9 Critical elements of a high-converting landing Page Design
It's been a long time since you've created your online course ensuring that it will have the greatest positive impact to your learners. As an expert in your field and you are confident that you have developed strong content to assist them in reaching their objectives. Also, you know that students aren't likely to magically register for your course. They must be convinced that the course you offer will be worth their time as well as cost. This is why you need your own landing page.
Landing pages is designed to have just one objective
The term "landing page" refers to a standalone webpage that is designed with one goal that is to convince users to take an step. If your landing page is make your course more attractive, for example, the success of your landing pages is determined by the rate at which it converts from visitors to customers.
A typical example of a landing page is the well-known . The types of landing pages employ design elements like captivating headlines, compelling visual clues as well as social proof, like testimonials or customer logos that convince users to convert into customers.
The distinction between online courses which sell as opposed to those that don't doesn't necessarily depend on the content of the course. Landing page design is able to have a huge impact on the conversion rate of your course. If your landing page isn't optimally designed, you won't increase the amount of sign ups for your class. However a landing page with a strong layout can help you to sell more online courses and reach more students.
Making the perfect mix of elements on the landing page can be difficult This is the reason why developers continuously test new concepts. It's possible to explore a number of variations of your landing page before you can determine what is most effective for your target audience.
Are you a visual-oriented learner? Check out this video on how to create an effective web page for sales:
The 9 elements of a High Converting Landing Page
After studying a myriad of landing page and design templates, I've identified 9 critical elements of great layout for landing pages. These elements are listed below, along with examples of landing pages that have used the elements in a way that is effective.
1. Main Headline
When visitors arrive on your page of landing, the most important thing they'll notice is the headline. Effective headlines communicate your offer as well as your distinctive value offer. The subheadline must fill in the blanks by including additional important details.
If a potential customer arrives on your page when they visit your page, if they read a headline that is confusing or doesn't seem relevant the page will probably be abandoned immediately. Create headlines that are clear and concise, so your prospects know exactly what the page's content is about as soon as they arrive.
The below headline from Skinnyfitalicious immediately announces what the program is all about, and the unique worth it provides prospective customers. In the subheadline, you can find more detail about the specifics of the course.
2. Eye Catching Image
A properly designed landing page uses high-quality images that convince visitors to make a purchase. Images on landing pages that show smiling people have a tendency to be more successful in converting at higher rates.
The design of landing pages can play on human psychology to get visitors to look towards an element that you want to draw their focus towards. In this case, a designer might use the deictic gaze to compel a prospect to look towards the CTA. The eye of the deictic is the theory that humans tend to look at things that others are taking a look at. If you have an image of someone gazing at the CTA on the landing page, people are more likely to look exactly the same.
Its USC site uses deictic gaze to draw focus on their appearance:
Let's take this landing page example from West Coast University. The arrows pointing to the form and the arrow that is on top of the form are visually hints, which allow the designers to direct the gaze of visitors where they'd like it to go. Both the form and CTA button:
3. Compelling Copy
Is your landing page copy readable? Are the fonts legible? Using an artistic font might seem attractive, but if prospects can't read your copy your message, it could be lost forever. Pick a font that does not create a glare in your viewers.
Check out this example of a landing page taken from Lion's Roar. The font is clean and legible throughout, making it easy for visitors to comprehend:
4. Need to act urgently
The word "urgency" isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the way you would like the layout of your landing page to look. However, it's an extremely effective tool for convincing your prospects to convert. The addition of terms such as "now," "limited time offer" and "act now" are all effective in requiring to sign-up.
Look at how the website makes use of urgency to get customers to take action quickly, stating "offer to be available until July" as well as using the CTA "Buy Now":
5. Money-Back Guarantee
The trust factor is an essential component that will convince your potential customers to buy from you. If they don't feel confident in you or your brand They're most likely not likely to purchase from your company. One way to get customers to believe in you is by offering a money-back guarantee.
The Write To 1k places their 30-day guarantee on money back over their plan of payment and CTA. Placing trust indicators near the CTA is a great technique to establish trust before conversion:
6. White Space
Did you walk into the midst of a mess and realized it difficult to locate the information you wanted to find? A landing page with no any white spaces could be the same to potential customers. White space helps to clarify connections between the essential elements, and helps improve understanding for viewers.
White space doesn't have to be white. It's just a negative space devoid of any content or elements of landing pages. The Dr. Hyman landing page uses white space for the text of his Eat Fat, Get Thin Course. Visitors can clearly comprehend and concentrate on every element:
7. Registration Form/Call-To-Action (CTA)
Many designers trying to sell courses online don't use a lead capture form and instead will focus at the CTA. If you decide to use forms, make sure to use only a limited number of fields. Increasing the number of form fields will increase the level of stress, which means your prospects will feel overwhelmed and less likely to input their data.
A powerful CTA accomplishes two things it uses a color that stands out from the rest of the page, and also has customized, persuasive text. If you come across a CTA that just says "submit," you likely will not be motivated to act. A personal CTA could push potential customers into action and convert them.
The landing page that is used for Hootsuite's Social Media Marketing Academy is an excellent illustration of an CTA which stands out from its surrounding elements and uses personalization to convince potential customers. "Get Certified Now" is CTA content that can entice people to take action:
8. Decoy Effect
In determining the price of your online course, it is important to guide your customers towards your most preferred price option. This can be done with a little help from humans' psychology, in the shape of the deceit effect.
In the example above, if you are offering three different options for customers to select from in the same way, deceit effect offers a contrasting option in an extreme way to make the other options appear more affordable.
Gaia offers online yoga and meditation classes. The plan choice page includes three choices including 3 months at $20, a monthly plan priced at $9.95 as well as one for an annual subscription of $95.40. The final plan costs each year instead of monthly however the shock of such a a high price will make the two other options appear much more reasonable. The deceiving effects work:
9. Trust Badges & Social Evidence
The trust badge can range from detailed testimonials or an image that indicates the business's accreditation with the Better Business Bureau, to brand logos for customers which show the major brands who currently buy your product or services.
Social proof will show prospective clients that others are also using the services you offer, anything from testimonials, a counter for the number of enrollees in your class, or industry awards.
Autopilot utilizes testimonials to provide social proof to promote their marketing automation program. They are precise, and the testimonials come with an individual picture and the title. This makes them highly persuasive forms of social proof. Particularly, the photo, makes it easier for visitors to make a visual connection to people who have been a customer of yours.
Make a landing site that entices people to go on the next step.
A poorly designed landing page can cause your prospects to drop interest prior to even reading about the content of your course. With all the effort that went into creating your course, you don't need a lack of whitespace or a bland headline to turn your customers away.
Optimizing your landing page with powerful social evidence or an attractive CTA which stands out can improve the chances that your prospects will be motivated to take your course. Make sure you test out the various components and see what will work best for your particular audience.
Did these landing page examples provide you with an idea of how to impact your customers with the correct design? What are the elements you will utilize to market your online classes? Please let us know in the remarks!
Twila Liggitt works as a Content Writer & Editor for Instapage, the most-advanced landing page tool that is suitable for both agencies and teams. Her specialties include digital marketing, content marketing, and writing about the agency experience. When she's not in the office she loves travel, food/wine tasting, and reading literary masterpieces. Join us on Twitter!