A great landing page can help your business make more sales, but it's not just about having a pretty web page. Your landing page needs to grab attention, tell your story, and convince people to take action, whether that means buying your product or signing up for your newsletter.
The good news is that you don't have to figure out how to create high-converting landing pages on your own.
Following best practices and drawing landing page inspiration from examples can help you position your site for success. The best landing page examples nail the basics; they're clear about what they're offering, look professional, and make it obvious what visitors should do next.
Getting these elements right can help you create a successful landing page that converts web visitors into paying customers. Keep reading to find landing page examples that convert, plus practical tips you can use to improve your own landing pages right away.
What are landing pages used for?
In the purest sense of the term, a landing page is any page where a visitor can arrive, or 'land on." A more useful way to think of a landing page is as a web page that stands apart from the rest of your site, a page designed with a single, focused objective in mind.
A landing page guides visitors to conversion, whether it is buying a product, liking a video or a photo, commenting in a forum, or simply visiting more pages on your site.
The whole point of landing pages is to increase your conversion rates. A landing page has a single objective. That objective needs to be in alignment with the ad or the link that brought visitors to the landing page.
A landing page is not the same as a home page
Think of your home page as the front door to your entire website. It's packed with menus, navigation bars, and links to help visitors explore everything you offer. Your home page needs to show the big picture, such as your products, services, blog posts, about sections, and whatever else makes up your site.
Landing pages are different. They focus on just one topic and have a singular goal in mind. Maybe it's getting someone to buy your new course, sign up for your newsletter, or download your app.
The entire page is built around that single goal, which means cutting out distracting links and navigation that could lead visitors away. When someone lands here, you want them to do one thing and one thing only.
Many landing pages look similar at first glance, but they serve different purposes. Picking the right type depends on your goal. Are you collecting emails, selling products, or getting people to an event?
Let's look at the main types you'll run into.
Lead generation landing pages
These pages are known for having a landing page form. With these forms, you're trying to get visitor info, which is usually an email address but sometimes more. Financial landing pages often use this style, asking for details like income or investment goals before offering a free consultation.
Click-through landing pages
These warm up visitors before sending them to buy. Instead of overwhelming visitors with a direct sales pitch, they first explain the benefits and build trust. Think of them as a friendly conversation before the sale.
Product-focused landing pages
Product landing pages focus on showing off specific items or services. They pack in features, benefits, pricing, and pretty much everything someone needs to know before buying. Other landing pages might tease info while these lay it all out.
Event registration landing pages
Want people at your conference, webinar, or workshop? These pages highlight dates, speakers, and what attendees will learn. They make signing up easy and often include early-bird deals to encourage quick registration.
7 features of every landing page
The average landing page might look simple, but there's a lot happening behind the scenes. While other pages on your site can get by with basic info, a highly effective landing page needs to nail several key elements to convert visitors into customers.
A visually appealing design gets people's attention, but it's the strategic combination of core components that encourages visitors to take action.
So, what goes into a landing page?
Compelling copy
The landing page is the place to state your unique selling proposition. It's the place where you explain what makes your product or service different from the product or service offered by your competitors.
FedEx, for example, differentiates itself on the basis of reliability. "When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight."
M&Ms focuses on the product itself. "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand." Domino's Pizza attracts customers on the basis of convenience. "Delivered in 30 minutes or it's free.”
Southwest Airlines unique selling proposition is price. "We are the low-fare airline."
Your unique selling proposition is stated in a single sentence. It's concise. It's to the point. It should be the first thing people see on your landing page. It may also become the keyword for ad campaigns.
Engaging visuals
You have probably heard the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." The hero shot on your landing page is how you create the imagery that sells your product, your service, or your idea.
A hero shot doesn't have to be a photo. It can be a video. It is preferable for the still photo that visitors click on to be a hero shot, leading to a video that features your product.
