Creating a landing page for your business? Well, you’ll want to pay extra attention to its layout and structure if you want to maximize conversions.
I know – layout and design may seem secondary to crafting the right messaging. But here’s the thing: your page visuals are just as important for capturing attention and persuading visitors.
In fact, people decide whether they trust and want to stick around on a webpage within milliseconds. So that first impression from your page layout makes a huge difference.
The layout provides the framework for guiding visitors through your conversion funnel. It influences how people consume information, interact with page elements, and move towards that all-important call-to-action.
If your layout is cluttered and confusing? Visitors bounce fast. If it’s clean and guides them effortlessly through key actions? You have a winner.
So don’t take your landing page layout lightly, my friend. The layout sets the stage for the entire experience…and it needs to seamlessly direct visitors to complete your desired action, whether it’s a download, sale, or email subscription.
We’ll cover the essentials today – like basic layout elements, choosing structures and formats, as well as design best practices. I’ll serve up some quick tips for crafting killer, high-converting landing pages. Let’s dive in..
Alright, before we get into the nitty-gritty design stuff, let’s cover the key question: What exactly is the landing page layout anyway?
Simply put, it’s how all the visual elements on your landing page are organized and arranged. It’s the framework that holds your headline, bullets of copy, testimonials, product images, buttons, whitespace, etc.
A layout sets the stage for how visitors will view and interact with all that crucial content you worked so hard to craft.
It determines how people’s eyes travel over the page. It influences what they notice first, second, third. It sets up user flow – or how site visitors naturally move from section to section towards a conversion.
It also covers the overall site architecture – like whether you have a single long page or multiple pages.
These elements all work together to form the page layout structure. And optimizing that structure is crucial for keeping visitors engaged and shepherding them to your CTA so you can achieve your conversion goals.
Make sense so far? Let’s move on to covering the ideal landing page structure next…
You might be wondering – what does an effective landing page structure actually look like?
I’m glad you asked! While you can get creative with layouts, generally speaking, the most effective landing pages contain a few key ingredients:
This basic structure forms a clean, intuitive layout focused specifically around motivating your visitor to convert. It minimizes choices and distractions. Now let’s get into more tactics for crafting landing page layouts…
Alright, so you know the typical landing page structure and main elements. But how do you actually format all those pieces into an optimized layout?
Proper formatting is what makes your page polished, easy to navigate, and pleasing to the eye. It’s more than just plopping elements onto the page willy-nilly. Proper formatting is what guides visitors seamlessly towards conversion. Here are some key formatting tips:
Don’t cram tons of copy and images too close together. Allow blank spaces between sections. This lets elements “breathe” and makes the page more scannable. The whitespace also draws attention to key items you want visitors focusing on.
Keep alignment consistent by lining up elements along an invisible margin line. This creates a clear direction for the eye to follow down the page rather than zigzagging randomly.
Use strategically formatted elements to create a visual hierarchy. For example, make your headline much larger than body text. Draw attention to the CTA with contrasting colors. Bigger and bolder elements signal importance.
Use small graphical elements like arrows, lines, or color blocks to guide visitors from top to bottom in a logical manner tailored to your goals.
These are just a few tips for effectively formatting page elements. Applying them makes a world of difference between an amateur and pro-designed high-converting page.
So you know you need great formatting on your landing page. But what specific layout and format is objectively the “best” for conversions?
The short answer is: it depends!
There are pros and cons of single column vs multi-column layouts. Certain page lengths work better than others. The best layout differs based on your goals and the devices people will view your site on. Here are a few pointers:
A single column, long scrolling page often works very well. It allows you to tell a cohesive story and guide visitors step-by-step without visual clutter and distracting choices.
Multi-column and sidebar layouts do allow more visual diversity. But take care that it doesn’t distract or complicate user flow. You need sufficient whitespace between columns.
In general, simple pages in the range of 400-1,000 words tend to convert better. But compelling scrollable pages can drive conversions too if formatted well, with section breaks and intermittent CTAs.
With so much mobile browsing nowadays, your page absolutely must use responsive design. Content needs to rescale and restack on narrower screens while retaining clear hierarchy and calls-to-action.
There are no one-size fits all answers! The best way is to A/B test different page lengths, layouts, content amounts and formats. Analytics will show what resonates most with your audience and drives conversions.
Try not to get overwhelmed. Start with clear, concise pages focused on a single goal. Then refine from there based on testing.
Alright, we’ve covered the principles and best practices of effective landing page layouts. Now let’s get practical – how do you actually create one for your business?
Crafting a high-converting layout doesn’t have to be rocket science. Follow these steps:
And that’s the essence of creating high-converting landing page layouts and designs! Apply these guidelines for layouts tailored to your audience and goals.
