A landing page can be a powerful tool when it comes to driving sales and conversions on your website. But not all landing pages are made equal. The design choices you make when developing your landing page will have a direct impact on how effective it is at driving sales and conversions.

10 landing page design hacks to boost conversions

Hack #1. Use imagery with real people instead of stock images

Cheesy stock images can be spotted from a mile away on a small business website. Stock images may work for a website in a pinch, but it’s important to choose the right stock images, and to use your own images whenever possible.

Use authentic, non-stocky images of real-looking people smiling. One company saw an increase in conversions of over 100% by swapping out a graphic of their software with a picture of a real, authentic-looking, smiling person.

At the end of the day, people want to be happy, and they’re attracted to happiness in others. So show them that what you offer makes people happy. Also, show them that your staff is super friendly and happy, as well.

Hack #2. Make sure that your images are relevant

Images are a key part of website design. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But, you should never use images just to use images.

It’s important that all of your website images add value and make sense. They should be relevant to your product or service, and not just a random image of the mountains — for example — unless you offer mountain-related outdoor gear, that is.

Take some time to go through your website images with a critical eye, and replace any that aren’t directly related to what you do.

Hack #3. Build trust by showcasing your reviews

Ultimately, nobody wants to be the first one to try your product or service. They want to know that someone else has tried it and liked it before they do.

Show your website visitors that they’re not your first customers by showing them that other people have tried your product or service and are happy they did so.

Showcase your strong reputation by highlighting customer ratings, review site logos and ratings, case studies, etc. This is a powerful form of social proof that can go a long way toward converting visitors into leads.

Hack #4. Simplify the path to conversion

Make the path to conversion as short and as simple as possible. When creating conversion forms for your website, limit the number of fields to only what’s needed for you to qualify the lead, and leave the rest for later.

Studies show that once you cross over 10 form fields, conversions start to drop heavily. If you can swing it, use five fields or fewer on your website forms. Forms with five fields or fewer have the highest conversion rate.

But keep in mind that using too few fields might generate less-qualified leads, so find the right balance. If you can auto-fill any fields, that can help, too.

If you have an online store, make sure that your checkout process isn’t longer than one to two clicks.

Also, make it easy for visitors to find your contact information, and keep your CTA (call-to-action) buttons in sight at all times by integrating them into the page content.

Hack #5. Have a compelling CTA

Think about your customers and put yourself in their mindset. What do they really want? When they’re on your landing page or looking at your product or your service, what is their reason behind being there? Arm yourself with that knowledge to create your CTA.

If possible, use the word “get” in your CTA. Case studies show that by simply using the word “get,” websites can drive more conversions. For example, if your CTA says something, like “Free quote,” it won’t be as powerful as if it was, “Get a free quote.”

Hack #6. Use video!

Video is very powerful these days, especially when it comes to landing page conversions. Of course, there will always be people who prefer to read your content, but most people would rather just watch a video. Video is a powerful format for attracting them.

Don’t overthink your landing page video. You don’t need full-blown video production, either. Often, raw video of somebody just explaining the product or service is the most effective video style for boosting conversions.

Basically, give the user a one-minute sales pitch on why they should choose you or your product. What makes you different? How will it work? Think of all of the common questions your customers may have, and answer those in your video.

Hack #7. Create retargeting audience lists

Most of the time, when someone lands on your landing page for the first time, they aren’t going to convert. This doesn’t mean that they’ll never convert. Often, it takes multiple touchpoints before a consumer is willing to actually convert.

Even if they don’t convert, landing on your page doesn’t have to be your last point of contact with them. Create retargeting audience lists for your landing pages and product pages to stay top of mind with your visitors and bring them back to your page.

Power tip: Filter out people who have already converted from your retargeting audience list. This way, you’re not spending money on a conversion that you already have.

Hack #8. Make sure your message matches

When someone visits your landing page after clicking on an ad, there should be no question whatsoever that they’re on the right page. That means that the message in your ad needs to match the message on your landing page.

When I say that the message should match, I don’t just mean that the message should say essentially the same thing or be similar. It needs to match exactly.

Make sure your landing page headline and copy match the copy from your ads exactly. This will make your landing page extremely relevant and ensure a low bounce rate.

Use dynamic content if your website has that functionality so you can literally change your headline automatically in real-time based on what ad the user is coming from. Countless studies show when the ad copy exactly matches the headline, conversions skyrocket.

Hack #9. Compare your landing page to your competitor’s landing page

If you sell a service that a competitor also sells, take a look at their landing page and compare it to yours.

Try to take a step back and pretend that you’re a consumer. Who would you pick? Would you pick your landing page — your offer — over your competitor’s?

If you can’t honestly say that your landing page outperforms your competitor’s, then it needs work.

Hack #10. Test out your landing page on your phone

Most of your landing page traffic will come from mobile users. And, even if you have a responsive website and design your landing page with mobile users in mind, you should always test it for yourself.

Visit the landing page using your smartphone. Does your landing page offer a similar user experience in terms of look and functionality for mobile users as it does for desktop users? If not, what can you do to improve it?

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Ads, themselves, are just one part of the digital advertising process. You also need an effective landing page to send people to when they click on your ads. Build one for your website with Marketing 360® Websites.