One of the best ways to generate leads via your website is with landing pages. Landing pages are hidden pages (i.e., they’re not accessible via your site’s menu) that allow a visitor to download or access content – a demo, ebook, whitepaper, etc. – after they fill out a short form.
Whether you have a landing page or want to add one (or a few) to your site, here are the 4 elements you’ll need to incorporate on your page to make it as effective as possible:
1. Clear and visible messaging
The messaging and value proposition on your page should be written clearly and concisely and positioned front and center on your page.
- Include the value proposition in the headline
- List the benefits of acting on the offer
- If the offer was created by an industry expert, let the visitor know what makes that person so great
- Make it clear what the visitor will receive
2. Clean layout
Avoid the temptation to clutter the page with graphics, quotes, a laundry list of your products or services, or offers for other content.
- Keep design to a minimum – lots of white space is good
- Remove a menu or other navigation tools so the visitor stays on that page
- Make sure the download button is large and pops off the page
3. Short information-capture form
Decide what information you really need in order to 1) qualify the visitor as a lead, and 2) then contact them. There’s a big difference between must-have and nice-to-have, and the shorter your form, the easier it is for the visitor to access the offer.
- At the least, ask for name, company, job title and email
- To qualify them further, you could ask for location, company size, website and/or their biggest challenge in a certain area (a free form field)
- If an question is optional, make it clear
4. Thank you/access page
OK, so this is technically not part of the original landing page, but I wanted to include it. Once your visitor submits their information, take them to a new thank you page that has a similar look and feel to the landing page.
- Say thank you!
- Remind them what they’re getting
- Provide an access link to the offer, or let them know you just emailed access to them
- Provide links to other content or pages on your website where they can find more information on the subject
