Discussions about landing page optimization are common at nexus-security, but the process of creating one often gets overlooked. Before optimization can begin, you need a foundation to build upon. Fortunately, there are numerous approaches to landing page construction. These range from manual coding using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to utilizing web services that provide customizable templates.

This article will guide you through the process of building landing pages from scratch, exploring different options to determine the best fit for your needs. By the end, you’ll be equipped to create a high-converting landing page—unless it resembles the example provided earlier, in which case a reevaluation of your design choices might be in order. RELATED: 4 Tips for Creating Amazing Facebook Landing Pages

The Importance of a Dedicated Landing Page

Before delving into the technical aspects, let’s address a common oversight we encounter at nexus-security: directing prospects from Google and Facebook ads to website homepages due to a lack of awareness regarding the significance of tailored landing pages. While understandable, this practice can be detrimental. It’s easy to perceive one’s own website homepage as intuitive and user-friendly due to frequent interaction. However, this familiarity can lead to a misconception of its universal appeal. Even with a well-designed homepage, it’s not the ideal destination for your landing page. Consider a cold audience on Facebook who are unfamiliar with your business. Directing them to your homepage after viewing an ad might leave them disoriented and unsure how to navigate to the offer presented. This confusion is why using a homepage as a landing page is counterproductive. It hinders conversions by leaving prospects unsure of how to proceed. Fortunately, this is avoidable. By implementing the methods outlined below to create dedicated landing pages, you can significantly enhance conversions without even modifying your ads, thereby improving your return on ad spend (ROAS). With that said, let’s explore the process.

The ‘Hard’ Way: Building from Scratch

Before we delve into the intricacies of building a landing page from the ground up, let’s acknowledge that HTML, CSS, and other web technologies have a learning curve. However, it’s not as daunting as programming an application, constructing a supercomputer, or animating a robot. While mastering HTML, CSS, and JavaScript requires time and effort, it’s more attainable than you might think. Let’s examine each of these web technologies and their roles.

HTML: The Foundation

Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is the backbone of the web. It’s important to note that HTML is not a programming language but a markup language used to define the content and structure of web pages. Let’s illustrate this:

Image credit: Mozilla Developer Network Observe how the code dictates the content and structure of the page. While a comprehensive HTML tutorial is outside the scope of this article, numerous online resources can aid your learning journey. Some recommended options include:

• Codecademy (offering free interactive coding exercises on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more)
• Treehouse (providing an extensive video library, a free trial, and monthly subscription options)
• Mozilla Developer Network (offering free text-based tutorials on various web technologies, including HTML)
• HTML Dog (providing additional tutorials with numerous code examples)

CSS: The Stylist

While HTML provides the structure, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) dictate the visual presentation of web pages. The term “cascading” refers to the ability of changes made to a top-level style sheet to propagate throughout the entire website. This enables widespread modifications to your site’s appearance by simply adjusting a single style sheet. In the past, CSS code was embedded directly into HTML documents. However, this practice is no longer recommended. While functional, it encourages inefficient habits. Separating your CSS and HTML code is always best practice. Here’s a glimpse of CSS code:

While we won’t delve into the specifics of properties, values, selectors, and declarations here, the resources mentioned in the HTML section can provide a comprehensive understanding. To witness the transformative power of CSS, explore Dave Shea’s CSS Zen Garden. It might seem unbelievable, but every style example you encounter is applied to the exact same HTML code. This showcases how CSS allows for experimentation with drastically different designs without manually altering the HTML of every page.

JavaScript: Adding Interactivity

Having established a functional and visually appealing landing page, the next step is to enhance it with interactivity. This is vital for prompting visitor actions, such as downloading resources or scheduling calls. This interactivity is achieved through calls to action powered by JavaScript. JavaScript is a scripting language often employed for client-side scripting, meaning it leverages your browser to perform most of the work. Here’s a snippet of JavaScript:

JavaScript can be used to add functionality to a web page, such as:

• Submitting information to servers via web forms
• Creating pop-up windows
• Authenticating user input (like login details)
• Animating navigational elements, and more. While creating a landing page from scratch demands technical proficiency, the rewards can be significant. It grants you absolute control over the structure, appearance, and server interactions of your page. Plus, you earn bragging rights for single-handedly designing and coding it, proving your independence from templates. However, this approach can be time-consuming, especially for coding novices. It’s understandable to seek a more straightforward alternative.

The Easy Way: Embracing Templates

Need a landing page quickly? Templates are your solution. In many situations, using a template is the most efficient approach to landing page creation. If you’re seeking inspiration, exploring landing page examples can be beneficial. Numerous websites simplify the process of building landing pages. We’ll examine two popular options: Unbounce and Wix.

