A landing page has one job. One.
Not to inform comprehensively. Not to showcase brand personality. Not to provide navigation to the rest of the site. Just one thing: get the visitor to take a specific action.
Sign up. Buy. Download. Request a demo. Whatever the goal, everything on the page either pushes toward that action or gets in the way.
This single-mindedness makes landing pages different from other web pages. Normal pages serve multiple purposes for multiple audience segments. Landing pages strip away that complexity. One page, one goal, one audience, one conversion event.
Above the Fold Still Matters
People will scroll. Analytics prove this repeatedly. The “above the fold” panic from early web design was overblown.
But what users see before scrolling still does disproportionate work. It determines whether they scroll at all. It sets expectations. It makes the first-impression judgment that colors everything after.
First screenful should contain: a headline that communicates the value proposition, supporting text that elaborates briefly, a primary call-to-action, and some form of credibility indicator.
Headlines do the heaviest lifting. Users decide in seconds whether this page is relevant to their needs. The headline either connects or it doesn’t. “Project Management Software” says what but not why to care. “Finish Projects 40% Faster” says why this matters to the user.
Supporting text clarifies without overwhelming. One to three sentences expanding on the headline. Not a full explanation, just enough to validate that the headline wasn’t empty hype.
CTAs should be visible without scrolling. Users who arrive ready to convert shouldn’t have to hunt for the button. It should be obvious: “Start Free Trial” or “Get Pricing” or whatever action you want.
Credibility markers vary: client logos, trust badges, brief social proof. Something that signals this isn’t a fly-by-night operation. Even a small credibility element helps skeptical visitors lower their guard.
Social Proof Earns Trust
Someone claiming their own product is great means nothing. Others claiming it’s great means something.
Testimonials provide the “someone else liked this” signal that reduces perceived risk. But not all testimonials work equally.
Specificity beats vagueness. “This product changed my life” is empty. “We reduced customer support tickets by 35% in three months” is believable. Numbers, timeframes, concrete outcomes.
Real names and faces beat anonymity. A testimonial from “Sarah M.” means less than one from “Sarah Mitchell, Operations Director at Acme Corp” with a headshot. Real identity implies real endorsement.
Logos of recognizable clients provide shortcut credibility. If IBM uses this product, it’s probably legitimate. Logo walls appear on countless landing pages because they work.
Case study excerpts combine storytelling with evidence. Brief narratives of customer success give context that raw numbers lack. “Here’s how Company X solved their problem” is more engaging than “92% customer satisfaction.”
Quantity matters for some social proof types. “50,000 customers” impresses differently than “50 customers.” If you have impressive numbers, use them. If you don’t, focus on quality of testimonials instead.
Form Friction Kills Conversions
Every form field is a decision point where the visitor might abandon.
Name and email might seem basic. But even those two fields create friction. Is this worth giving my email? Will they spam me? Users calculate whether the value exchange is fair.
Add phone number and friction increases. Add company name, job title, budget range, and you’re asking for a real commitment before delivering any value. Each field pushes some percentage of visitors away.
Minimum viable approaches ask only what you truly need to fulfill the conversion. If you’re offering a PDF download, you need an email address. Do you need their company size? Maybe for lead qualification, but at what cost in form completion rate?
Multi-step forms hide the total commitment. “Just enter your email to get started” is less daunting than a 10-field form. Once someone commits to step one, they’re more likely to complete step two. Psychological commitment works.
Smart defaults reduce friction. Pre-filled country based on IP address. Pre-selected common options. Anything that reduces the mental work of completing fields.
Error handling affects abandonment too. Unclear error messages confuse users. Errors that appear only after submission force users to re-examine the entire form. Inline validation that guides users as they go prevents frustration.
The Long-Form Debate
Should landing pages be short, focused, punchy? Or long, detailed, thorough?
Both work. Neither is universally better. Context determines the right choice.
Short pages work when: the offer is simple, the audience is familiar with the category, the price is low, the commitment is minimal. A free newsletter signup doesn’t need a novel. An ebook download doesn’t need extensive persuasion.
Long pages work when: the offer is complex, the audience needs education, the price is high, the commitment is major. A $10,000/year software subscription requires answering many questions before someone buys. Long-form provides space for those answers.
More expensive and complex offers, the more objections users have. Long-form gives you room to address objections systematically. Pricing concern? Section about ROI. Trust concern? Section with case studies. Feature questions? Detailed capability breakdown.
Long doesn’t mean padded. Every section should serve a purpose. If a section doesn’t answer a likely question or address a likely objection, cut it.
