What Is a Landing Page? Your 2024 Guide (+ Tips & Tactics!)

You’ve heard that you should have a landing page to grow your email list or sell your products and services.

But do you know what a landing page is? Do you know what to say on one? Do you even know why you need a landing page?

We’re going to answer all your questions.

By the time you finish reading this, you’ll know exactly what a landing page is, why you need one, and what elements you should add to create responsive landing pages for the highest conversion rates.

Here’s everything you need to know about landing pages in 2022.

What is a Landing Page (And Why Should You Care?)

A landing page is a web page where you send people.

They click on a link in an ad or an email, or maybe a blog post, and they “land” on a web page you’ve created.

You need to design your page so that there is only one action for your potential customer to take.

That action might be for them to sign up for your email list. Maybe it’s registering for a webinar, or maybe purchasing an online course.

The key to a successful landing page is there is only one thing for your website visitor to do.

You don't want multiple options where they might get confused or distracted. You want a page with just a single call to action: sign up for this list, buy this product, book a call.

A landing page is a static page. That means its content does not change very often, unlike a blog that you update with new posts or an online shop where you add new products regularly.

But a landing page is also different from the homepage on your website.

While your home page may not be frequently updated, a home page has many links that direct a visitor to other places on your site. A landing page will have none of those extra options.

A landing page has a very specific purpose — to capture the visitor’s information or compel them to buy.

Because it’s tightly focused on one goal, a landing page converts much higher than other web pages.

The higher conversion rate is why landing pages are so popular.

Types of Landing Pages

There are different types of landing pages depending on what kind of action you want the reader to take.

1. Lead Generation Landing Pages

A lead generation landing page is a page designed to capture information from the visitor.

This is where you offer a free incentive like an ebook, a webinar, an industry report, a discount code for free shipping. You give them something of real value for free.

In exchange, the visitor gives you their email address or other contact information so you can stay in touch with them, build a relationship, and market to them in the future.

2. Click-through Landing Pages

Click-through landing pages are sales pages where the only goal is for the visitor to make a purchase, like buying a product or joining a membership.

That page has the information about the product and a call-to-action button that takes the reader to the checkout or payment page.

How to Drive Traffic to Landing Pages

How do people find your landing page?

Because it’s often a standalone page and not part of your website, people likely won’t find your landing page unless you direct them to it.

There are a few ways you can drive traffic to your landing page.

1. Paid Search Traffic

Pay-per-click ads are the results you see when you search for something on a search engine like Google.

The ads are marked as ads, and they usually occupy the top two or three spots of the search results. There may also be additional ads at the bottom of the page.

You pay the search engines to display your ads to viewers. If the searcher clicks on the ad, Google (or another search engine) sends them to your landing page.

2. Paid Social Traffic

Paid social traffic comes from ads you write and pay to run on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

You can target specific audiences that you think might be interested in your offer. When a reader clicks on your ad, they go to your landing page.

Where you run social media ads will depend on where your target audience spends time.

3. Email Campaigns

Email marketing is so powerful because you've built a quality relationship with your readers, and they trust you.

You use email campaigns to send your readers to your landing page, where you have a special offer for them. They get there by clicking on an embedded link in your email.

4. Organic Search Traffic

Search engine traffic is highly coveted because these are people searching for an answer to a problem. And you have the solution. They are usually highly qualified leads looking to make a decision or a purchase.

Organic traffic comes from people who use Google or another search engine to search for a term like chocolate brownie recipes. If your landing page comes up in the search results, and they click on the link, they’re sent to your landing page.

Organic search traffic can also reach your landing page if a blog post or other piece of your web content shows up in search results. If the reader follows the search result to your blog post and your blog post has links to your landing page, the reader can click over and see it.

Essential Components of a Landing Page

A high converting landing page has several elements that are essential in getting the reader to take action. Use a landing page template to ensure you hit all the high points.

1. Above-the-Fold Content

Above the fold is an expression used in the newspaper industry; it references the top half of the newspaper before it's folded in half horizontally.