Alright, we’ve covered best practices for short-form landing pages. But what about structuring pages with lots more long-form copy and content?
Long-form landing pages have become popular for nurturing leads with helpful, educational content rather than hard selling. But they bring challenges for keeping visitors engaged.
Without careful formatting, excessively long pages risk losing visitor attention. So here are some structural tips for improving conversions:
Proper structure is crucial even for long-form “storytelling” landing pages. Follow these tips, run A/B tests, and keep refining your formats over time.
Alright, let’s dive deeper into one of the most important elements of any landing page – the headline.
As we covered earlier, your headline is one of the very first things visitors see when landing on your page. It’s critical for making split-second first impressions and convincing people your offering is worth their time.
No pressure right?!
Here’s the thing – writing great headlines is an art and science. There are specific tactics you can use to grab attention and raise curiosity.
There you have it my friend! Use these tips to guide your headline wordsmithing efforts on landing pages and beyond.
Visuals like images, graphics, and video are extremely useful elements of landing page layouts.
But even more than merely including them – where and how you position visual assets on the page makes a huge impact.
Proper visual placement guides the visitor’s journey down the page, captures attention in all the right places, and reinforces your value proposition.
Here are some quick tips:
Hero Visual Up Top – Right below your headline is prime real estate for an eye-catching visual that further cements what you’re offering.
Reinforce With Supporting Graphics – Sprinkle relevant graphics and icons near supporting copy to reinforce points and improve information retention.
Offset With whitespace – Images and video need breathing room! Don’t cram other elements too close together. strategic whitespace prevents clutter.
Alternate Image Sides – Flip images from left to right between page sections to create an aesthetically pleasing zigzag visual flow.
Mobile-First Imagery – Optimized image file sizes and mobile-centric aspect ratios like square or vertical suit mobile devices best.
Review Heatmaps! – Use visitor recordings and heatmaps to observe how people visually consume your page. Then improve placement based on hard data about what attracts attention.
Be intentional about properly placing visual elements to guide visitors through your conversion funnel. Test placements, watch visitor behavior, and continuously optimize!
We’ve talked a lot about key landing page elements like headlines, visuals and CTAs. But what about body copy – how much should you have and how should you format it?
The key is keeping copy brief and scannable. Quick paragraphs between other elements guide visitors without losing them to boredom.
Here are some tips for effective copy formatting:
With the right formatting tactics, you can guide visitors to absorb brief yet compelling copy that moves them towards conversion. Remember, write to be scanned first, read second!
If you’re selling a product or service on your landing page, you’ll obviously need to describe what it is at some point. But what specifics should you include?
First, ensure your product/service description aligns seamlessly with the promised benefits from your headline and hero visuals. Keep every page element telling one coherent story.
As for specifics to cover in the description:
Keep these details scanner-friendly with brief sections, bullets, and bolded headers. Describe without overwhelming. Then link to separate product or services pages for far more detail.
We’ve touched on including benefit-focused messaging in your headline, subheadlines and supporting copy. But why is hammering home on benefits so crucial on landing pages?
Here’s the deal – visitors don’t care about you or your company. They care what’s in it for them.
That’s why continually reinforcing exact benefits derived from your offering is so critical for converting visitors into leads and customers.
Here are some tips:
There you have it! In different ways, through different mediums, at different times…keep centering the benefits to compel visitors to the finish line.
We’ve covered using benefit-focused messaging to sell your offering. But what about using customer validation in the form of testimonials?
Testimonials – when used well – are powerful social proof for lending outside credibility to the benefits you tout.
But there’s an art to featuring them effectively:
Sprinkle testimonials throughout pages with careful positioning to provide credibility boosts right when you need them to help inch visitors closer to converting.
We’ve covered a lot of foundational elements to optimize on landing pages – great headline, hero visual, succinct copy, benefits, etc. But none of that matters if visitors don’t take action!
This is where clear, commanding calls-to-action come into play.
Your CTA is the button or link that drives visitors to convert by purchasing, subscribing, downloading, or whichever intent-action you have. Some tips:
Refine your positioning, visual emphasis, and messaging wording through ongoing testing. Your CTA is the lynchpin for converting all that landing page interest into tangible action!
We’ve covered a ton of ground when it comes to optimizing landing page layouts and structure for higher conversions. Let’s recap key points:
Remember – never set your landing page design and forget it! Treat layout as an ongoing optimization just like content. Continually experiment with placement, flow, formats and test what layout variants increase your conversions.
With that said, avoid endlessly obsessing and changing things without purpose too. Set clear goals, test deliberative changes, nail the basics covered here and you’ll be in great shape.
Where Creativity Meets Simplicity - Customize with Ease! Forget about Coding and Enjoy Designing Your Website.