Creating a landing page specifically for generating leads can result in an increase of good leads for your salesman, and many companies know this. However, some lead generation landing pages are more effective than others, and creating the best pages is a matter of research, testing, and making the right changes to make your page better.
By taking a look at some real-life landing pages, we can determine what types of qualities work well in a lead generating landing page, which don’t work well, and what qualities would work best for your specific vertical.
1. Adobe Illustrator CC
What it did well:
- Headline: Large and well-positioned at the natural center of the page, this headline makes a clever appeal towards their target audience – artists (who are generally considered right-brained).
- Images: The graphic follows naturally from the headline, and the “A” and “I” angle somewhat towards the left, leading the eye towards the main goal: The call-to-action.
What it could improve on:
- The Copy: While the copy is decent, it could help to focus more on the benefits by referencing how these tools help streamline the process, and not just that they’re available.
- The Call-to-action: The buttons for joining their plans are quite small, and almost seem like sidebar “extras” rather than the main point of the page.
2. DeVry University
What it did well:
- The Copy: Instead of focusing on the classes (which, it’s never fun paying for those), DeVry shows the results of their program, and why it’s worth the investment.
- The Call-to-Action: The benefits of the program (a university education) is reiterated, and the form is super quick, making people more likely to take the first step.
What it could improve on:
- The Layout: The call-to-action could benefit from being on the right side of the page instead of the left, as the man in the photo is facing away from it. Also, because it’s placed in the natural center, it tends to be the first thing people look at, and it doesn’t have the impact that a headline would have in that spot.
3. Pilates Anytime
What it did well:
- The Content: Videos are far more likely to hold a visitor’s attention, especially if they’ve come to the page with the intention of finding a Pilates program.
- The Call-to-Action: Strong converters are instantly caught with the bright “Sign Up Now”, but those on the fence are also pulled further into the page with a “Learn More” nearby.
What it could improve on:
- Headline: The video is good, but it can’t hold its own without a headline to let visitors know what it’s about!
4. New Show Studios
What it did well:
- The Form: This is a good example of a well-organized form that asks for a lot of information, but doesn’t seem overly tedious. Additionally, the page makes great use of trust symbols (the television network logos) to assure visitors that they work with big companies and aren’t trying to just steal ideas.
- The Content: Like Pilates Anytime, a video is a great way to keep interested visitors on the page, and it’s appropriate here considering the company deals with script ideas.
What it could improve on:
- The Headline: The headline isn’t bad, per say, but the header copy is much better, and the two would benefit from a trade.
5. Lawyers Group
What it did well:
- The Headline: It’s heavily benefit and end-result based, which is necessary to focus on when it comes to the court process.
- The Call-To-Action: The call-to-action remains simple – speak to an experienced lawyer, and implies that the visitor will be taken care of throughout the process.
What it could improve on:
- The Layout: The headline, image, and call-to-action are all somewhat orphaned due to awkward lines and significantly different backgrounds. I still must commend this page for being a better-than-average lawyer page: many of pages lacked good headlines or had tiny contact info hidden below the fold.
6. Down Home Construction
What it did well:
- The Headline: This is an excellent, benefit-based headline. It has nothing to do with decks, but it doesn’t need that.
- The Image: The image works so well because of how it’s an extension of the headline. It shows the visitor that the page is about decks rather than just telling them, and this lets the headline be very benefit-based.
What it could improve on:
- The Call-to-Action: “Learn More” is quite generic, especially coming off of a well thought-out headline.
7. World of Warcraft
What it did well:
- The Call-to-Action: Sometimes a simple “Buy Now” is all a product needs, and the benefit of the product (in this case, an expansion pack) is done through the design of the button and the rest of the content.
- The Design: The page is able to express one of its benefits – exploring a beautiful new world – through the design of the background, buttons, form, and headlines.
What it could improve on:
- The Headline: It’s a little nit-picky, but the headline seems like a throwaway in its positioning rather than the main headline of the page.
8. AmTrav
What it did well:
- The Headline: The headline and call-to-action are very similar here – almost like a double call-to-action – and it’s well-positioned.
What it could improve on:
- The Images: This wasn’t bad cropping on my part. The woman’s eyes are cut out of the picture, which seems awkward and removes part of the benefit of having images: pointing them towards the call-to-action.
- The Content: Instead, an arrow does that, and again, it’s somewhat awkward, and causes the visitor to skip the content through following the arrow. This wouldn’t be too bad, except that the call-to-action references the content that got skipped!
9. Culinary Institute of Michigan
What it did well:
- The Call-To-Action: The pops of red on the page stand out, and the largest pop is the call-to-action, which is immediately followed by the simple and easy to follow form.
What it could improve on:
- The Headline: If one of the benefits they listed below the headline were included in it, it could be a decent headline.
- The Image: It’s an interesting image because although he’s facing away from the call-to-action (which isn’t good), his eyes are leaning in that direction. A flipped image with the subject facing the headline may have been better.
The most important takeaway from all of these pages is that each can be improved upon. Many of them are likely testing variations of their current page to arrive at a page that’s even more effective than before, and while there may never be a “best” page, each improvement will lead to more leads generated and a better return on your investment.