Getting people to visit your website’s landing page is just half the battle. Once people are on your site, you’ll want them to actually convert.
In my years of experience building landing pages, I have learned that intelligent landing page optimization makes a real difference. Elements like social proof, videos, and animated headlines can grab user attention, clearly point them to your call to action, and boost conversions.
Today, I’ll share my advanced landing tips that make the biggest impact on landing page conversion rates.
Note: This is a guest post by John Turner, the co-founder of SeedProd, the best landing page builder plugin. This is an expert column that we publish on Thursdays, where we invite a WordPress expert to share their experiences with our readers.
I will cover quite a few topics in this post. Here’s a handy list so you can jump to the section you are most interested in:
1. Get a Head Start With Optimized Landing Page Templates
There’s a lot involved in creating a landing page optimized for conversions. You can get a head start by using a template that’s already optimized.
Many of the best WordPress page builder plugins offer pre-made landing page designs. These templates use the best practices in layout and design, saving you time and ensuring your landing page is optimized for conversions from the start.
They include all the essential elements for converting website visitors, such as call-to-action buttons, optin forms, pricing tables, testimonials, countdown timers, and more.
For example, SeedProd offers 350+ pre-built website kits and templates, Thrive Architect has 200+ predesigned layouts, and Beaver Builder has 170+ templates.
You will also want to customize the template to fit your branding and include persuasive copy.
For example, by starting with a SeedProd template, the OptinMonster team was able to build and customize a responsive page that suits their brand and style in just 30 minutes.
They incorporated many of the tips we cover below to increase their conversion rate by a massive 340%. They also improved their click-through rate (CTR) by 13.30% while reducing the cost per acquisition (CPA) by 47.20%.
2. Build Credibility Using Social Proof
Imagine you are visiting a landing page for a premium WordPress plugin, and you are not sure if it’s worth the money. Then, suddenly, you see positive testimonials from satisfied customers raving about how easy and effective the app is.
This is social proof, and it can instantly change your perspective. It acts as a positive nudge to increase visitors’ trust and make them more likely to sign up, purchase, or subscribe.
The WPStatistics landing page is a good example of how to leverage social proof. First, it states the number of websites using their plugin as evidence of their credibility.
Next, the landing page reinforces this social proof with more statistics about their plugin’s usage.
The plugin’s total number of downloads, number of active installs, and impressive average star rating are all clearly displayed.
The page also shows multiple testimonials written by customers who are satisfied with the plugin.
These testimonials explain why the reviewers find the plugin helpful, such as its ease of use, GDPR compliance, and useful features. They also display 5-star ratings.
Studies have found that 60% of consumers find user-generated content like this very authentic, which makes them highly convincing. In fact, landing pages with customer reviews or testimonials have conversion rates 67% higher than those without them.
Social proof is a powerful conversion tool because it speaks volumes without you having to say a word. The positive experiences of other users build trust, reduce risk perception, and increase conversions on your landing pages.
Finally, the Imagify landing page takes things one step further by animating the number of users.
Animation can effectively highlight important facts on your landing page. In this case, it gives the sense that the number of users is constantly increasing, which brings us to our next point.
3. Grab Attention With Animated Headlines
Animated headlines are another sure way to grab your visitors’ attention. A splash of movement can significantly increase user engagement and get them focused on your offer.
These dynamic text elements make your main message stand out, drawing visitors’ eyes to crucial information and increasing engagement. But make sure you keep the animation subtle – a little goes a long way.
The OptinMonster team used Seedprod’s Animated Headline Block to easily animate their heading.
They simply chose the text to animate, selected an animation style, and then adjusted the colors to match their branding.
You only have a few seconds to grab your visitors’ attention. In my opinion, animated headlines are some of the most effective ways to grab it fast.
4. Improve User Engagement Using Video
Video content is highly effective on landing pages and can increase conversions by as much as 86%. It allows you to explain your product or service in an engaging way without taking up a lot of space on the page.
