Last updated on September 7th, 2015 at 05:21 pm
At the most basic level, a landing page is a web page visitors “land” on. Seems simple, right? Frankly, it’s not. Landing pages are some of the more complicated marketing assets to create and execute well.
Why? From a marketing perspective, a landing page is a page separate from your main website content designed for a single focused objective or goal (like earning a sale, generating a lead, etc.) That singular objective is what makes it difficult to nail. In fact, Nick Usborne calls them online “direct marketing pieces.”
Designing a high-converting landing page is the number one target for every marketer, regardless of your end goal.
Here are a few of the most common issues with B2B landing pages, and how you can avoid them.
1. You forgot your unique selling proposition
This is the #1 mistake of landing pages: there’s no clear USP on the page. Visitors have no idea what you’re aiming for on the landing page, and so don’t know what to do on it.
Your landing page is not the place to talk about all of the products and services you offer, all the deals you have for them, and include the detailed information you know about the marketplace. Focus in on the ONE THING you want visitors to know and keep it simple. All of the content and copy you put on the landing page should be focused on that one offer.
Here’s an example of a good landing page with a clear USP from LeadPages:
2. You have no clear call-to-action (or none at all)
Your call-to-action (CTA) powers your landing page. After all, you want visitors to do something, whether that’s sign up for something, download a resource, etc., right? So avoid the passive-aggressive CTA where you ask for multiple things, or the nonexistent CTA where you don’t ask for anything at all.
Here’s an example of a page that isn’t clear on what it wants visitors to do: Contact Us or View the Demo?
A clear CTA harnesses the full power of your landing page for your B2B business. It is the ultimate payoff for all the hard work your content and copy is doing. You’re squeezing out every precious drop of power from it so visitors are ready to click/order/download from you.
Bonus Pro Tip
Use split testing (also known as A/B testing) to determine which CTA works best for the page if you’re curious.
3. You’ve blown the headline
The whole point of the headline is to grab the attention of your visitors and then get them to keep reading. Just like in journalism, headlines can hook in readers and have them wanting more.
B2B marketers can use them one of two ways on a landing page: a) To give readers a clear understanding of the purpose of your landing page, or b) To entice them to keep reading. Depending on the overall tone of your page, you can use either.
Brian Clarke says that “a better headline alone will boost the effectiveness of your landing page, and even overcome some of the other mistakes” marketers make. Here’s a clear headline from MuleSoft that tells readers exactly what they’re getting into. While not flashy or sexy, it communicates clearly what visitors are getting from this page (bonus points because the sub-head talks about an issue that B2B buyers face, which keeps them reading.)
4. You have no hero image
A hero image is a web design term for a specific type of web banner/image that is prominent on a web page, usually front and center. It can be static or dynamic, rotating through a selection of images that are relevant for the page.
In the case of a landing page, it’s a visual opportunity to showcase your product or service in action. So why are you wasting it on something that is not central to the main idea of your landing page? Of your CTA? Of your B2B business?
A strong hero image should communicate something about your landing page or your business, flow easily with the entire page design, and be evocative enough to encourage action by the visitor. FluidSurveys does that well here:
5. Your layout is not mobile responsive/resolution-savvy
In today’s smartphone world, there’s really no excuse for having a non-responsive website. Buyers of any kind use their mobile devices whenever they get a chance, so if they wanted to look at your landing page on their phone, are they getting the best experience you can offer them?
Some web landing page tools like Unbounce and LeadPages automatically include responsiveness functionality, while if you’re relying on your website theme to do it, you may have some work to do.
Helpscout’s landing pages are mobile responsive. The image on the left is taken from their regular website, while the one on the right is from a mobile device. They’re still showing the information they want to convey, however they’ve removed the element that would distract on a mobile device (the screen print.)
6. You have no social proof
Visitors to your landing page want to know if your offer can be trusted. Social proof is the way you deliver it.
Try adding testimonials, showing the number of social platform shares, trust seals (like the BBB or security labels like MacAfee Secure and TRUSTe Certified Privacy), or adding a list of your customers. Here’s how Instapage does it:
Optimize Your B2B Landing Page Today
Creating better landing pages is one way to grow your B2B business. These tips will help you get started on creating ones that will convert better for you.
