7 Website Design and Landing Page Fundamentals to Maximize Conversion Rates

It’s like the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” According to research in the journal Behaviour & Information Technology, it takes about 0.05 seconds for users to form an opinion on whether they’ll stay or leave your website or landing page. It then takes 2.6 seconds for users to find the spot on your website that will leave a lasting impression.

Keeping this in mind, a well-designed landing page will make a strong first impression, converting more visitors into leads. With the average landing page yielding conversion rates between 10% to 26% across all industries, you need to develop a strategy to stand out from your competitors and maximize your conversion rates.

How do you increase your landing page conversions? How your website looks and feels from top to bottom matters to the user experience. Here we’ve outlined seven website design and landing page fundamentals to boost your website conversions.

1. Nail your page layout

The first step to website and landing page design is nailing the structure. Often when people think of web design, it means something creative splashed with eye-popping colors and images. While those elements are important, a landing page must also be simplistic, functional, and direction-oriented to attract and convert your visitors.

For many businesses, a landing page is used as a home page. In other words, it’s the most frequently visited page on your site. Here is the basic anatomy of a well-structured web or landing page.

• Eye-catching headline
• Relevant image, colors, or graphics
• Lead form sitting above the fold (so visitors see it before they scroll)
• Descriptive copy (written text or content) to entice visitors to complete the form
• Call-to-action (CTA) or link to the form

Most web pages will include a site map, listing all pages at the bottom of each webpage on your site. Site maps allow search engines to crawl and index a website, which boosts your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and makes your pages easy to find.

Convert with these quick structure tips

The truth is most people only skim through your page, pulling out the most important details. How do you make those details stand out?

• Use white space: White or negative space—spacing between different elements which contain nothing—keeps visitors focused on your message, leading them to take action.
• Take the blink test approach: The visitor must gather the main message from the page in the amount of time it takes to blink—about three to five seconds.
• Remove the navigation: If your landing page is not a home page then remove the navigation. Any other links distract visitors from your goal to convert them.

2. Grab attention with the headlines

With landing pages, the bounce rate is 70-90%, which means you need to keep eyes glued to the page, and you do that with the headline. Your headings and subheadings need to grab the attention of visitors, so make them catchy, clear, concise, and drive home the benefit of the rest of the page. According to a report from Sumo, clear and straightforward headlines outperformed creative ones 88% of the time.

Why is the headline so important for conversions? Well, nine out of every 10 visitors that read your headline will also check out your CTA. That’s why the message from your headings must also match your CTA. Below is an example:

Headline: FREE Template: 7 Work Outs for Every Day of the Week

CTA: Download FREE Work Out Template

3. Appeal with eye-popping visuals

While the functionality of a web page is important, you still need attractive colors and great visual content to convert your visitors. It’s true—your visitors are 80% more likely to read landing pages that feature colorful imagery. What do you need to know to up your visual game on your page?

• Colors: Your page colors should reflect your brand and unique style. At the same time, make your CTA button a contrasting color to stand out.
• Images: Since people process visuals quicker than text, your images set the tone for your web page. As a result, add value to the page by selecting images or stock photos aimed toward your target audience.
• Videos: Video is more engaging than text and can improve conversion rates on landing pages by 86%. It’s also a more personal way to connect with your visitors.

4. Write compelling content that stands out

Since most people don’t read every word of your copy on your page, it’s best to write short paragraphs and bullet points that are easy to digest. Landing pages with fewer words have an average conversion rate of 14.30%. How do you create compelling content that leads to conversions? Here’s how…

• Pain points and solutions: Build trust by touching on a problem your audience is facing, then illustrate how you can help them with your solution.
• What to expect: You also need to mention what’s included in your solution or what visitors can expect from your service or content before they decide.
• Social proof: Including social proof on your landing page validates everything you’ve been saying. Landing pages with reviews or testimonials will convert at an average of 12.5%.

5. Execute a clear lead capture/CTA strategy

It’s not enough to get visitors to your website, you need to capitalize on that traffic with a lead capture form and a clear call-to-action button. Did you know nearly 50% of marketers say web forms are their highest lead conversion tool? After all, landing pages are often all about the form and CTA, so you must make sure it’s a good one. Here’s how to get more conversions with your lead form.

• Include a minimum of five fields: Forms with five or more fields will deliver higher quality leads who are more likely to become a client.
• Place the form “above the fold”: You don’t want your visitors searching for your CTA or lead form. Make sure it can be viewed immediately when someone hits your site. “Above the fold” is a term that means visitors don’t need to scroll. Basically, the form is in plain sight, there’s an anchor link to the form, or the form follows the user down the page.
• Pop with your CTA: Remember to give your CTA a large button and contrasting color. Also, use two to five words. You need to create a sense of urgency with a clear, to-the-point CTA by using phrases like, “Sign Up,” “Click Here,” and “Download Now.”

6. Remember to optimize for search engines

How do you get more organic traffic? You need a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy in place. Here are some important SEO elements to include on your landing page.

• Header tags: Search engine crawlers sift through your website for header or <H> tags in the form of large (H1), medium (H2), and small (H3). Header tags make the content easier to digest, while also boosting your SEO ranking.
• Meta and URL: Search engines use page titles, meta descriptions, and a URL to access relevance for your potential web page visitors. As a result, they must target keywords your audience is searching for. Aim for your title length at 55 characters, URL at 60 characters, and meta description at 160 characters.
• Keywords: Speaking of keywords, you need to know your keywords by conducting research for primary and secondary words. Ubersuggest and SEMrush offer free keyword search tools that can help.

7. Ask yourself, is your web page mobile responsive?

Is your web page or landing page mobile-friendly? If you have to zoom in to view the content, your landing page isn’t compatible with touchscreen devices, like a smartphone or tablet. Unfortunately, Google’s search algorithm penalizes non-mobile-friendly websites in mobile search results.

To make your page more responsive, you’ll need to decide what elements are best suited to leave out on the smaller screens. As of 2021, nearly 57% of all web traffic is from mobile devices, which means by making your landing page responsive, your visitors are better set up to convert into leads.

It’s time to design an expert page that lands leads

Your landing pages are responsible for acquiring new leads, so they must be well designed and make a good first impression. From an eye-catching headline to a strong page layout to compelling content, your landing page needs to stand out.

Need some help? From development to launch, WellnessLiving’s Presence™ website service will work with you to build, manage, and host your customizable website, which is optimized for all devices and seamlessly integrates with our business management software. Want to learn more? Book a free, no-commitment demo today.