Learning how to create a landing page is something every internet marketer needs to do, especially if they want to receive optimum conversions. You can’t just slap a product on a page with a Buy button and expect people to purchase. Things can also get out of hand if you try to wing the process of creating a landing page. This is why you need to learn how to design and build your own landing pages as well as what to put on them.

How to create a landing page
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That’s what this post is about. We’re going to go over what a landing page is before diving into the specific elements yours should have. We’ll also go over the various tools you can use to design or add a landing page in WordPress. You’ll have enough knowledge to create landing pages that convert once all is said and done, so let’s get started.

What is a landing page?

Creative IdeasSource: stux / Pixabay.com
Image Source: stux – Pixabay.com / License: CC0 Public Domain

There are technically two definitions for the term “landing page”. The first describes the page a user “lands” on when they visit your site for the first time. The second describes a page designed to encourage the user to take a specific action on something you promote. This is the one we’ll be going over in this post.

Types of landing pages

There are three types of landing pages you can use to promote your brand, event or product. They all serve different purposes. The one you use is dependent on your goal and the action you want the user to take.

Splash page

Adidas Splash Page
Image Source: Screenshot – Adidas.com

This example of a splash page shows a simple landing page that serves as a sort of teaser to whatever it is you’re promoting. The call to action is typically a link that leads to what you’re promoting, be it a website or product page. The goal is simply to get the user to view the page behind the link.

Lead page

My Food Happiness Lead Page
Image Source: Screenshot – Myfoodandhappiness.com

Lead pages are a popular type of landing page. You use them to generate leads. These are email subscribers who have been pre-qualified and defined as being most likely to purchase a product. This is why they’re also referred to as “squeeze pages” since you’re collecting a small amount of subscribers from a large amount of visitors. The call to action for this type of landing page is dependent on the opt-in incentive you use to encourage the visitor to subscribe. The goal, of course, is to get to subscribe. Therefore, squeeze pages often are used for email marketing.

Sales page

DIY Video Guy Sales Page
Image Source: Screenshot – Calebwojcikfilms.com

If you’ve already gone through the trouble of attracting people to your website and acquiring qualified leads, your next step should be to launch a product and promote it with a landing page. You’ll want to use a sales page for this. The call to action is typically to purchase, but it can also be an offer to a free trial or a free version of the product. The goal is to get potential customers to buy your product.

What makes a good landing page?

If you want to create a landing page and have it be the most perfect landing page you can build, you’re going to need to be meticulous about every little detail you put on it. This means making sure your landing page has some important characteristics. Let’s break each of these characteristics down:

No fluff

Targeted Content
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Fluff can be described as extra content added to fill in a few gaps. It typically serves no other purpose and only winds up taking away from the content’s main focus. To be blunt, you should always get to the point at the top of a landing page and place additional details under the fold.

Start with your offer presented with copy and imagery. This imagery should demonstrate the results the user will see if they take advantage of your offer when possible. After all, that’s what they want. Sure, nice layouts and dozens of dishes in a free recipe ebook are great, but what readers are really after are the opportunities they have to make a few amazing dishes. That should be your focus.

Take the Adidas landing page pictured above, for example. They didn’t place generic “Shop Men” and “Shop Women” buttons on the page. They displayed pictures for each section, demonstrating the styles the user could have for themselves if they take action.

The bottom line is if you want to create a landing page that converts, focus on the problem you’re trying to solve, not the features you offer. If you do want to mention features, use a feature; benefit format. This means giving an explanation on why each individual feature is beneficial to the user rather than showcasing a list of features.

Clear call to action

Push Button
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If you want to create a landing page that converts, you need to have a clear call to action. Don’t beat around the bush by placing it at the bottom of a long landing page. Consider the goal you want to accomplish, and use that as your call to action. Here are the calls to action used in the examples above:

  • Adidas – Shop
  • My Food & Happiness – Download
  • DIY Video Guy – Buy

They used different copy to promote these calls to action, and you can do the same to make things a little more interesting. Just make sure the action you want the user to take is clear no matter what copy you use. A single offer works best, and you should try to use no more than two as too many options may result in fewer conversions.

You should also take advantage of whitespace when showcasing your call to action. It should be the main focus when it’s on the page. DIY Video Guy does this well in the sales page example above. Lastly, use a simple email opt-in form when you create lead pages. Having to list too much information may cause some users to skip the process entirely. Go for a minimalist approach, and only add fields for the user’s name and email address.

