties converting hospital managers through their email marketing campaigns. The primary issue was the generic nature of the landing pages, which didn’t cater to the specific needs of different hospital managers.

Solution: We developed customized landing pages that addressed the unique concerns and needs of hospital managers. These pages were integrated with the email campaigns, ensuring that each email directed recipients to a relevant and tailored landing page. The pages were also optimized for SEO to enhance their visibility.

Results: The personalized approach led to a higher engagement rate from hospital managers. Siemens Healthineers experienced an increase in email campaign effectiveness, resulting in more traffic, leads, and conversions from their targeted email efforts.

Ayvens (formerly LeasePlan)

Challenge: Ayvens, previously known as LeasePlan, needed to highlight their new product offerings, particularly cars for lease, to a diverse audience.

Solution: We first conducted a comprehensive review of their current landing pages to identify areas of improvement. Based on our findings we created several landing pages focused on different aspects of Ayvens' new product offerings. Each landing page was designed to showcase specific leasing options, features, and benefits, tailored to appeal to various customer segments. These pages were also optimized for SEO to attract organic traffic.

Results: The strategic deployment of multiple landing pages allowed Ayvens to effectively showcase their new products, leading to increased interest and inquiries. The SEO optimization contributed to higher search engine rankings, driving more organic traffic to their site and boosting overall lead generation.

Articulate, where landing pages make waves

Landing pages are an essential marketing tool for companies looking for new ways of acquiring customers in this digital age. Effective landing pages have 10 key traits in common: a clear target, many inbound channels, a unique goal, SEO, compelling headlines, benefit-oriented copy, a bold design, FOMO, testimonials or customer reviews and short contact forms.

At Articulate, we have built hundreds of landing pages for the world’s most innovative brands. Our team of digital marketers can help you craft compelling, result-oriented landing pages. Whether you're looking to generate leads, promote a new product, or increase sales, we’ll help you make a splash with landing pages that truly stand out. Get in touch.

Landing pages: a practical guide to drive conversion