Don't use stock photos or stock videos. Make sure your hero shot features you or your product. Get the most professional photography or cinematography that you can. Never use an image that site visitors will recognize from other companies; the more unique the information and visuals you provide, the better.
Trust signals
Site visitors must trust you before they convert to customers or members. Trust indicators are not always stated in words.
For instance, if you are doing a landing page for a restaurant, a photo that shows customers lined up at the door is a better trust indicator than an indoor shot of mostly-empty tables. A Better Business Bureau logo, or wallpaper you make from a photo of delighted customers, or the right social widgets can all build trust.
Call to action
Every landing page needs a call to action, also known as a CTA. Your CTAs should call a reader’s attention, and entice them to make a purchase. Highlight your CTAs via color, or tone down other elements on the page to draw a user’s focus.
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Lead capture elements
Capturing leads for future conversions involves persuading visitors to your landing page to fill out a form. For instance, you might want to capture a name, an email address, and some consumer information that you can use to match your offerings to potential customers.
To persuade site visitors to fill out a form you can capture them as a lead, you need a form that stands out from the rest of your landing page. The form should be in a box. It needs a different font or background color to distinguish it from the rest of your landing page.
And you should offer something in exchange for the information you capture with the lead. Offer site visitors who fill out the form a discount coupon, or early announcements of products they desire, or an eBook or a consultation with you. Make sure everyone who offers you a new lead is rewarded for their time.
Attractive and straightforward design
Your landing page should look sharp without being cluttered. Everything has its place, nothing is in the way, and it's easy to find what you want. Use plenty of white space, keep your design consistent, and make sure everything flows naturally from top to bottom.
Remember: fancy design tricks don't sell products. Clear messages and strong benefits do. Keep it simple, focus on what your visitors care about, and make it dead obvious what they should do next.
A benefits statement provides additional impact
Benefits are the reasons the visitor to your landing page should click on the link and buy your product. Or buy two of your products. Or maybe three.
The benefits statement is not just a list of the features of your product, but rather tells your site visitors exactly the value your product or service provides.
For instance, if you were building a landing page for a pizza place, you would not say "Our pizzas have cheese and tomato sauce." You might as well point out that your pizzas are round. Or square.
Instead, you would state the benefits of your pizza place in terms of "piping hot in 20 minutes," or "every topping you could ever want."
Keep the list of benefits short enough that it is scannable. Between three and seven benefits is enough.
If you need more inspiration, check out our landing page templates to get started.
How do you put all the elements of a great landing page together? Here are some landing page design tips from five of the best landing pages.
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw Curiously Delicious Ice Cream Delivered Right to Your Door rewards lead capture with a subscription to their monthly newsletter with information about new flavor launches, special offers, coupons for partner shops, and 10% off the customer's first order. The visual on their landing page is simple, memorable, and yummy. It's scoops of ice cream flanked by rows of ripe summer berries.
Herb & Wood
The landing page for Herb & Wood Private Events uses advertising and off-page SEO to funnel traffic with one goal in mind: Their landing page seeks people who want to host a private event near their venue, which is in San Diego. A banner on the landing page announces "Herb & Wood is a stylish and versatile event space in San Diego." and the page offers visitors only one possible action, to click on the Private Events link.
REI Co Op
REI Co-op uses a carousel of messages encouraging landing page visitors to "shop now," "shop now," and "to save 40%" they shop now, or to get a $25 gift card for shopping now. There is a link to the site for the nearest brick and mortar store, and there are links for 10 kinds of merchandise. But all of the featured links on the page lead to immediate shopping.
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital inspires monthly giving with the stories of the children it helps. Their landing page features a link to emotive stories of successful treatment of childhood cancer.
Philosophy
Philosophy features skincare products and fragrances. Its landing page is arranged so scanning the page gives two opportunities to shop, either for skincare products or for fragrances. If you are "just browsing," every time you scroll down, you see two more links to shopping.