Test both if you’re uncertain. A/B testing long versus short reveals which your specific audience prefers for your specific offer.
Video Usage
Video landing pages can dramatically outperform static ones. Or dramatically underperform. Depends on execution.
Video works when it communicates something words can’t. A product demo that shows the interface in action. A founder’s personal appeal that builds emotional connection. Customer success stories told in their own voices.
Video fails when it replaces content users would rather scan. A video that takes three minutes to communicate what text conveys in thirty seconds wastes user time. Users can’t skim video the way they skim text.
Autoplay divides opinion. Some marketers insist autoplay increases engagement. Many users find autoplay annoying, especially with sound. The data is mixed. If you autoplay, mute by default.
Video placement matters. Above the fold with play button visible invites engagement. Below the fold, users might never reach it. Replacing the hero area with video is bold but can work if the video is compelling enough.
Production quality sets expectations. A polished video suggests a polished company. Amateur video might undermine credibility for professional services while seeming appropriately authentic for a startup.
Exit Intent Tactics
Visitors are leaving. Mouse moves toward the browser’s close button. One last chance to convert.
Exit intent popups detect this movement and display an offer. Last chance discount. Lead magnet download. Newsletter signup. Anything to capture value from a departing visitor.
These work, statistically. Conversion rate on exit intent popups often exceeds conversion rate for visitors who never tried to leave. Catching someone as they leave is better than letting them go silently.
Danger: annoyance. Users who intended to leave might resent the interruption. If the popup is irrelevant or aggressive, it damages brand perception even if it occasionally converts.
Effective exit intent feels helpful rather than desperate. “Before you go, want our free guide?” is softer than “WAIT! Don’t leave without claiming your discount!” The offer should genuinely add value, not just extract commitment.
Once per session limits prevent repeated nagging. A popup on first exit attempt is tolerable. Popup on every exit attempt is harassment.
Mobile exit intent doesn’t work the same way. There’s no cursor movement to detect. Mobile alternatives include scroll-based triggers or time-based triggers.
Testing and Iteration
Launch is the beginning, not the end.
Every landing page starts as a hypothesis. We believe this headline will resonate. We believe this layout will convert. We believe this offer will appeal. Data reveals whether beliefs match reality.
A/B testing isolates variables. Change the headline, keep everything else identical, see which version converts better. Then test the CTA copy. Then test the form length. Incremental improvements compound.
Sample size matters. A test with 50 visitors per variant proves nothing. Random variance dominates at small numbers. Statistical significance requires adequate volume. How much volume depends on your baseline conversion rate and the size of improvement you’re trying to detect.
Testing duration matters too. Day-of-week effects mean a test running Monday through Wednesday might perform differently than one running Thursday through Saturday. Run tests for full weeks or longer.
Tools like Optimizely, VWO, or AB Tasty make testing accessible. The discipline to actually test rather than assume is the hard part. Opinions about what will convert are cheap. Data about what actually converts is valuable.
FAQ
How do I know if my landing page is working?
Compare to benchmarks and goals. Average landing page conversion rates vary enormously by industry and offer type: 2-5% might be normal for one context, 20%+ for another. More useful: compare to your own past performance and track trends. If conversion rate improves month over month, the page is working better regardless of absolute numbers.
Should I include navigation on a landing page?
Generally no. Navigation provides escape routes that distract from conversion. Users who click to your about page or blog have left the conversion path. Pure landing pages remove navigation entirely, keeping focus on the single desired action. Exception: if the page also serves as a regular website page with organic traffic, some navigation might be necessary.
Long-form pages seem risky. Won’t users bounce if they see a wall of content?
Users who aren’t interested will bounce regardless of page length. Users who need more information to decide will engage with long-form if it answers their questions. The bounce risk is overstated. What matters is whether the content above the fold compels continued reading. Hook users early and they’ll scroll.
How much testing is enough?
There’s no finish line. Even high-performing pages can improve. But diminishing returns set in. After major elements are optimized (headline, CTA, form, social proof), incremental testing produces smaller gains. At some point, traffic is better spent on new traffic sources than on squeezing more from existing visitors. Balance testing with other growth activities.
Sources
Unbounce. Conversion Benchmark Report. unbounce.com/conversion-benchmark-report
WordStream. Landing Page Best Practices. wordstream.com/landing-page-best-practices
ConversionXL. Landing Page Optimization Research. cxl.com/blog/landing-page-optimization
Baymard Institute. Checkout Usability research. baymard.com/research/checkout-usability
HubSpot. Landing Page Statistics. hubspot.com/marketing-statistics