For professional services marketing departments, there’s a lot of pressure around creating a successful landing page. Unlike other pages of your website that are multifunctional, a landing page has a specific and identifiable purpose.

You can’t control the specific situations and needs your visitors bring with them to your landing pages. What you can do is optimize their experience in hopes of improving your conversion rates. Here are nine tips for creating a better landing page.

1. Don’t Skimp on the Essential Elements. All landing pages are not the same, but they do have some main elements in common. At the very least, your landing page needs:

• A clear headline.
• A brief description of what the visitor is getting. Emphasize its value and be as clear as possible to avoid confusion.
• A supporting image.
• A form to capture the information of your visitors.
   

You might also choose to have an optional sub-headline, additional images and other supporting elements like testimonials or security badges.

2. Remove the Main Navigation. Avoid navigation that distracts your visitors from converting on your landing page’s ask. Studies have shown that removing links from landing pages increased conversion rates. By stripping your landing page down to its bare bones, you can keep your visitors focused on your purpose.

3. Make Sure Your Headline and Corresponding Call-to-Action (CTA) Match. If your visitors don’t know what to do on your landing page, they aren’t going to do it—plain and simple. The headline of your landing page and your call-to-action need to “match” to make your purpose as explicitly clear as possible. Don’t leave any room for confusion.

4. When It Comes to Design and Copy, Think “K.I.S.S.” You’ve probably heard the popular abbreviation for “keep it simple, stupid.” Your landing page is no exception. Apply a simplified philosophy to the design and copy of your landing page. Remember, your landing page serves a singular purpose. Fancy design and complicated copy will only distract your visitors from converting.

5. Emphasize the Offer’s Value. If visitors ask “why,” without receiving an answer, then they aren’t likely to convert on your landing page’s offer. Give them concrete reasons why following through benefits them by emphasizing the value they’ll receive.

6. Keep Forms as Short as Possible. Yes, you want to get information out of your visitors, but avoid lengthy forms that feel like a hassle. Make converting quick and easy and include only the bare bones, such as name and email address.

7. Make Your CTA Button Compelling. Rather than just asking them to “submit,” use your CTA as another opportunity to sell visitors on the benefits of converting. Make them more compelled to click by relating to what they’ll be getting in return. For instance, let’s say you’re asking visitors to fill out an information form in exchange for a free eBook. “Click Here to Download Your Free eBook” is much more compelling than “Click Here to Submit Your Form.”

8. Show Proof Elements. To avoid last minute hang-ups that keep your visitors from converting, demonstrate your authenticity. Include client testimonials or logos that tout the benefits of your offer. Link to a privacy policy to ease the concern that you’ll share or sell their email. Or, if your form requires especially sensitive information, include security seals, your BBB rating or relevant certifications so visitors will know their information is secure.

9. Encourage Social Sharing. Give your visitors the option to share their experience on social media. After they convert, you can ask them if they want to “Tell their friends.” Encouraging social sharing brings more visitors to your landing page, which can potentially create more leads.

When creating a landing page, focus on converting more visitors into leads and begin the process of moving them through your sales funnel. Use these nine tips to give your landing page the highest chance of success.

Download our (free!) ebook, Online Marketing for Professional Services, to learn how to get the most return from all of your online marketing efforts.