Landing page design best practices
Your landing page goal is simple: get people to take action. But visitors won't stick around if your page is hard to use. Skip the multiple links and fancy features.
Instead, focus on these proven design tips that actually work to entice visitors and boost conversions.
Prioritize mobile responsiveness
Most people browse on their phones now. If your landing page looks unprofessional or cluttered on mobile, you'll lose visitors before they even read your offer. Make sure all text is readable, buttons are easy to tap, and your sign up process works smoothly on all devices.
Limit distractions with a clean layout
A cluttered page is a confusing page. Keep your design simple and focused. Remove navigation menus, sidebars, and anything else that might pull attention from your main message. The easier you make it for visitors to focus, the more likely they are to convert.
Use contrasting colors for CTA buttons
Your CTA buttons need to pop. Use colors that stand out from your page background — think orange on white or white on blue. This visual contrast helps encourage visitors to click. Just don't go overboard. Stick to your brand colors and keep it professional.
Incorporate social proof effectively
People trust other people. Add testimonials, reviews, user counts, or client logos to show visitors they're in good company.
Even existing satisfied customers will bounce if your landing page isn't up to snuff. Here are the biggest mistakes we see people make and how to fix them so you avoid overwhelming visitors with a poor experience.
Using too much text
Nobody wants to read large paragraphs of text when they're on a company's website. Keep your copy tight and break it up with headers and bullet points. Focus on benefits, not features, and get to the point fast. Your visitors should be able to understand your offer in seconds.
Neglecting load time optimization
People will wait for your page to load for just a few seconds before leaving. Compress images, minimize code, and test your page speed regularly. A fast page keeps visitors happy and helps your search rankings, too.
Lack of clear CTAs
Don't make people hunt for how to take action. Your CTAs should be obvious and repeated at key points, and action words should be used that make what happens next clear. "Get Your Free Guide" works better than just "Submit." Tell people exactly what they're getting.
Tools and resources to create high-performing landing pages
Creating an effective landing page doesn't mean starting from scratch. Here are the tools and strategies that'll make your life easier and your pages better.
Use landing page builders to save time and effort
Skip the coding and get straight to business. Mailchimp's drag-and-drop builder lets you create professional pages in minutes.
Choose from tested templates, customize your design, and launch — no tech skills needed. Plus, everything connects directly to your email marketing, so leads flow right into your campaigns.
Integrate with email marketing to automate campaigns
Your landing page is just the start of the conversation. Connect it to your email marketing to automatically nurture leads. When someone fills out your form, they can jump straight into your welcome sequence or get that lead magnet you promised.
Leverage analytics to improve landing pages and campaigns
No need to overcomplicate measuring your landing page success — it all comes down to conversions. Are people taking the action you want them to take? Whether that's signing up for your email communications, buying your product, or downloading your guide, these actions tell you if your page is working.
Start small and test often. With Mailchimp's landing page builder and analytics, you can create your page in minutes and track exactly how it's performing.
Measuring the success of landing pages
Success with landing pages comes down to watching what your visitors do. Keep track of your conversion rate, and pay attention to where people drop off. Sometimes, small tweaks to your copy, design, or CTA placement can make a big difference in your results.
Ready to create landing pages that work? Mailchimp makes it easy to build, test, and track your pages all in one place. Our analytics show you exactly how your pages perform, from visitor counts to conversion rates.
Plus, everything connects smoothly with your email marketing so you can turn those landing page visitors into loyal customers. Get started with Mailchimp.
Key Takeaways
- Landing pages need a single, focused goal. Unlike homepages that try to do everything, successful landing pages guide visitors toward one specific action.
- The best landing pages combine several core elements: compelling copy with a clear value proposition, professional visuals, trust signals, strong CTAs, smart lead capture, and clean design.
- Small changes make big differences. From mobile optimization to load times, the technical details of your landing page matter just as much as the content.
- Use analytics to understand visitor behavior and continuously improve your page's performance.