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As a Google Ads PPC manager, I often have to take over clients’ ads accounts and help them structure new advertising campaigns. The most common thing I see when reviewing these older campaigns are clients sending their ads to any random page on their website and not to a designated landing page. Today I want to focus on how we can increase your landing page conversions, and how you can help improve that all important conversion rate.

Your landing page is quite possibly one of the biggest driving forces when it comes to a successful marketing campaign and I find it’s a topic not focused on nearly enough.

As a marketer or even a business owner your biggest focus should always be directing traffic to a dedicated landing page with a clear and concise message.

That’s why I’ve put together 9 practical tips that I believe will help improve your landing page conversion rate and ultimately drive you more business.

I work with an agency where we transform landing pages every day, turning them into conversion powerhouses. These are improvements you can implement right away without the fluff.

We’re going to keep it short, sweet, and to the point, covering nine solid methods to get those conversions climbing. Whether it’s sprucing up your call-to-action or improving your page load speed, there’s real potential here that can impact your bottom line. So, let’s cut to the chase and get that conversion rate moving in the right direction.

1. Start with a Bold, Strong Value Proposition

When we visit a website, the first thing we’re looking for is to understand what it offers and why it matters to us. A clear and compelling value proposition on your landing page instantly answers those questions. It’s like the opening line of a great book that hooks you in and keeps you reading. Without it, visitors might just bounce off to the next site on their list.

A strong value proposition should highlight the unique benefits of your product or service, acting as a magnet for attention and interest. Let’s break down how you can craft one that’s truly effective:

Understand Your Audience

Do you know what your audience really wants? Understanding their needs and desires is key. Are they looking for efficiency, affordability, or maybe something totally unique? You have to put yourself in their shoes to offer something they need.

  • Research their needs: Talk to them, survey them, delve into forums and social media. You could even explore comments on youtube videos, you’ll be surprised at what you can discover.
  • Craft your message: Use this understanding to write a message that speaks to them directly.

Clarity Over Cleverness

Being clever is cool, but clarity sells. Your value proposition should be straightforward and easy to grasp. Don’t try to be funny – the old saying K.I.S.S, Keep it simple stupid still applies today.

  • Avoid jargon: Don’t clutter with fancy words that cloud understanding.
  • Stay concise: Capture the essence in one or two sentences.
  • Maximum 7-8 words

Communicate Benefits, Not Features

It’s so easy to get caught up in listing features, but what really matters is how these features benefit your target customer. What’s in it for them? What pain does it alleviate, or what joy does it bring? It’s super important to take the time truly understand your target customer.

  • Focus on benefits: Make it about them, not just your product.
  • Highlight the unique factor: Explain why you stand out from the crowd. Shorter the better.

Here’s a couple of examples with short simple, yet focused value propositions:

By putting a strong, clear value proposition front and center, you’re setting the stage for a landing page that converts. It’s not just about attracting attention; it’s about making a promise that you’re ready to deliver on.

2. Add a Strong Visual Focus

Images capture attention like nothing else on your landing page. A strong visual focus isn’t just about throwing in a pretty picture. It’s about choosing visuals that communicate your message effectively and draw users deeper into your content, nudging them gently down your conversion path.

Strong Visual Focus

Visuals Elicit Emotional Responses

Visuals aren’t just eye candy; they’re emotional triggers. An image that resonates with your audience can stir feelings of happiness, trust, or excitement. These emotions are crucial because they pave the way for action. For instance, a smiling face can create a sense of welcome, while a product in action can build trust.

Improve Engagement and Retention

Visuals can keep visitors glued to your page longer. They make your content more scannable and engaging. It’s like watching a movie instead of reading a script. Eye-catching visuals can help retain attention and increase the chances of your message hitting home. Images or even a brief video can help build trust and improve engagement just make sure they are relevant to your message.

3. Feature the Benefits, Not Just the Features

I previously mentioned the importance of focusing on benefits. I’d like to delve into that topic a bit more. When people visit your landing page, they aren’t just seeking details about your product or service. They’re in search of solutions to their problems or ways to fulfill their desires. While features explain what a product does, benefits answer the crucial question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ Turning features into benefits allows potential customers to see how your product can improve their lives, thereby increasing your landing page conversion rate. Let’s explore the key concepts of prioritizing benefits over features.