On a webpage, above the fold means the top half of your page — the part that is visible before the reader needs to scroll.

There are four things you should have above the fold.

Primary Headline

A good headline will capture the reader's attention and let them know they're in the right place. It should also encourage them to stick around and keep reading for more information.

Supporting Headline

The supporting headline is the place to offer the details that might not fit in the primary headline.

For example, if you are an accountant, your headline might be Online Accounting Services.

Your supporting headline might read Virtual CFO for Small B2B Businesses.

The person looking for someone to manage the family investments will know you don’t handle personal finance. But the small business owner will know they are in the right place.

The Hero Shot

Your hero shot is the image you use to help your reader visualize the result they'll get from your product or service.

The image can also be a visual reinforcement of your offer.

Let’s say your goal for your landing page is to get visitors to sign up for your email list. Your offer is a collection of free recipes for different flavors of homemade ice cream. An image of a family enjoying ice cream on a hot summer day is a great visual for your offer.

The Hook

The hook is the result your landing page gives the reader if they take advantage of your offer.

If you offer a recipe book of breakfast foods, your hook might be the joy of a lazy weekend breakfast with the entire family gathered around, spending time together.

If you’re selling virtual CFO services, your hook might be the free time the small business owner gains when they offload some of the financial aspects of the business to you.

2. Call to Action

Your call to action is where you ask your reader to do something.

It's usually on a button that stands out from the rest of the page.

It should be a simple request for them to take action. Download your free recipes now. Get started today. Book a free consultation. Get 10% off.

3. How Will This Make My Life Easier?

This is the area where you'll be tempted to list all your product or service features.

Instead, you need to highlight the benefits your reader gets from your offer.

Let’s say you sell a meal delivery service. Every evening one of your employees delivers a ready-to-eat, fresh-from-the-oven meal to your clients.

Your business is not about having meals delivered every night.

Your business is helping your client avoid the time spent coming up with meal ideas, making a list, driving to the store, shopping, waiting in line, driving home, putting the groceries away, pulling them back out to cook, the meal prep time, and cleaning up dirty pots and pans.

Your meal delivery service is saving your client time and aggravation. Precious time they can spend on other things. And they avoid the annoyance of everything that goes into meal prep and clean-up.

Those are the benefits you want to highlight.

That’s how you make their life easier.

4. Testimonials

Offer social proof to your potential clients. Feature the good things other people have to say about your business.

When readers see raving fans who benefitted from your products or service, they’ll feel confident that you can do the same for them.

The higher-priced your product, the more valuable testimonials are.

And the more information you can offer about the reviewer, the better. Video testimonials are more credible than a quote from an anonymous source.

Likewise, a testimonial from a well-known, trusted authority in your niche carries more weight than a review from Joe Smith in Anywhere, USA.

5. Reinforce Your Argument

This is the place to make your final CTA.

Summarize all the benefits the reader gets from your offer. Address any objections you think they might have. List any final selling points. End with a strong call to action. And don't forget the CTA button!

The Benefits of Landing Pages

There are many benefits to using landing pages, including tracking your target audience, testing your landing pages, and measuring your conversion rates.

Don't panic if this sounds intimidating. You can use a landing page builder to do all the heavy lifting for you.

1. Increased Conversions

A landing page is going to increase your conversion goal because it’s so focused.

There is only one thing for the reader to do. Take action (or leave).

A dedicated landing page gives you ample space to explain the benefits of your offer.

And there are no distractions that might lead the reader away from taking action. That lack of distraction leads to higher conversions.

2. Gain Valuable Insight Into Your Target Audience

By creating multiple variations on a landing page and targeting different traffic channels, you can find out a lot about your target audience.

You can see what headlines, what colors, what images, what calls to action lead to the most conversions.

You can learn where to invest your marketing dollars by tracking where your traffic comes from.

These are valuable data points to have for your business.

