Nowadays, consumer attention is fleeting and competition is fierce. This means that landing pages have since become a cornerstone of effective marketing strategies. These focused, purpose-driven website pages are essential tools for capturing interest and converting visitors into leads or customers. Whether your goal is to generate leads, drive sales, or deepen engagement with your audience, knowing how to create a landing page that’s well-crafted and purposeful, can significantly amplify the impact of your marketing efforts.

Unlike general website pages that aim to inform or provide broad navigation, landing pages are designed with a singular objective in mind. This laser-focused approach allows businesses to guide their audience toward a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading an eBook, or completing a purchase. For businesses, especially small to medium enterprises, and marketing managers working in target-driven environments, mastering the art of how to create a landing page that converts can be a game-changer.

But, what makes a landing page truly effective? It’s not just about good design or compelling copy — though those are crucial components. A successful landing page is the result of a strategic blend of audience understanding, clear messaging, persuasive elements, and ongoing optimisation. This guide will take you step-by-step through the process of crafting landing pages that not only capture attention but also inspire meaningful action. 

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine existing pages, the KIJO team’s comprehensive walkthrough below will help you unlock the full potential of your digital marketing campaigns.

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a dedicated web page where visitors “land” after clicking on an ad, social media post, or email link. Unlike a typical webpage that might serve multiple purposes, a landing page is laser-focused on driving a single action, known as a ‘conversion’.

For example, if you run a digital marketing agency and advertise a free consultation, the landing page visitors are directed to should be designed solely to encourage them to book that consultation—without distractions like navigation menus or unrelated links.

Landing pages are commonly used in:

• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Campaigns: Maximising ROI from ads on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook.
• Email Marketing: Driving recipients to take specific actions, such as signing up for a webinar.
• Promotions and Product Launches: Showcasing special offers or new products.

How to Create a Landing Page

Here’s how to create a landing page that’s effective.

Understand Your Audience

Segmentation

Every successful landing page starts with a clear understanding of your target audience. Segmenting your audience into groups based on age, location, interests, or purchasing behaviour allows you to tailor messaging that resonates deeply with each group. For instance, a fitness brand might create separate landing pages for gym-goers and at-home exercisers, addressing their distinct needs.

User Personas

User/buyer personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers based on research and real data. A well-developed persona includes details like age, occupation, goals, challenges, and preferred communication channels. By creating content with these personas in mind, you ensure that your landing page feels personalised and relevant.

Pain Points and Needs

Your landing page must address the specific problems your audience is trying to solve. Start by asking:

• What challenges do they face?
• What solutions are they searching for?
• How does your product or service help them achieve their goals?

Use this insight to craft headlines, imagery, and CTAs that show you understand their needs.

Core Elements of High-Converting Landing Page

Headline and Subheadline

Your headline is the first thing visitors see, so it needs to grab their attention immediately. Use bold, benefit-driven language that appeals to their desires or solves their problems. For example, “Double Your Website Traffic in 30 Days” is specific and compelling. A subheadline can expand on this, such as “Learn proven strategies from top marketing experts.”

Visual Hierarchy

The layout of your landing page should guide the visitor’s eye naturally towards key elements like headlines, visuals, and CTAs. Use larger fonts and bold colours for the most important content, and place it “above the fold” so users don’t have to scroll to see it.

Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA)

A strong CTA is vital for conversions. It should be action-oriented, concise, and prominently displayed. Phrases like “Claim Your Free Trial Now” or “Get Started Today” convey urgency and clarity. Ensure the CTA button stands out visually, using contrasting colours or bold designs.

Designing for Engagement

Layout and Visual Design

A clean, uncluttered design is key to keeping visitors focused, particularly if you’re a high-end business or brand. Avoid overwhelming them with too much information or complex visuals. Use a consistent colour palette and typography that align with your brand identity, and include high-quality images or icons to enhance visual appeal.

Mobile Optimisation

With 58.54% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, ensuring your landing page is mobile-responsive is critical. Test your page on multiple devices and screen sizes to ensure that forms, images, and CTAs display correctly and are easy to use.

User-Friendly Forms

Lengthy or complicated forms can deter visitors. Keep forms as short as possible, only asking for the most essential information. For instance, a name and email address might be enough for a newsletter signup. Use clear labels, avoid tiny input fields, and include error messages for any mistakes.

Content Strategy

Clear and Persuasive Copy

The copy on your landing page should be concise, benefit-focused, and easy to scan. Use bullet points, subheadings, and short sentences to help ensure good readability. Highlight what makes your offer unique and explain how it solves a problem for your audience.

Social Proof and Trust Signals

Building trust is critical to conversions. Where possible, include testimonials, star ratings, or trust badges (like “Secure Payment” or “Certified by XYZ”). Real-world evidence that others have benefited from your service offering or product can reassure hesitant visitors.

Engaging Media

Multimedia elements like videos, infographics, or animations can enhance engagement and communicate complex ideas more effectively than text alone. For example, a brief explainer video can highlight the key benefits of your product or service in an engaging way.

Testing and Optimisation

A/B Testing

A/B testing involves creating two versions of your landing page and comparing their performance. Test elements like headlines, CTAs, colour schemes, or images to determine what resonates most with your audience.

Analysing User Behaviour

Use tools like Google Analytics or heatmaps to monitor how visitors interact with your page. Are they clicking your CTA or spending too much time scrolling? These insights help identify areas for improvement.

