knowLedge10 Best Practices to Maximize Your Next Landing Page

To maximize your business' lead generation, you must have landing pages that promote your offers and captures appropriate customer information. For many businesses, landing pages take a back seat to developing a valuable offer. However, while having a quality offer is important, the landing page is also a key part of the process. Companies that overlook it do so at their own risk.

Landing Page Best Practices

1. Know your audience
If you aren't promoting the right offer to the right user ... or if a user feels whatever you're promoting is not valuable or appropriate for them personally ... then it doesn't matter how good a job your landing page does of presenting that offer.

2. Entice an action from the header
In Inbound Marketing, there's nothing to gain by being subtle. State clearly what action you want the user to take. Start this statement with an action verb like "Download" or "Read" so it's the first thing users see when accessing the landing page.

3. Communicate the value of the offer
To find out whether your landing page is compelling, give it the "what's in it for me?" test. This is the question users will be asking themselves as they try to decide if your offer is worth downloading. If your landing page doesn't clearly state what benefits users can expect to gain by downloading the offer, don't be surprised if users decide the offer isn't worth their time.

4. Format the page to make the value stand out
Design your landing page so that eyes will be drawn to your key value statements. Using bold text can help, as can bullet points. It's unlikely a user will read all of the content on your landing page, so including the most important information in three to five easy-to-read bullet points can help make sure your would-be leads are getting the message you want them to get.

5. Include an eye-catching graphic
A graphic can instantly communicate the nature of an offer, even before your users read any of the landing page content. A screenshot of the offer, such as the cover page of a white paper or a slide from a presentation, will help the user visualize exactly that is being offered and help make their decision to download the offer easier.

6. Add a call to action that is higher in the sales funnel
Once you've got a visitor to your landing page, including an additional offer can help move them along in the sales process. For example, if your landing page is offering a consultation, you might also include an offer for a best practices checklist. A user who is interested in one of your offers is more likely to be interested in another, so offering it to them now on the same landing page makes more sense than waiting for them to return to your website at some point in the future.

7. Provide customized social sharing links
Users who have already accessed your landing page can be some of your greatest advocates. If your offer truly provides value, people may feel compelled to share it with their friends and peers. Adding customized social sharing links can make it easier for them to share your offer, potentially increasing your reach with very little extra work on your part.

8. Remove content that may take attention away from the offer
Your landing page should be about one thing and one thing only: the offer. Remove anything that will compete for attention, like menu navigation or other unnecessary links. Filling out the form should be the only action for the user to take.

9. Use an appropriate number of form fields
Decide what information you and your sales team need to follow up with your leads, and don't ask for anything more. A long form with a lot of fields can be intimidating and lead to fewer offer downloads. Since your goal is to develop leads, a shorter form that users can fill out quickly and easily is best. Try to keep your forms to seven fields or fewer.

10. Thank the user after they download the offer
A user's decision to download your offer indicates a step forward in the sales funnel, as well as a step forward in their relationship with your business. Take the time to honor the trust they put in your business by thanking them for downloading the offer. A simple thank-you can help keep the customer relationship moving in the right direction.

Following these simple steps will lead you to a successful landing page that will gather the information you need to follow through to the next step...a new client.