That’s why the Jetpack landing page combines social proof with an explainer video explaining why the plugin is so popular and how it works.
Embedded video content is easy to add to a landing page and easy to watch on mobile devices.
Also, videos hold your visitors’ attention more effectively than written text. This encourages people to spend more time on your landing page, increasing your chance of conversions.
5. Incentivize Users With Scarcity Marketing
Have you ever procrastinated on a purchase because you weren’t in a hurry? Seeing the words ‘only 2 left in stock’ might be all the motivation you need to make a decision now.
This is scarcity marketing. It uses the limited quantity available to build anxiety and give procrastinating purchasers a strong reason to buy now. Because so many others have purchased the product, it can also increase its perceived value.
Many of my customers effectively use scarcity marketing techniques. Common strategies include notifying buyers of low stock, discounting a price ‘while stocks last’, offering limited edition products, and limiting the number of participants in a competition, webinar, or event.
Amazon uses scarcity marketing to increase conversions, and so can you. Notice in the screenshot below that they use the word ‘only’ to maximize the effect of scarcity. They are letting the customer know that if they don’t buy soon, then it may be too late. That’s hard to ignore!
6. Use Urgency Triggers to Motivate Action
Urgency is another popular way to trigger a sense of anxiety and incentivize users. It motivates users to act now by showing a limited amount of time before an opportunity runs out.
Time constraints like seasonal sales and limited-time deals encourage potential customers to make a decision more quickly.
You can maximize this sense of urgency by displaying a countdown timer on your landing page close to your call to action button. This lets visitors see how long they have left to claim the deal.
This is even more effective when the timer is clearly visible at the top of the landing page and positioned close to the call to action button.
By incorporating urgency triggers ethically and strategically, you can effectively nudge visitors toward conversion and significantly boost your landing page’s success.
For more ideas on how to do this, just see this guide on how to use FOMO on your website to increase conversions.
7. Engage Users by Adding Personalized Elements
I also recommend optimizing your landing page by tailoring its content for each user. Personalized content is more relevant and persuasive, making visitors feel understood and more likely to convert. In fact, it can boost conversions by 42%.
Imagine how much more engaging it can feel when you mention a customer by name, display prices in their currency, use location-specific words and phrases, and even personalize the call to action.
Many landing page builders also integrate with lead capture tools, allowing you to customize the page based on demographics, behavior, and purchase history. This lets you tailor your landing page’s headlines, images, and CTAs to speak directly to users’ needs and desires.
This personalized experience makes it more likely that people will engage with the page and take the desired actions, such as buying your product or subscribing to your newsletter.
My team has put together a helpful blog post on how to create personalized landing pages to boost conversions that will let you see what’s possible.
8. Reduce Friction With Multi-Step Forms
A complex landing page creates a psychological barrier. Visitors may feel discouraged or overwhelmed and give up before they complete the call to action.
That’s why I like to use multi-step forms to break down a complex process into smaller, more manageable chunks. This makes it easier for visitors to complete and increases the chances of them converting into leads or customers.
To help the user get started, you should start with questions that are easy to answer, such as basic contact information. You can then ask for additional details in subsequent steps, ending with a strong call to action (CTA).
You can make the form inviting by using a conversational tone so the user feels like they’re directly interacting with your business.
Displaying a completion bar will show the user’s progress through the steps. As they see themselves move closer to the finish, they will feel motivated to complete the remaining steps.
In essence, multi-step forms make the conversion process smoother, less intimidating, and more engaging for visitors, ultimately increasing conversions.
The best WordPress form plugins, like WPForms, let you easily create multi-page forms for your landing page.
You can learn more in this guide on how to create a multi-page form in WordPress.
I hope these insights help you improve your landing pages for more conversions. You may also want to see my guest post on the anatomy of a high-converting landing page or this expert pick of the best WordPress landing page plugins.
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