It's no secret that expressing appreciation for customers, clients, and website visitors is a good idea. But just saying "thanks" is only the beginning. Putting some thought into your website's thank-you page can help build your brand and grow your business.
The thank-you page basics
A thank-you page is a web page that a user is sent to after completing a desired action on a particular page. It may be in response to making a purchase, opening an account, or any other action that keeps them engaged with your site.
The primary purpose of a thank-you page is, of course, to express thanks, but there's so much more you can do. A well-designed page can offer users added value, attract new clients, and build a long-lasting loyal customer base.
When to use a thank-you page
Almost any time a website visitor takes an action is an opportunity to thank them. You can also incorporate a thank-you message onto another page, for example, having this pop up after someone adds an item to their shopping cart. But there are times when having a dedicated page to express your gratitude makes sense.
In general, when a site visitor has completed a transaction or taken an action, you want to thank them before they leave your site. This sends them off with positive feelings, some useful information, and encouragement to come back.
You can even keep visitors on the site longer by using the same page to highlight content relevant to their visit, giving them a final opportunity for free shipping, or offering them a discount if they take further action.
Some reasons to say "thank you"
There are many ways that visitors can interact with your website. Following are just some user actions that might direct them to a thank-you page.
A purchase
It may seem obvious, but your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Making sure to thank them after every purchase shouldn't be an afterthought.
A signup
Thanking someone who signs up for a newsletter, registers for an event, or submits a contact form is also a good idea, since they've expressed interest in your company or content. It's also a good chance to offer additional information or resources.
A download
In addition, anytime a user downloads something—whether it's a purchase like a software program or a free resource like a user guide—is a great chance to thank them and provide tips on software installation, a link to free training videos, a discount code to share with friends or other resources related to their recent download.
A referral
Word-of-mouth marketing can be one of the best ways to let potential customers know about your business. When current customers send referrals to their family, friends, and colleagues, it's always a good idea to express gratitude.
Why thank-you pages are great
Even after a visitor to your site takes an action, a thank-you page allows you to keep them engaged. By redirecting them to additional content, offering them a discount on a future purchase, or even just making them feel good about their action, thank-you pages can provide added value to businesses and customers alike.
A well-executed thank-you page can even boost your company's search engine rankings by leading to lower bounce rates and more engagement—factors that contribute to higher rankings on search engines.
Although the thank-you page is a result of someone already doing something, you can also use the page to further increase your conversion rate optimization, encouraging website visitors to stay on your site and take further action.
Thank-you page vs. landing page
You may sometimes hear a thank-you page referred to as a thank-you landing page since it is where users land after taking an action. But used in a more general context, a landing page is the entry point to a website. It is where a visitor lands after clicking on a link from another site like an advertisement or social media post.
While landing pages initiate actions, thank-you pages conclude them and often provide incentives to keep users further engaging further with the website.
Elements you can include on a thank-you page
The range of information, offers, and added value that can be included on thank-you pages is almost endless! It can be tempting to load your page up with lots of links and resources, but savvy digital marketers know that it's possible to overwhelm people with too much information or a site that doesn't have a clear focus. Instead, zone in on the most relevant elements and present them clearly, with an attractive visual design. Following are just some of the options for your thank-you page content.
A genuine thank-you
It probably goes without saying, but don't forget to say thank you on your thank-you page! Expressing real gratitude for your visitors and their engagement with your site helps to build a good relationship with loyal customers and leaves people with a positive feeling.
Tracking information
If your thank-you page follows the purchase of a product, you can include shipping details, such as the tracking number, on it. If available, you can also add the estimated delivery date. Being able to visualize the product’s journey can help build a sense of anticipation and excitement for customers.
Testimonials
Even after a customer has made a purchase or a user has signed up for your newsletter, you may want to share some positive testimonials from others. These good reviews can encourage visitors to revisit your shop or explore your site's other content.
Testimonials can also provide customers with positive reinforcement about their purchase. Everyone wants to feel good about the action they've just taken, and seeing other social proof elements like testimonials can help validate their recent transaction.