Simple design

Website Layout
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When you create a landing page for the first time, you may be surprised by the amount of design decisions you’ll need to make. However, if you use the same guidelines you use for your calls to action and stick to simplicity, you won’t be as overwhelmed. Images and other visuals you use should complement your copy. It should not overshadow it. If anything, the visuals should lead your eye directly to your copy, especially your call to action. For example, the blue “Get the Course” button sticks out against the dark background in the DIY Video Guy example above.

Some internet marketers even choose not-so-subtle approaches to showcasing their calls to action by adding an image that directs your attention to it. They’ll typically use a high-quality image of themselves looking in the direction of the call to action. You’re meant to follow their eyes in this scenario. Other marketers use arrows, though this approach may seem obnoxious.

Use the color approach if you want to simplify things. Use a background color that contrasts with the color you use for your call to action (dark background, light call to action). If you add headers, make sure they aren’t too distracting. Lastly, keep these design elements off of your landing page if you want it to perform well for all users:

  • Animations
  • Sliders
  • GIFs
  • Autoplay Videos

Essential content only

Pricing PlansSource: Unsplash / Pixabay.com
Image Source: Unsplash – Pixabay.com / License: Public Domain CC0

This ties into the first two points we made. When you create a landing page, keep your focus on the problem you’re trying to solve and results the user will see as much as possible. That’s what they want to see. They don’t need to know your company’s history or philosophy. That’s what About pages are for.

If you want proof of the lengths your company goes through to ensure everything is in tip-top shape for your customers, contact a few or sift through your reviews, and add a few testimonials to your landing page. Think about it. Would you purchase a product from a company that boasts about themselves on their landing pages without any signs of proof of them actually following that philosophy? Probably not. This tactic is called “social proof”.

If you do include testimonials when you create a landing page, link to a page outside of your website where the quote can be read/heard when possible. This further adds to the credibility of your social proof.

How to create a landing page with WordPress

Write blog post with WordPress
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Landing page optimization is important if you want your page to convert, so it may be best for you to use a tool that makes it easy for you to create one. There are three ways you can design and create a landing inside of WordPress. The first is to simply create a new page in WordPress and build it there. However, you likely won’t be able to add many of the features we discussed previously.

Your second and third best bets are to use a landing page builder, which is just a page builder that comes with landing page templates, or a dedicated landing page generator. Let’s go over both of these:

Using a landing page builder

Elementor Plugin
Image Source: Screenshot – WordPress.org

Page builder plugins for WordPress allow you to create your own designs and layouts with drag-and-drop modules. Many of these builders come with pre-made templates you can install. These templates typically feature fully completed web pages with styles and everything. All you need to do is switch out the content to your own. Here are some popular page builders for WordPress that do a great job in offering features specifically made for landing pages. They’ll help you create a landing page on your WordPress site with ease.

  • Elementor – This page builder plugin has become well known for offering an impressive suite of features at a low cost (free). It comes with landing page templates as well as a blank page template that gets rid of the header and footer of your landing page.
  • Beaver Builder – This is a page builder plugin that originated as a theme that came with a built-in page builder. However, the developers now offer Beaver Builder on its own as a fully-fledged plugin. It features several landing templates for you to use.
  • Divi Builder – The Divi Builder has a similar story to Beaver Builder’s in that it originated as a feature woven into the Divi theme. It’s now available to be installed on any website, and it comes with blank page templates.

Using a landing page generator

Landing Lion
Image Source: Screenshot – Landinglion.com

WordPress page builder plugins are great for marketers who only need to create a handful of landing pages. When you need to create a landing page on a regular basis, your best bet is to use a service that specializes in creating these types of pages. Let’s go over a few.

Not only do these tools allow you to create a landing page, they allow you to collect information on your conversions. You can also conduct A/B testing using some of these plugins. This allows you to test different versions of a page against one another to see which one converts better.

Final thoughts on creating landing pages

Let’s recap. If you want to create a landing page that converts well, you need to keep things simple. Consider the goal you want users to take as well as the problem whatever it is you’re promoting is going to solve. You should also take the results users will see into consideration.

Establish those points before you create a landing page so you know exactly what needs to be added to it when you design and build it. Overall, make sure you have a clear call to action and no unnecessary content that does nothing to explain to the user why they should take action. Do you have any experience designing landing pages? We would love to read what has and hasn’t worked for you in the comments below.

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