Why Benefits Matter More

People don’t buy products just for their features; they buy solutions. Imagine you’re a marketer for a new blender. You could list the stainless steel blades and powerful motor. However, it’s far more enticing to tell a story about whipping up a healthy smoothie in seconds, saving time and boosting energy throughout the day.

Here’s why emphasizing benefits is crucial:

  • Emotional Connection: Benefits connect with the customer’s emotions, which can significantly influence decision-making. People are emotional.
  • Clear Value Proposition: Highlighting the benefits clarifies how the product will add value to the customer’s life, making the purchase decision easier.
  • Differentiation: Focusing on unique benefits differentiates your offerings from competitors, setting you apart in a saturated market.

By emphasizing benefits, visitors to your landing page quickly understand the value, increasing the likelihood they’ll take action.

A Benefit Focused Example That Got Me To Purchase.

I often mention Elegant Themes because they have a strong focus on their page builder, which is perfect for creating numerous websites quickly. As someone who needs to churn out landing pages fast, this tool saves me both time and money in development. The most significant advantage for me is the efficiency it brings, allowing me to save valuable time and make decisions based on that benefit.

While their features are impressive, the real selling point for me is how their product helps streamline my work. It’s not just about the features; it’s about the invaluable time savings that truly influence my decision.

4. One Call to Action, Not 10

Your landing page conversion rate could be taking a hit if visitors are bombarded with too many choices. Simplifying your decision-making process by focusing on a single call to action (CTA) can be your golden ticket to engaging more users effectively. After all, less is more.

One Call To Action

Why a Single CTA?

Think about it. If you’re asking people to buy, sign up, and follow you all at once, they might just throw up their hands and leave. A focused CTA directs your visitor to one clear action, making their journey smooth and hassle-free. This approach is not just a shot in the dark. It’s backed by studies indicating that a single, compelling CTA boosts conversion rates by eliminating distractions and indecision.

Creating Focus

Imagine your landing page as a funnel. A single CTA acts like a clear sign pointing straight down the funnel, showing exactly where you want your visitors to go. The clearer the path, the fewer the drop-offs. When you have one big, bright button doing all the talking, it’s hard to miss. And that’s exactly what you want. The focus should be on crafting a CTA that stands out like a neon sign on a busy street, telling every onlooker where to head next.

Making It Memorable

A single CTA, free from clutter, is like the headliner of your landing page.

I’m personally guilty of being distracted and focusing on too many actions, I always have this “what if they want this too?”, but data and results show one clear action is much more effective. Remember simple is more.

Use powerful, action-oriented words in your CTA, just like a strong headline grabs attention. Check out these tips for landing page CTA buttons to make sure yours leaves a lasting impact.

Remember, when it comes to CTAs, simplicity is key. Strip away the excess and watch your landing page conversion rates soar.

5. Leverage Testimonials and Social Proof

Ever felt hesitant about trying something new until a friend recommended it? That’s the power of social proof. By adding positive testimonials to your landing page, you can make anything much more convincing. It’s like having your own team of supporters highlighting how fantastic your product or service truly is to potential clients.

Why Social Proof Works

Relying on the experiences of others is a natural instinct that we all have. If everyone is buzzing about a movie, chances are, you’d want to check it out too. This psychological effect can really ramp up the conversion rate on your landing page. Research shows that social proof widens your market audience. When customers share their glowing reviews, it can sway those who are undecided to take action.

Here are some ways social proof works wonders:

  • Builds Trust: When real customers share their stories and experiences, it convinces others of your credibility.
  • Reduces Doubt: Testimonials can calm those pesky doubts potential clients may have.
  • Enhances Relatability: People relate to people, not ads. Real voices resonate more.

Strategic Use of Testimonials

Getting testimonials right isn’t just about slapping them on your page. You’ve got to be smart about it:

  1. Place Them Wisely: Spot strategic locations on your page where testimonials can address potential hesitations. Insights from Boast.io suggest integrating these into key decision areas like near call-to-action buttons. This is exactly what I do put them just before your CTAs – it works.
  2. Highlight Real Voices: Use videos or quotes with names and photos for authenticity. Visitors connect better when they can see and hear real people.
  3. Showcase Variety: Different customers have different points of praise. Highlight varied testimonials to cover all bases and showcase your product’s versatility.
  4. Don’t use fake reviews, I know it’s easy to put up fake reviews, but people are smart and you can always tell if its genuine. If your product is new get some community feedback.

