What is included in a Landing page?

You know already that a landing page should be clean and concise and have a CTA and a headline, but how to achieve that? And do I need something else?

Let’s go bit by bit.

You can divide your landing page first into two parts:

Above the fold

Below the fold

Yes, there are many writings about that the importance of what is above and below the fold is not so important, but when comes to landing pages I believe it is.

Above the fold is what the visitor will see on their screen when visiting your landing page. Responsive websites here come in handy as you want that your message and your CTA are visible no matter if the visitor is on the newest iPhone or old laptop or tablet.

Below the fold is all that is below that your visitor has to scroll to see.

As you see and think about the 7 seconds that your customer takes to believe if it should or not stay on your website, what is above the fold is important

Now that we took that out of the way, what should be above and below the fold?

Above the fold

• Headline
• Header
• CTA
• Image/illustration/ Colors

Below the fold

• Road Map / Explanation
• Social Proof
• Show the problem
• Social Media Links

Above the fold

Headline

The headline is like Twitter with steroids. You have to explain your product, tell your solution clearly and shortly. The customer when reading your headline should be or informed about what your product is about or at least intrigued to want to know more

Some examples :

When you go to these pages, in a few seconds you understand what they do and what they sell. That is your goal

Header

In the header, like in the headline, in a few words, you have to describe how you going to achieve the solution you announce on the headline.

You have to show the benefits of your product/service.

CTA

All comes down to this button. After you decide what is the goal of your landing page, and remember only one goal per landing page, the goal is your CTA ( call to action)

Can be anything, don’t think that the CTA can be only "buy it now"

You might want that the visitor to register for the newsletter, sign a petition, buy a product, upgrade a product, etc. The possibilities are endless.

The point is that the CTA has to be above the fold and has to be clear.

While I said that you only have to have one CTA per landing page, that doesn’t mean that you need only one button for the CTA. No. While the user scrolls the page, you should have the same CTA along with the page, on the left, on the right, on the end.

Image/Illustration/Colors

Here there is one big NO. NEVER user stock photos. The best now is using icons and or illustrations. Also, videos can be and are highly recommended for some product/services niches.

If you use photos, use your own or from some professional but not stock photos. They have to support your product and show it.

No matter what you use, the colors and icons, illustrations have to go along with the brand and support it.

Below the fold

Road Map / Explanation / Show the problem

Does your product need to be shown by a buyer’s journey? Do you need to explain your product a bit more? Here is where you can show it. Remember that the landing page should be succinct, so like in the above the fold here also you should keep it simple

You can show the pain problem and how you create the solution. Create a table in how you are different than your competitors. Be honest, short, and engaging.

Social Proof

If you are starting you might don’t have any social proof but as soon you have something, start putting it on the page as it proves that your solution works and people can trust you

Social Links

This is given, but remember to put the links to social media and your website if you have, where the visitor can know more about you and your company

Also Important

No matter if it’s above or below the fold something your landing page has to have:

• Responsive- Many people will access in mobile so it’s mandatory
• SEO- Even that many visitors came from advertising, you have to have a landing page optimized for SEO, focused on your product and service
• Page Speed- It has to be fast. Visitors should access it fast and understand fast
• Good copywriting- That’s a tricky one and it comes with experience. There are some tools you can use ( later I will describe them) but remember that good copywriting is what can make your product be sold or not. The best example that I always remember comes from Apple and its iPod: “1000 songs in your pocket”. In one sentence you got it all. Imagine if they would write “ A portable media player for you”. Not so catchy and probably not so profitable.

And remember you are writing for people, so write like people, don’t try to impress an invisible jury, and be yourself

Making a recap:

• Set a clear goal for your landing page
• CTA that supports that goal
• A clear and engaging message
• No Navigation elements
• Simple, clean, and beautiful

Now let's improve our landing page.