9 Landing Page Best Practices: Compelling Copy

The copy on your landing page can seal the deal or send your website’s visitors elsewhere. Since you only have a couple of seconds to capture the interest of a visitor, according to a recent Silverpop survey, the words that you use on your site are essential to holding a visitor’s interest so they feel ready to move on to the next step. Your copy should help build affinity, establish trust and be optimized for the Web. Landing page best practices dictate that the most compelling copy provides visitors with a clear path to follow so they can easily complete the desired transaction.

How to Create Compelling Copy for a Landing Page

• Incorporate psychological factors into your copy to make your product or service a logical, desirable solution. Build trust and appeal to your visitor on the emotional level by addressing their problem or concern. Then provide a solution that visitors can use today. For example, a landing page may state, "Feel energized and get in shape with our exclusive... Your all-inclusive journey to rejuvenation is only a click away. Act now."
  
  
• Use action-rich language. Integrating action verbs into your copy gives your visitors clear, definitive instructions about what they’re supposed to do on your landing page, or lets visitors know how they can benefit from your products or services.
  
  Examples of action-oriented instructions:
• Click here
• Submit
• Download your copy

Examples of action-oriented phrases that describe benefits: 

• Learn how to…
• See results…
• Increase your…
• Make your own…
  
  
• Write in the second person, using “you” and “your” language. Visitors want to know how you will benefit them, and writing in the second person helps engage the reader and personalize the experience.
  
  
• Let your site’s visitor know why your product or service is valuable. After listing a feature, explain its benefit. Most visitors intrinsically know how a service or product is beneficial, but stating it for them drives the idea home. For example, “In this e-book, you will learn how to…Manage your time (feature) so you can spend more of it with your family (benefit).”
  
  
• Make your copy scan-able. Many people don’t read text; they scan it. With this in mind, write the most important information at the beginning of paragraphs, use bullet points and integrate reader keywords. 
  
  
• Use repetition to create a congruent experience. By using the same reader keywords in the call-to-action, landing page headline, within the copy and on graphics. This matters because you’ll assure visitors that they'll truly receive the offer promised and are not falling for a gimmick.
  
  
• Get rid of fluff. Whether you write the copy on your own or hire a copywriter, keep in mind that the use of industry jargon, empty adverbs and meaningless adjectives are pointless on a landing page. Keep the information benefit-driven, short and to the point. When in doubt, always choose clarity over creativity. 
  
  
• Use a strong call-to-action. Landing page best practices call for a clear call-to-action that lets a visitor know what they need to do as soon as they finish reading your message.
  
  
• Edit the copy, especially if you wrote it. The most compelling copy can seem worthless to a site visitor if it has grammar errors, spelling mistakes, inaccurate information or inconsistencies. To set yourself up as a trustworthy professional, make sure your copy is error-free and cohesive.

If your copy fails to quickly capture the attention of your target customer, you risk wasting your marketing investment. By following landing page best practices and performing A/B tests, you’ll increase your conversion rates and ROI, and create a page that continually performs well.