Unbounce: Conversion-Focused Builder

The landing page featured at the beginning of this article was created using a template from Unbounce, a platform promoting itself as “the landing page builder for marketers.” One of Unbounce’s primary advantages is its array of features designed for conversion optimization. Additionally, it allows for A/B testing of landing page variations to identify the most effective version for improving conversion rates—a valuable bonus! Unbounce offers over 80 templates catering to various landing page types, including product launches, email subscription pages, eBook downloads, online learning pages, and more. The “Click Through Minimalist Desktop Light” template was chosen for the example at the top. If you prefer a fresh start, you can opt for a blank page and build from scratch.

Let’s imagine you’re creating a landing page for a lead-generation PPC campaign. The “York” template is an excellent starting point.

Unbounce empowers you to customize every element of the template, from modifying copy and fonts to swapping images and rearranging entire sections. In just a few minutes, this variation was created:

While the design might not be award-winning, that’s beside the point. This rough draft demonstrates how quickly and effortlessly a redesign can be achieved without any coding. Imagine the possibilities with a few dedicated hours! In conclusion, Unbounce is a robust platform for landing page construction. While not free (with pricing starting at $49 per month for entrepreneurs and new businesses), a free trial is available for exploration.

Wix: General-Purpose Website Builder

While Unbounce caters specifically to marketers aiming for conversions, Wix offers a more general-purpose approach. Wix provides an assortment of templates categorized by business type and industry. For this illustration, let’s assume you manage an e-commerce platform specializing in handcrafted arts and crafts.

Upon selecting your business category, you’ll be presented with a range of templates tailored to your industry. Here are some examples for online craft and hobby stores:

Next comes the customization phase. The “Lil Pillow Shop” template was chosen due to a personal fondness for video game console controller pillows (although pet-related concerns might hinder this desire).

Wix offers some customization options, although not as extensive as Unbounce. However, this might suffice if you don’t require granular control over every page element. One significant drawback of Wix is that many of its templates lack typical landing page elements like clear calls to action and forms. Another limitation is the inability to add custom forms and other elements. This can be frustrating if a visually appealing template lacks essential functionality. Overall, Wix is a valuable resource for small businesses seeking a quick online presence. However, its limitations make it less suitable for crafting specialized landing pages.

Honorable Mentions

Unbounce and Wix are not the only tools for building landing pages. Other noteworthy options include:

• SquareSpace (known for strong analytics, domain registration, and hosting services)
• Moonfruit (offering responsive designs built with HTML5, making it e-commerce friendly)
• Weebly (featuring a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, analytics support, and affordable pricing) While these services simplify landing page creation, they might not offer the specific features you need, especially if you’re aiming for tailored calls to action aligned with your PPC campaigns.

The Power of Landing Page Copy

Now you’re familiar with various landing page building methods. As highlighted earlier, a landing page’s effectiveness hinges on its ability to drive conversions. Without optimizing your landing page copy, expecting substantial returns is unrealistic. Consider these tips when crafting compelling copy for your landing pages:

Infuse Life into Your CTA

Uninspiring calls to action can be detrimental to conversions. Your CTA should be the element that motivates visitors to take action, and for that, it needs to be captivating.

Generic CTAs like “Submit,” “Sign Up,” and “Enter” lack inspiration and can lead to missed conversion opportunities while inflating your cost per acquisition (CPA). Conversely, phrases like “Get My Free Report,” “Send Me the Guide,” and “Let’s Get to Work” exude energy and engagement, encouraging conversions. Infusing personality into your CTA is an effective way to boost conversions without incurring additional costs.

Maintain Message Consistency

A surefire way to deter conversions is to present visitors with a landing page that contradicts the preceding ad. If your Facebook ad emphasizes cost savings through your product, but the landing page focuses on features, it creates dissonance and hinders conversions. This echoes the issue of using a homepage as a landing page: it confuses prospects. Therefore, when writing your landing page copy, refer to the corresponding ad to ensure consistency in tone, value proposition, and offer.

Embrace A/B Testing

Conversion rate optimization is an ongoing process. While seemingly insignificant, minor tweaks, such as changing “Get the Guide” to “Get My Guide,” can yield substantial differences. Regardless of your current conversion rate or CPA, continuous A/B testing of your landing page copy is crucial. Some tests might yield negligible results, but occasionally, a messaging adjustment can lead to a significant conversion boost. Additionally, landing page trends evolve, so staying updated is essential. Don’t shy away from bold experimentation. While changing your CTA button color might seem appealing due to its low risk, it’s likely to offer minimal rewards. As long as you closely monitor your conversion data, you can afford to implement unconventional and potentially high-impact tests. Sometimes, your most unconventional ideas can lead to the most significant breakthroughs.