The essentials of a great landing page: what every website needs to succeed

A great landing page turns visitors into leads, subscribers, and customers. It can make the difference between closing a deal and losing it. 

While your website attracts multiple offers, a landing page does the opposite. It keeps your audience focused on a specific campaign, which makes them more likely to convert.

In fact, according to Hubspot, business websites with 10-15 landing pages tend to increase conversions by 55% over business websites with less than 10 landing pages.

In short, a landing page is a quick path towards results.

But what exactly does a well-crafted landing page consist of? Let’s find out.

1. Compelling headlines

As the first element visitors see, the landing page headline can be either a big hit or a big miss. It dramatically influences whether your visitor decides to stay or leave.

So, how can you make it a win? Once you’ve attracted visitors, how can you keep them?

Here are a few tips to consider:

• Make your headline clear, concise, and easy to understand. Stick to simple, conversational language.

• Make sure your headline aligns with the content of your page to set clear expectations for visitors. A mismatch can lead to confusion and higher bounce rates, so ensure the message remains consistent throughout your page.

• Emphasize the benefits of your offer. Instead of talking about your business, focus on what your visitor will gain by purchasing, subscribing, or signing up.

• If you’re struggling to craft a compelling headline, you can begin by drafting “how to,” “what,” or “why” phrases to clarify the value you’re offering. This exercise helps you focus on your reader’s needs, and you can refine from here.

• Consider creating a sense of urgency to motivate people to act right away. Your body copy and call to action (CTA) will play a role here, but in some cases, so can the headline. Words like “today” or “now” can have a surprising impact.

In short, your landing page should start with a compelling, straightforward headline that clarifies the value proposition. This is how you’ll capture your visitors’ attention and make them stay.

2. Relevant and engaging visuals

Choosing the right visuals is the next step.

While the headline grabs attention, it’s often the combination of both visuals and the headline that shape the first impression—and first impressions matter. Ensuring they work together cohesively will strengthen the impact of your landing page.

For your hero, choose a visual that evokes emotion and shows the context of use. You also want it to feel on-brand rather t​​han generic. Avoid stock images that feel staged or don’t add meaning. 

Your chosen image will depend on your brand and what you offer. Product shots can allow what you’re offering to speak for itself, and images that include real people can help build trust and help visitors imagine themselves using your product or service. Original graphics like illustrations and infographics tend to be among the top-performing visual content (Vennage, 2023), and they’re certainly a great way to add personality to your brand. 

Finally, video is a great option too. In a Hubspot survey, 38.6% of marketers said video is the #1 landing page element that impacts conversion. Video​​ can quickly communicate key information, demonstrate a product or service in action, and create a more immersive experience for visitors. It also helps build trust and engagement by making content more dynamic and easier to consume. 

Incorporating videos into your landing page can be an effective strategy, depending on your campaign goal and what you’re offering. Just make sure to keep them short, relevant, and engaging.

3. Benefits-driven copy

A great landing page needs persuasive copy. But persuasive doesn’t mean pushy.

On the contrary, creating persuasive copy is often the art of making an impact with clarity and authenticity. 

It’s kind of like when choosing your domain name. Memorable domain names are usually short, self-explanatory, and feel authentic to the company or individual’s brand. They say a lot with a little. And often, you can find a great one by thinking outside the box and trying out new domain extensions. For example, a .ME domain name can add a personal feel to your website or landing page. You can even pair it with a verb to turn your domain into a CTA. 

The key thing to remember is that people want to know how they’ll benefit from what you’re offering. Ultimately, it’s not about you, but your visitors. 

This is that same old story you’ll hear from every copywriter that has ever lived. From John Emory Powers, perhaps the first copywriter ever, to Dan Kennedy, one of the greatest copywriters of all time, everyone agrees on one thing: It’s not about the features; it’s about the benefits. It’s not about what your product or service can do. Instead, it’s about what your product or service can do for your clients.

For example:
❌ Feature-focused: This email tool includes an advanced automation workflow.
✅ Benefit-focused: Save hours of manual work by effortlessly automating your email campaigns.

When you shift from features to benefits, you speak directly to your audience’s needs, making your message more compelling and actionable.

4. Consider including social proof 

Social proof is a powerful marketing asset that builds trust and influences decisions. Testimonials, reviews, and case studies provide real-world validation, showing potential customers why your product or service works.

By featuring authentic experiences, you reinforce key benefits and reduce doubts, often giving visitors the final push to make a purchase.

Adding clients’ and partners’ logos can also build credibility and boost conversions. It’s obviously more impactful if your visitors immediately recognize the companies you’ve worked with, so prioritize getting permission to feature any notable brands who’ve used your product or service. 

5. Strong, clear CTAs

Finally, a landing page is never complete without a call to action (CTA). A CTA is a prompt that guides users toward a specific action, such as signing up, purchasing, or downloading, making it a crucial element for conversions.

Optimizing your CTA is one of the most important things you can do to create a successful landing page. 

First, use one CTA per landing page. A clear, singular call to action eliminates distractions, guiding visitors toward the desired action more effectively.

Next, experiment with specific, action-oriented language. Get started. Join today. Download the free guide. Find your domain. These examples spur people to action and, in some cases, help create a sense of urgency. 

Speaking of, you can further create a sense of urgency by indicating that your offer is time-limited. Or that it stands while supplies last.

In the end, the goal of your call to action is to, well, get people to take action. So, make it clear, concise, and action-oriented. Also, consider the format of your CTA; buttons work best for immediate actions like purchases, while embedded forms are ideal for capturing leads or sign-ups. Choosing the right type of CTA based on the user journey can make all the difference.

Creating a landing page that converts

Creating a landing page that converts starts and ends with the perfect ingredients. A clean and intuitive layout, combined with the right messaging, guides visitors seamlessly through the page toward conversion.

Make an impactful first impression with a captivating headline and engaging visuals. Ensure your copy leads with the benefits, so your visitor knows what’s in it for them. Include a strong, clear CTA that motivates action. Every element plays a crucial role.

In the end, a high-performing landing page isn’t just about looking good—it’s about effectively leading visitors to take the next step. When the right elements are in place, your landing page doesn’t just attract visitors—it turns them into customers.

This post was sponsored by our partners at the .ME registry.