Create a landing page - 8 steps to a precision landing!

With a landing page, you can get a user to perform a desired action, such as buying a product or registering for an online seminar. If at this point you still have 1000 question marks floating around in your head and you have no idea what a landing page even is - don't worry! Just take a quick look at our previous article "What is a landing page". In this article, we will now look deeper into the details and address the question: What makes a good landing page?

8 important elements of a landing page

As with all formats on the web, not all landing pages are the same. Design and content depend on the product or service offered, the purpose and the target group. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a "perfect fit" - a template that fits everything. Nevertheless, there are some Basic elementsThese are some of the key elements that you should not be missing and that you can use as a guide when creating your landing page:

• a crisp headline
• a supplementary subheading
• Naming the problem and presenting the solution
• Offer Details & Benefits
• Confidence-building elements
• the call-to-action (CTA)
• Imprint and other elements if applicable
• the rule of thumb: less is more

The headline is probably the most important element of a landing page - people will only continue reading if it hits home. The user must feel directly addressed. Questions are often particularly suitable for this ("Are you still searching in vain for your lost bikini figure?"), but a snappy statement will do, of course ("Finally confident in a bikini through the summer!"). Finally, the subheading goes into more detail about the offer. This could look like this, for example:

Now the user already knows pretty much what your offer is about.

The potential customer is curious and full of hope. Now it is a matter of further persuasion. This often works best by showing the Problem addressed. "Is the bathing season a dread for you too every year? Do you long to finally feel good in your body again? Yet you're tired of constantly trying out new diets that don't work anyway?" etc.

The problem is now followed by the ultimate Solution. And of course you offer them with your offer! You provide convincing, tasty arguments for this. Show the user what a beautiful future awaits him if his problems suddenly disappear into thin air. "Imagine being able to wear anything you want - without starving".. A quick solution and easy handling of the offer are the be-all and end-all.

After the course...

• you have lost up to 5 kg.
• you know exactly what to look out for when it comes to "nutrition and fitness".
• you have your own collection of recipes for a healthy diet.
• you can also maintain your desired weight permanently in the future.

Details of the offer could be, for example, the listing of different modules in webinars, the chapters of an ebook or important product information. Here you should also work with images and/or videos. But be careful: Be sparing with details, otherwise it will overwhelm the user and the landing page will quickly become full and confusing. In addition, you should never promise something that your offer cannot deliver. After all, you want to be happy about interested parties in the long term.

This is probably even more true for services than for products. If you already Certificates or good References you should definitely show them. If not, this is by no means the end of the world. However, it is even more important that you introduce yourself and explain why your offer is the solution to the problem. What makes you an expert? What (personal) experience do you have? Show Personality and thus build trust with the customers.

Here the user enters his or her email address or is redirected to the order or registration form via a button. This element must be visually highlighted from the rest of the page.

Furthermore, it can be very helpful to add a quotation that includes the Purchase risk of the user minimised. Especially with very expensive products, a "money-back guarantee", free trial access or a free lesson can work wonders. After all, no one wants to buy a pig in a poke. Think of an online language course, for example. It is definitely sales-promoting if you can try it out first!

Sometimes it is useful to consider the aspect of Urgency to be integrated into the landing page. For example, if the offer is only available for a short time or the number of products is limited.

But this does not have to be the case and is rarely beneficial. Long texts, too many images and endless scrolling overwhelm the user and distract from the essentials. The trick is to be brief and to convince the user of your offer with just a few words. Consider: The hurdles must be as low as possible - and if you have to search for the registration button first, that is definitely an obstacle. All essential information (headline, presentation of the offer, CTA) should therefore be visible at a glance without scrolling.

Inspiration through examples

To get a better idea of what landing pages could look like, it's best to take a look at some! Just browse a little on the web over a coffee and let yourself be inspired. Below you can see 3 examples - some of these landing pages are scrollable, but the crucial elements are still visible at a glance.

The purpose determines the details

If you look for examples of landing pages, you will see great differences. Landing pages with lots of text and little text, extensive ones for scrolling and minimalist ones that present everything at a glance. On the one hand, of course, this is because there are good and not so good examples. On the other hand, a landing page must always be tailored to the offer, which naturally requires differences in structure. For example, the following aspects play a role:

• free vs. fee-based: t is a big difference whether you want to advertise a free offer as a lead magnet or sell a product. In the latter case, the hurdle is greater because the user has to pay for it. Accordingly, you have to be more persuasive. This also means that the landing page must be more detailed.
• Service vs. product: While a more detailed description is necessary for services, you can focus on images and videos for products.
• Target group: young or old? predominantly male or female? A bookworm or a reading muffin? Such criteria naturally also play an essential role in the structure of the landing page.

The spot landing is also a question of design!

The rule of thumb for creating a landing page is certainly: First the content, then the design. However, the latter must fit, because it is the design that puts the content in the right (or wrong) light. How important Content Design in general, you can find out in the article "Content design - from the first impression to the inner values"..

The design of the landing page strongly depends on your offer, the target group and of course your web presence in general. You will search in vain for generalities here. Nevertheless, there are a few basic guidelines here as well:

• Eye-catching call-to-action: this must literally catch the eye of the user and should contrast in colour with the rest of the page.
• Abandonment of page navigation: This is in contrast to a conventional website, where a good navigation bar is part of the tone. On a landing page, however, nothing should distract from the offer.
• Refrain from using social media buttons: because these also distract from the actual offer.
• Recognition valueYour landing page should be adapted to the design of your company. The keyword: Corporate Design

Creating landing pages - simple tools

As you can see, there is a lot to consider when creating a landing page. Fortunately, there are helpful ToolsThe following are some of the options that can be used to build the pages based on templates. Three common possibilities are:

• LeadpagesIf you want to design a landing page independently of WordPress & Co. you can use Leadpages. It offers numerous templates that can be adapted very flexibly and individually. Moreover, the whole thing works without an external hosting provider. Alternatively, the tool can also be linked to your WordPress site via a plugin. One disadvantage is certainly the monthly cost of this tool.
• Thrive Architect (WP Plugin). With this WordPress plugin, you can also create solid and diverse landing pages. The manageable price is particularly advantageous for beginners: for a one-off $67 you already get a licence for one domain.
• Divi WordPress ThemeThe flexible WordPress theme includes its own content builder. With it, you can build pages flexibly according to a modular principle and adapt them as you wish. This also allows you to create beautiful landing pages.

Conclusion - Create landing page

With a good landing page, you convince potential customers of your offer and get them to click on the sale or participation button. Don't be afraid of the task - you too can create a good landing page on your own. With a little practice, the appropriate tool and, above all, a clear focus on the goal, you will soon create a point load!