Category: Website Design

When you’re designing a landing page for your product or service, there’s one thing you need it to do – convert. As one of the most important factors in your online marketing campaign, you should be spending time making sure it’s right!

Unfortunately, there’s no precise formula or template for successful landing pages, and the success of yours depends on so many different factors including your customer base, and your niche. BUT there are certain aspects we see time and time again on successful landing pages – does yours have the following?

1. An outstanding headline

And we mean outstanding. Nothing wishy-washy, the headline has to be amazing to engage visitors straight away and make them need to stay on your page and see what it is you have to offer.

2. A compelling sub-headline

While the headline is the immediate WOW factor, the sub-headline or secondary headline is where you have more room to expand on your message. Once your headline has grabbed their attention, this is where you persuade them to read on.

3. Benefits focussed

Your product or service is the solution to their problem, so make sure they’re in no doubt exactly how it will benefit them. Make sure your copy answers the question ‘what’s in it for me?’.

4. Striking visual content

A wall of text is going to put most visitors off straight away, so make your landing page a good mix of images and text. Make sure images are relevant, large, and high-quality – they need to grab every visitor’s attention straight away!

5. Social proof

It’s all very well you telling people your business is life-changing, but, well, you would really, wouldn’t you? Social proof in the form of real life testimonials or case studies are crucial for cultivating trust.

6. A clear explanation of what you’re offering

A landing page shouldn’t be a comprehensive list of everything your business offers, it needs to be focused on one specific thing and should be crystal clear about exactly what that is. Make it simple and straightforward, so visitors are in no doubt about what they’ll be getting.

7. Cover visitors’ ‘pain points’

As well as letting visitors know how they’ll benefit from your offer, don’t forget to touch on the problems they’re likely to experience if they don’t have your business in their lives!

8. Well-structured content

Make sure you structure your page in a clear and logical way – your headline/sub-headline, a clear explanation of your offer, the benefits, social proof, and finally, your call to action (CTA).

9. An emotional hook

You already know to cover the practical benefits they’ll get from your offer, but what about the emotional benefits? It’s human nature to be drawn to something that we think will fulfil us emotionally and psychologically, so make sure you use that to your advantage.

10. Don’t forget your call to action!

The most important element of your landing page is your CTA, where to tell them what you want to do and when you want them to do it (here’s a clue, give them a sense of urgency to do it NOW!

Making sure your landing page converts does take some work, but make sure yours contain these characteristics and you’ll definitely start seeing results!

Your business website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business – so you need to get it right. That’s why when you’re looking to hire a web design agency it’s essential you find one that’s the perfect fit for you.

But how?

Here are 10 key questions to ask before making this very important decision!

1. How long have you been in the web design business?

No matter how much flair or passion for design an agency or individual designer has, you need to be confident they have the experience to make the process a smooth one from start to finish. If the business is a new one, ask about the experience designers or developers have from previous jobs / employment.

2. Does your in-house team do all the development?

An agency that outsources development is not necessarily an issue, but it’s good to know who is doing the work. After all, some agencies will specialise in design, others in development. One thing to ensure is that whichever agency you choose will project manage the build from start to finish.

3. Can I see examples of your work?

An agency telling you they create beautifully designed websites is one thing, but can they show you?

4. What services are included in your packages?

It’s good to know in advance what else the agency offers beside basic web development, and it means you won’t have to go elsewhere for those finishing touches. For example, do they offer SEO, copywriting, marketing strategy?

5. Do you have experience in our industry?

Having experience in your particular niche is a bonus, because they’ll understand more the complexities and challenges your business might face.

6. What technical aftercare do you offer?

This is such an important question to ask – what happens once your website is finished if you have any technical issues or queries? It’s normal to need the odd tweak or two once your site goes live, and you need to be confident you’ve got the right support.

7. How can I make updates to the website?

Again, once your site is up and running you’re going to want to update certain things, like content for example, without having to ask the design agency first.

8. Will the finished website be based on a template?

Your business website should be unique to you, not a duplicate of countless other websites! That’s why you need to look for an agency that offers custom design, not just carbon copy templates.

9. How does your pricing work?

It’s not just how much you’re going to pay you need to understand, it’s whether you’re looking at a fixed price that includes everything, or will you be billed extra for certain elements?

10. How long will the process take?

While no agency or designer will be able to give you an exact timeline, they should have understanding of your needs and the experience to give you an estimated timeline. You need to go into any project with an expectation of turnaround time, particularly if you know you’re on a tight timescale.

While these questions to ask before hiring a web design agency are by no means an exhaustive list, we hope they’ve given you an idea of what you need to know. And don’t forget, if you don’t like any of the answers you get, move on to the next agency!