This is the most complete landing page checklist you will find on the Internet.
You can:
- Increase your visitors to your landing pages
- Increase your conversion rate of visitors to paying customers
- Increase your customer’s revenue
- Visitors who leave your website without purchasing can sell to you
This checklist is likely to be the best thing that you do this year.
Page Layout and Direction Checklist
They say, “Don’t miss the forest for its trees.”
The page layout is the most important aspect of building a landing site. We are starting our checklist by focusing on the layout.
1. This page has one clear objective.
A “landing page” is by definition a page that serves as a transitional page. Visitors are being sent to the page by us from another source to achieve a goal. In 99 percent of cases, the goal is not for visitors to just hang out on the page. We want them to take action. Usually, this will lead them closer to purchasing.
This checklist is not complete. But, if you can’t recall anything, this is the key: Every landing page should have a clear and singular goal.
- “We want them to subscribe”
- “We want them to contact us.”
- “We want them to choose one of the three services.”
This is your core objective. It should be the beginning and the end of every landing page.
2. It creates a linear, planned journey.
It’s important to have a clear goal. Your page should also take visitors on a linear, intentional journey from their arrival to the objective.
What does this mean?
Visitors shouldn’t be offered a lot of information when they arrive at a page. Visitors shouldn’t be browsing, wandering, or meandering around a page. A persuasive pitch or sales pitch is more than simply presenting a list of points in random order. We want them to get the whole picture.
All who visit your website and wander off are lost…
Your landing page should be your sales pitch. It should move visitors through a series of points that will shift their mindset and prepare them for your call to action.
For each section of your landing page, you should be able to convincingly answer the question “Why is it here?”
3. The page should be proportional to the goal.
Here’s a case study that explains the virtues of landing pages, both short and long. It’s like trying to determine the ideal length of a landing page. It is both impossible and meaningless.
It is important to ask the question, “What length is best for my landing page?” These factors (and many more) can greatly impact page length.
- Are visitors able to navigate your landing page with a basic understanding of their problem or do they need additional education?
- Are visitors able to understand your brand and are you willing to spend time proving it?
- Are visitors looking for a quick purchase? Or do they need to be mentally pushed to move forward with something more difficult?
- Are they the first contact with the visitor, or is this part of a long nurturing process?
These questions will impact what you should include on your page. Your page must be as long as you can fit in what you need.
4. It is clear of all unnecessary distractions.
You’ve spent a lot to get visitors to your site. We want the page to be free from any distractions that could distract the user and take them away from the page.
Is your landing page equipped with a sidebar that features catchy headlines from blog posts? What reason would you want to direct a user to a blog article from a landing page? It’s time to get rid of it.
Is it necessary to have your main navigation bar visible on the page? We don’t want people to choose to browse instead of buy. It’s time to get rid of it.
Is your steak dinner complete without a salad? It’s time to get rid of it.
That’s all about layout. Let’s get into the important UX stuff.
UX & Framework Checklist
Your landing page’s user experience is crucial. You will lose huge sales if the page takes too long to load, doesn’t work on the user’s device, or breaks page elements.
These fundamentals should be hit with 100% accuracy.
5. The page loads in 3 seconds.
Google reports that 53% of mobile users will abandon websites that take more than 3 seconds to load. (Data reported via MarketingDive.com).
Don’t let half of your visitors go away for the most inane reasons. Click here to see how fast your page loads.
Pro tip: You can manage your web design services in Miami through WordPress by paying $100 for a premium theme. A good framework will solve 75% of your page speed issues in the future.
6. This page is mobile-responsive.
This is probably not necessary. And frankly, if you do need a checklist to catch it, I’m betting you have 99 other pressing problems.
Ensure that your landing page is mobile-responsive and looks great on all devices, including tablets, desktops, and mobile. Screenfly allows you to quickly test this across multiple devices.
7. This page features a simple design and lots of white space.
Although it may not apply to all cases, this is one of the best strategies that can be used. A minimalist design with minimal distractions and lots of white space will provide a pleasant user experience and make it easier for users to respond.