6. Offer a Guarantee

Honestly, it seems like everyone is doing this now, so it is a little harder to stand out unless you have a remarkable guarantee. I often wonder whether it is as effective as it once was, or if everyone does this because it works. My thought process here is to try and eliminate the risk from their buying experience because that’s something I’d look for. I believe it builds trust and eases the worries they might have.

You can get super creative with your guarantee, but typically the best one is a money back guarantee.

Types of Guarantees

There are several types of guarantees to consider when you want to boost your landing page conversion rate. Here are a few to think about:

  • Money-Back Guarantee: This classic type of guarantee tells customers they can get their money back if they’re not satisfied. It’s excellent for driving conversions because it eliminates financial risk and it shows how confident you are in your own product or service.
  • Satisfaction Guarantee: Promise that your product or service will meet a certain level of satisfaction. It’s about ensuring a positive experience for your customers.
  • Lifetime Guarantee: For products meant to last, a lifetime guarantee says that you stand by your quality indefinitely.

Benefits of Providing a Guarantee

So why should your business offer a guarantee? The benefits are numerous and impactful:

  1. Increase Trust: People are more likely to buy from brands they trust. A guarantee can build that trust as it shows confidence in what you’re selling.
  2. Reduce Purchase Anxiety: Whether it’s buyer’s remorse or fear of the unknown, a guarantee can reduce the anxiety that comes with spending money.
  3. Boost Conversion Rate: Naturally, when consumers feel confident and secure, they’re more likely to complete a purchase. This leads to more conversions on your landing page.

Remember, a strong guarantee is not just about saying “money back.” It’s about showing you’re committed to customer satisfaction and standing behind your brand’s promises. With a little strategizing, offering a guarantee on your landing page can work wonders on your conversion rate.

7. Use Storytelling to Increase Engagement

I realize that it can often be very tough to include story telling on your landing page. Not every business or product has a great way to incorporate story telling.

But keep in mind it is a powerful way to connect with your audience and boost your landing page conversions. When people visit your landing page, you want them to feel something, to be drawn into your story, and compelled to take action.

The easiest way to do this is with a video. Video’s help build trust and set the scene for your “story” – keep them short simple and to the point, anything too long and you’ll lose your audiences interest. 1-2 mins is perfect.

Use Story Telling To Increase Engagement

Create a Compelling Narrative

When I say ‘story,’ I’m not talking about a best-selling mystery novel. I’m referring to a story that includes a problem, a solution, and how your product or service solves it.

A compelling narrative should resonate with your audience’s desires and challenges. It’s more than just selling a solution; it’s about inspiring action through emotion.

  • Set the Scene: Describe the problem or situation your target audience faces.
  • Introduce a Relatable Character: Your customer should see themselves in your narrative. Focus on pain points and struggles.
  • Highlight the Transformation: Show the before and after of using your product or service.

For more tips on how to craft stories that convert, check out this insightful guide on using storytelling to enhance conversions.

8. The Importance of Page Loading Speed

Loading speed for your landing page is key, and it’s about more than just presenting content quickly. It significantly impacts how well your page converts visitors. Think about stepping into a store where help is slow to arrive. You’d probably end up leaving, right? Online, a sluggish page turns visitors away just as quickly. Here’s a few tips to help ensure your page loads efficiently.

Why Speed Matters

Visitors are Impatient: Studies show that if your page takes more than three seconds to load, you could be losing nearly half of your potential leads. That’s a lot of missed opportunities.

Some Simple Steps to Improve Your Loading Speed

To get visitors to stay and convert, here are a few actionable steps you can take:

  1. Optimize Images: Large images can slow you down. Be sure to compress your images without losing quality. Tools like TinyPNG can make this process a breeze.
  2. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores your site’s data in multiple locations around the world, ensuring faster access for users, no matter where they are. Cloudflare is the most popular free option.
  3. Minimize HTTP Requests: Every element on your page, from images to scripts, makes an HTTP request. Limit these to reduce load time by combining files such as CSS and JavaScript.
  4. Leverage Browser Caching: This allows parts of your page to be stored in visitors’ browsers, speeding up load times for returning users. It’s like having the best parts of your website saved as a favorite in your friend’s phone.
  5. Choose an optimized web host: there are a lot of hosting companies out there. I’ve had my fair share of negative experiences. I’ve been running Cloudways for the last few years and I’m happy with their service, though its a little on the higher end for pricing. I may be switching to sitegroun and will do a more thorough analysis of that.
  6. Utilize a page builder focused on speed: Divi’s Page Builder prioritizes speed with optimized JavaScript, lightweight code, and asynchronous data loading. It also reduces HTTP requests and streamlines rendering by utilizing advanced caching and lazy loading. I use divi for simple, yet fast landing page layouts and it works very well for me.