Iterative Improvement

Landing page optimisation is an ongoing process. Regularly review performance data and update your page based on trends or new customer insights. A well-maintained landing page continues to convert over time.

Metrics and KPIs

Conversion Rate

For business owners and marketing managers, especially those in target-driven roles, conversion rates are critical. Your conversion rate measures the effectiveness of your landing page. A high conversion rate ensures that your marketing spend translates into tangible results. Whether your goal is to generate leads, make sales, or build your email list, a well-optimised landing page can significantly enhance your ROI.

To calculate:

(Number of Conversions ÷ Total Visitors) × 100.

Aim for continuous improvement in your conversion rate by testing and refining your page elements.

Other Key Metrics

Monitor metrics like bounce rate (percentage of visitors who leave without taking action), time on page, and form completion rates. Each provides valuable insights into user behaviour.

Benchmarking Success

Set benchmarks based on your industry standards. For example, while 2-5% conversion rate may be an accepted average, a well-optimised page can achieve much more.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overloading with Information

A landing page should provide just enough information to encourage action. Avoid overwhelming visitors with excessive text or unnecessary details.

Ignoring SEO

Although landing pages are conversion-focused, basic SEO practices—like optimising for relevant keywords and fast page load times—help attract relevant, organic traffic.

Not Personalising Enough

Use dynamic elements that change based on user behaviour or location. For example, personalise headlines to include the visitor’s city or show recently viewed products.

Good Landing Page Examples

Here are 3 really good landing page examples to help inspire yours.

Slack

Purpose: Slack’s landing page drives signups for their team collaboration tool.

Why It Works:

• Clear Value Proposition: The headline, “Make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive,” succinctly conveys the primary benefit.
• Simple Design: The page avoids clutter, using bold visuals and minimal text to keep the focus on the CTA.
• Social Proof: Features logos of well-known companies like Airbnb and Target to build credibility.
• Strong CTA: A prominent “Get Started” button encourages action and clearly indicates that no credit card is required.

LinkedIn Premium

Purpose: Encourage users to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium.

Why It Works:

• Focused Copy: Highlights benefits like “See who’s viewed your profile” and “InMail credits to connect with anyone.”
• Interactive Comparison: Side-by-side tables compare free vs premium features, helping users see the added value clearly.
• Urgency: Limited-time discounts or trial periods create a sense of urgency.
• CTA Placement: Repeated CTAs throughout the page ensure users are consistently prompted to take action.

Canva Pro

Purpose: Convert users to the Canva Pro premium design tool.

Why It Works:

• Simple Navigation: Uses a single-column layout with clearly defined sections for benefits, features, and pricing.
• Visual Demonstrations: Displays examples of professional designs users can create with Canva Pro.
• Pricing Transparency: Easy-to-understand pricing tables remove doubts and objections.
• Free Trial CTA: A “Try Free for 30 Days” button reduces commitment anxiety and encourages signups.

These examples showcase different strategies depending on the product, audience, and goals of the business. A common thread among all of them is simplicity, relevance, and a laser focus on conversion. By applying these principles to your own landing pages, you can significantly improve performance and user engagement.

How Does WordPress Help You Create a Converting Landing Page

WordPress is an exceptional platform for creating landing pages that are both functional and optimised for conversions. Its intuitive interface and compatibility with drag-and-drop page builders like its built-in block builder Gutenberg, and plugins Elementor and ACF Flexible Content, make it easy for users to design professional pages without coding expertise. Pre-designed templates and customisable blocks further simplify the process, allowing you to craft pages that align with your brand’s identity while focusing on a single, clear call to action. Additionally, all good, well-designed themes on WordPress are mobile responsive. This ensures your landing pages look great and load quickly on all devices, reducing bounce rates and improving user experience.

One of WordPress’s strengths lies in its extensive plugin ecosystem, which provides powerful tools for enhancing your landing pages. Plugins like Gravity Forms streamline lead capture, while others such as OptinMonster enable pop-ups and exit-intent features to engage visitors more effectively. Marketing integrations with email platforms like Mailchimp and analytics tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar allow for seamless tracking and optimisation of user behaviour. With dynamic content plugins, you can even personalise your pages for different audiences, boosting relevance and conversions.

WordPress also excels at optimisation, offering plugins like Yoast SEO to improve search visibility through keyword analysis, meta tags, and structured content. Caching and image optimisation plugins ensure fast load times, a critical factor for retaining visitors. Security features, such as SSL integration and anti-spam measures, help establish trust, while social proof plugins can display testimonials and trust badges to reassure users. Together, these tools make WordPress a cost-effective and scalable solution for building landing pages that perform; that’s why we work with it at KIJO. From its ease of use and customisability to its robust marketing integrations and optimisation tools, it’s an ideal choice for marketers looking to drive results.

How to Create a Landing Page That Converts: A Conclusion

Creating a high-converting landing page requires a blend of web design, strategy, and ongoing optimisation. By focusing on your audience’s needs, using clear messaging, and testing relentlessly, you can turn more visitors into valuable leads or customers.

Get in touch with our team today to start creating landing pages that deliver measurable results for your business. Let’s make your next campaign a success!

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Need expert guidance on your next digital project? Book a complimentary, 30-minute consultation with our Head of Partnerships & Co-Founder, Kirk Thompson. Let’s bring the vision of your brand to life—book your free consultation via the link below:

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