A call to action
After a site visitor has taken an action is a good time to encourage them to do something else. If you've made a sale, suggest that the customer sign up for discounts via text message. If someone has donated to your nonprofit, encourage them to share it on social media.
Whatever you're asking them to do, make the next step easy. A strong call to action and a simple one-click design can help. You might include a space to enter a phone number right on the page or include social icons for Facebook, Instagram, or other sites that allow users to connect to their own accounts on those sites with a single click.
Referral requests
Current subscribers or customers can be one of your best sources for new leads. After someone takes an action, offer them a chance to refer others to your website. In exchange, you might offer a discount code that can also be shared with potential customers.
While it's always a good thing to have more leads, bringing people referred by current customers into your company's sales funnel is an effective way to increase leads and contributes to conversion rate optimization.
A survey
The more you know about your customers, the better you can meet their needs. Once someone has completed an action, you can include a survey on your thank-you page to gather valuable feedback. Presenting the survey immediately after the visitor's action enhances the likelihood that they will take it. The response will provide insight into their experience, content preferences, or other elements to boost user engagement.
A survey also fosters a sense of customer involvement, demonstrating that you value their feedback and are committed to responsive improvement. You can even include another thank-you page after the survey completion, offering even more added value like discounts or free resources.
Coupon codes and discounts
Coupons or discount codes can reward customers for making a purchase, encouraging users to come back. It's also a savvy marketing strategy for bringing new users to your site and building your customer base.
The moment when customers take an action like making a purchase or signing up for a service is when they're most engaged, so it's a great chance to lock in that loyalty. In addition, it creates a positive post-purchase experience, building customer satisfaction and encouraging lead generation through word-of-mouth referrals.
A free gift
Everyone likes getting a little something extra. That could be a free eBook, a link to an on-demand recording, or a bonus content download. Making the content only available through your thank-you page makes it exclusive and adds additional value to the transaction.
Contact details
After a customer makes a purchase or signs up for an event, you can provide them with information about how to contact you for product support, additional resources, or general questions.
You might also want to consider providing a phone number or email address that will reach someone directly, especially for your most loyal customers, large purchases, or products that often need additional support.
Thank-you pages for different actions
A simple page with a basic thank-you is a one-size-fits-all option. But putting some thought into your thank-you page design and customizing can offer added value and help to build your client base. Following are some ideas for ways to enhance your thank-you message for different types of actions.
Purchase confirmation page
Naturally, you'll want to thank customers after they make a purchase on the checkout page. But in addition to expressing your gratitude, you have an opportunity to keep the relationship going. Offering them order tracking information, a discount on their next purchase, or a link to product pages for related items they might consider can give them an incentive to come back.
Contact form submission
Savvy marketers know that users who opt in to share their contact information are more likely to continue through the business's sales funnel. You can boost conversions by suggesting other pages on your site that the users may be interested in.
Account creation page
Creating an account on your site is a sign that a website visitor is particularly interested in becoming a customer or interacting further with your business. Following the account creation, your thank-you page might include confirmation details, verifying to the user that their information was entered and saved successfully.
Users with a new account may be the perfect audience for a special offer or discount on their first purchase. You could also offer a lead magnet—free content like an eBook or webinar—in exchange for account creation.
Appointment or booking
If your business is service-based, any time a customer signs up for an appointment is a chance to send them to a thank-you page with the appointment confirmation and links to additional relevant content.
If your company offers business services, you might provide links to any paperwork or information they’ll need before the meeting. For example, if you own a beauty salon, your thank-you page can include a link to driving and parking directions to make the appointment more convenient.
Event registration
Time is an extremely valuable resource. So, when someone registers for an event—whether it’s a multiday conference or a free webinar—make sure to thank them. This is also a great chance to build excitement for the event by previewing some of the speakers, content, or social events. You can also offer attendees the chance to share their interest with others with the option to post about the event directly on social media from the thank-you page.
Donation
For nonprofit and charity organizations that rely on donations, a thank-you page can serve as more than just a polite acknowledgment. It also deepens the donor's connection to the organization and can reinforce the impact of the contribution by providing more information on specific projects. Including social media sharing options encourages donors to spread the word.