By using these strategies, you not only enhance user experience but they ultimately boost your conversion rate. Remember, the faster your page, the better your chances of keeping visitors engaged and converting.

For more comprehensive insights into improving your website performance, NitroPack discusses how page speed directly impacts conversion rates, with many real life examples, emphasizing the importance of a seamless user experience.

9. Don’t Overthink It – Simple Is Almost Always Better

When it comes to improving your landing page conversion rate, simplicity can be your best friend. A simple design not only focuses your audience’s attention but also guides them towards the essential actions you need them to take.

I’ve seen a lot of landing pages over time, and the top converters are the pages that get straight to the point, and don’t look like anything special.

So many people get stuck with this bells and whistle mindset – honestly don’t overthink it, it’s easier than you think. Make it clean, utilize white space and focus on your messaging. If the product or service is good it will sell itself.

Send me a direct message or add a comment below if you want some feedback on your landing page. No cost to you.

Tools that Help with Building Landing Pages That Convert

Creating a landing page that converts visitors into leads or customers isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s also about functionality and ease of use. Thankfully, there are several tools out there that can simplify this process.

These tools not only help you design beautiful pages but also optimize them to improve your landing page conversion rate. Let’s explore a few of my favourites.

Page Builder – Elegant Themes

Divi page builder for WordPress – I’ve spent thousands of hours building landing pages so I know how much time and work goes into them. I want to spend less time building and more time on other important tasks.

Elegant themes has allowed me to do exactly this. I’ll be putting together some videos on how fast you can get pages developed for any type of business. They have thousands of layouts and additional premium layouts on their marketplace, fast loading speeds and their subscription cost is $89/year so $7.40/month. There are hundreds of additional features you can find directly on their website.

Web Hosting – Cloudways

I realize there are many web hosting options across the internet. But a word of warning: a lot of the cheaper options lack performance.

If you can, I’d encourage you to spend a little more on web hosting, as it usually plays a vital role in your page speed. If you’re running multiple client websites, then it’s a must.

As I mentioned before, page speed will directly impact your conversion rate, so it is something you should consider when choosing a website host.

My recommended hosting provider is Cloudways as it’s what I’m using. It’s a managed server so I don’t need to worry about the upkeep or any server maintenance – I’ve tried a non-managed platform before to try and save a few bucks and it completely backfired so I would not recommend doing that.

This costs me about 28 USD a month and I have several websites on there, as you grow you are able to scale and increase your server capacity.

I’ve been using them for several years, not had any issues, support has helped me with development issues non-related to hosting and they come with a variety of additional features such as:

  • Daily back ups of your files
  • Quick installs – install WordPress and other applications in a couple clicks
  • Fast loading speeds
  • 24/7 super responsive support team
  • Major security protection – Free SSL certificates
  • Reasonable pricing, not the cheapest but you get what you pay for.

You can learn much more about their core features by visiting their website.

Content Writer – Chat GPT or Right Blogger

If you’ve not been living under a rock , you are well aware of AI, and if copywriting is not your strongest skill, we now have access to AI.

Chat GPT is free and easy to use but I just recently started using Right Blogger and have been pretty impressed so far. It’s like chat GPT on steroids with less errors and the prompting seems to be easier, more efficient and a lot less mistakes. It comes with a bunch of handy tools for bloggers, marketers, salespeople, seo tools and more. Try their limited free trial and see for yourself (no credit card required).

I would not suggest relying on AI tools completely for all your content, its imperative to add human input to them, and of course triple check everything. There great at structuring content, providing topic outlines and brainstorming, but people are becoming very familiar with AI and can pick up on AI written content pretty fast.

Conclusion

Boosting your landing page conversion rate doesn’t have to feel like rocket science. By refining page elements, focusing on clear calls-to-action, and ensuring your site loads quickly, you will definitely see improvements. Remember, trust badges and concise, value-driven copy are your friends.

Don’t just set and forget. Test these strategies regularly. Landing pages thrive on continuous tweaks and optimizations. After all, what works today might need a touch-up tomorrow.

Got questions or additional tips? Drop a comment below.

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I’m a full time PPC manager who manages over 3m+ in ad spend every year. I spend my time researching and working on landing pages and practices to help fuel business growth.

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