3. Get more email subscribers

Landing pages lead to more email subscribers.

No one wants another newsletter in their inbox.

But they do get excited about something of value that helps them or saves them money.

When you make a compelling offer, visitors will respond. People who willingly give you their email addresses are high-quality leads.

They’re interested in your offer. Follow up with targeted emails addressing their problems and offering your solutions.

4. You can test your landing pages

Landing pages are a great way to test what works and what doesn’t work for your audience.

Make sure you use a landing page builder that comes with A/B testing. You create two landing pages, identical except for the one element that you are testing.

A good example might be the headline. You’ll have a different headline on each page.

Half the people who click on the link to your landing page will see the landing page with Headline A.

The other half who click on the link will see the landing page with Headline B.

Based on reader behavior, you’ll be able to see which headline converts at a higher rate.

You can use that information for headlines you write in the future.

Test one element at a time, such as a headline or the call to action, and you’ll gather lots of valuable data on what your prospective customers respond to.

5. Measure conversion metrics

Because landing pages are singularly focused, you can tie them to specific goals and measure performance.

For example, if your business goal is to increase the number of subscribers on your email list, you can create two landing pages, each with a different offer.

By driving traffic to both pages, you can see which offer resonates more with your target audience. Use that information to create future lead magnets and offers.

6. Helps build your brand

A landing page is a visual representation of your business.

Creating a well-designed landing page with clear copy and interesting information leaves the visitor with a good impression. Even if they don’t convert the first time they visit, you establish your brand in their mind.

Tactics for an Effective Landing Page

There are some best practices for creating a landing page that converts. You'll want to follow these tactics to get the highest conversion rates from your visitors. Using a landing page design will make sure you don't miss any important parts.

1. Lose the navigation buttons—

You created this landing page with one purpose.

It might be for the reader to sign up for your email list. Or it might be for them to make a purchase.

Whatever it is, you don't want them distracted from the one thing. So eliminate the navigation buttons. Don't give them an opportunity to click away from your landing page.

2. —But Keep the Share Buttons

However, you do want a share button on your page. You want to encourage visitors to share your amazing offer with their friends. It's the best kind of free digital marketing you can get.

3. Show Them the Value

Your conversion rates will be higher if you can show your audience your offer.

Add pictures or mock-ups of your product so they can see what they’re getting.

Make sure your copy talks about the value — how your offer is going to help them. It's all about the results they get from your product or service.

4. Short and Sweet

Keep your landing page short. Don't collect more information than you need. The more spaces the reader has to fill out, the more likely they'll leave the page without signing up for your list or making a purchase.

5. Test, Rinse and Repeat

What works well for one audience may not work on another, so it's important to test your landing pages repeatedly so you can find the best optimization.

You can test headlines, colors, images, and copy.

Just be sure to test only one thing at a time.

6. Use a landing page builder

You should use a landing page builder to quickly create landing pages for your ad campaign. Landing page software can help with your A/B testing, marketing automation, analytics — either built-in or integration with Google Analytics — marketing segmentation, and more.

A website builder, such as Squarespace, or an email marketing tool such as Mailchimp can also be a landing page builder and generally come with built-in templates so you can create unlimited landing pages.

(Not sure where to start with landing page software? Check out our list to find the best landing page builder for your business.)

7. Optimize for mobile

If you’re not optimizing your landing page for mobile marketing, you’re going to be behind the conversion game. More and more transactions are taking place on mobile devices and your landing page needs to look just as good and be easy to navigate on a smartphone or tablet as it is on a desktop.

(Pro Tip: Check out how you can design a mobile landing page!)

You’re Ready to Build Your Landing Page

There you have it.

Everything you need to create a high-converting landing page for your business or service.

Now you know what a landing page is, why you need one, and what elements you should include when you’re building it.

With these tips and tactics, you have all the information you need to create a landing page that helps you grow your email list or sell your products.

A landing page is one of the best digital marketing strategies you can create for your business. So start building yours today.