And because many donors take advantage of tax deductions for charitable contributions, your thank-you page is a good place to offer a receipt for tax purposes.
Examples of great thank-you pages
There are as many different thank-you pages as there are websites. It can be hard to know where to start or what to focus on when you're creating your own page. Following are a few examples from different types of organizations in order to get you started.
Show your nonprofit's gratitude: Conservation International
Anyone who donates to a nonprofit organization or even signs up to get more information should get a heartfelt thank-you.
Since they've already shown interest in your organization's mission, this is a great time to request a bit more of their time to help you out.
Conservation International, a nonprofit environmental organization, follows up on an online donation with a simple, calming nature photo and a couple opportunities to stay involved with the organization. Users can opt in to a newsletter for information about further donation options.
The organization also asks users to fill out a brief survey to help them understand what area of their environmental work is most important to their donors.
Add value to a newsletter signup: Ramit Sethi
Ramit Sethi is a popular personal finance writer and consultant. His best-selling book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, spawned a website of the same name, where he offers financial courses and plenty of additional content.
This thank-you page follows a signup for Sethi's newsletter. It's simple and uncluttered and does a few things well: In addition to the easy-on-the-eyes design, it offers a genuine thank-you and an engaging, friendly photo of Sethi at a public event, showing users that they're now part of a community.
It also includes information about the bonus content—an example of a lead magnet—that is the reward for opting in to the newsletter.
Increase customer retention: Amazon
Amazon users are familiar with the huge variety of goods available on the site. The e-commerce site's thank-you page links to products related to past purchases and to brands you might be interested in. This page does a great job of keeping customers coming back and pointing out products they might be interested in buying, relying on Amazon's sophisticated knowledge of customer preferences and buying habits.
Five top tips for your thank-you page
Whatever your goal is with your thank-you page, before you get started, read on for a few bonus tips to help you maximize the opportunity to leave users with a positive and lasting impression.
Tip #1: Keep it simple
There are so many options for your thank-you page that it can be tempting to overdo it. But a page design that's too cluttered will probably be ignored. Visitors have completed their transaction and may be about to exit their web browser. Presenting them with lots of information, links, and graphics can be overwhelming. They may close your thank-you page without even reading it!
Think of the page as a way to simplify the customer journey. If someone has signed up for an upcoming webinar, how about offering a link that will automatically add the event to their Google calendar?
You can use an existing thank-you-page template (available through most website design programs) to get started, and then personalize it with your relevant information.
Tip #2: Put the call to action near the top
Obviously, the most important element of a thank-you page is the expression of gratitude. But if you want to encourage site visitors to do something, make sure that information is visible. Don't make them scroll through a lot of additional information or even large text or a photo in order to find the access link to share their action on social media or with friends.
Tip #3: Redirect users
To keep users on your site longer, don't rely on them to decide what pages might be of interest. Suggest additional relevant content and provide direct links to those pages.
On the other hand, if you're hoping that users spread the word about your business, provide links that will post directly to their social media accounts or generate a message they can email to others. Make it easy for your users to use a single click to get where you want them to go.
Tip #4: Make your site menu visible
Even though visitors to your thank-you page have already completed an action, you'll want to keep them on your site as long as possible.
Including your site menu on this page (and on every page on your site) gives users an easy way to navigate to additional content. The longer visitors engage with your site, the better for your conversion process.
Tip #5: Don't be boring!
If your website's thank-you page does nothing but express gratitude, it's done its basic job. But you've missed out on an opportunity to keep your visitors' interest.
Your page doesn’t have to be flashy, but it’s worth thinking about the page from the audience’s perspective. What would be of greatest interest to them? Think outside the box: maybe some unexpected added value, a sneak peek into products in development, or even a fun thank-you video from your staff.
Above all, don't miss out on an opportunity to provide a memorable and valuable experience.
A good thank-you page does more than just express gratitude. It can be a valuable tool for lead generation, content engagement, and high-converting elements like referrals.
After taking a look at some of the best examples of thank-you pages and reading about key elements for your page, you're ready to let customers know just how much you value them while throwing in a little something extra to keep them coming back again and again.