You could hate it for $100 and still love it.
8. Each page element is functional and responsive.
You can see that your page creates an intentional journey. Every piece of the layout checklist is important. You can’t afford to have any elements of your site not working properly if that is the case. It will cause a stumbling block in the customer’s journey.
Make sure that all elements work on all devices, not just on the desktop.
9. Forms are easy to use and at the right length.
Online forms are dominated by two forces.
First, is friction. The form entry rate is generally decreased by adding more required fields.
on the other hand tends to increase conversion rates by being able to provide more personal lead nurturing and follow-up, which more field forms can assist with.
This tells us that the “optimal” length of your form could be any length. So, for this checklist, use common sense and include only the fields you believe will provide the best user experience throughout the sales funnel.
Copywriting Checklist
Although I just mentioned that the layout of your landing page was important, the ultimate goal of a great layout should be to highlight great copy.
Copywriting is the star. It is how you reach your core goal. Without great copy, even the most beautiful layouts in the world will not achieve anything.
10. Your value proposition can be understood by visitors in just 5 seconds
- What offer are you making on this page?
- Who are you offering it to?
- Why should they care?
This is your value proposition, the opening sentence on your landing page.
Ask these questions to a random stranger you meet on the street. Have them spend five seconds on your landing page. If they can give a fair summary, then you have done your job.
You can find someone in your target market to test this, but you may not have the resources or time to do it yourself. )
11. The copy is focused on the user’s benefits.
We are both still thinking about steak so let’s go with the classic sales slogan: “Sell the sizzle and not the steak.”
Because nobody cares about the product, you should be focusing on the most important details.
People care about their well-being. People care about themselves and want to fix the problems that they face.
Your copy should not be about what your product or services do, but how they will benefit users’ lives.
12. A page summary can be compiled by reading the headlines.
Your page should be designed to provide a clear user experience.
Each section of this layout will have a headline. These headlines should be written in a similar way to a table. If you scroll down and just read the headlines (as most of your visitors will), you’ll get a good understanding of the page’s narrative.
You can think of your headlines as an expedited landing page. This means that you will need to ensure that the benefits mentioned above are included in the headlines.
13. Section copy is compelled to interest by the subheadings.
You might have noticed from the section before that our headlines are very limited.
Headlines should summarize the section and also focus on the benefits. However, they must be concise for page design purposes.
Although subheadings are not necessary, they can give you more freedom and let you do things you couldn’t do with the headline. The subheading can be used to support the headline, and to entice the reader into the section text.
14. CTAs are bold and direct, making them difficult to miss.
Your call to action (CTA), is the place where the action takes place and the goal is achieved. Make them bold. Make them clear. Make it difficult to miss them. Place them in intuitive locations, often multiple places.
Your CTA should stand out from all the other pages.
Your CTAs should be obvious to the reader as they scroll down your landing page.
15. The message is consistent throughout the page.
It is crucial that your messaging remains consistent, from the value proposition to the headline to the content to the call-to-action (CTA),
It’s easier to do this naturally if you have a clear and singular goal in mind. But, we all know that humans are human. Copywriting can be a tedious task, especially if you are not a skilled copywriter.
16. This message is consistent with the wider sales funnel.
Your landing page isn’t an island. It is only one piece of a larger machine. It’s one piece of the larger sales funnel.
We want consistency on our landing pages, just like the consistency we desire in the messaging. This consistency must also extend to the messaging that brought people to the page.
17. The copy is easily readable at the middle school level.
It is important to aim for simplicity and clarity when writing copy.
Second, 88% of US adults read at 8th-grade levels or lower. If you don’t want your copy to be misunderstood by the majority of readers, make sure it is at a middle-school level.
This is a simple WebFX app that you can use immediately to test the readability and quality of any page published.
18. Copy uses persuasive writing techniques.
Truthfully, persuasive principles and techniques are often overhyped in marketing. They are often referred to as a healthy diet when they are more like supplements.
Writing clear, consistent, and benefits-focused copy is a good thing. Using persuasive writing techniques can increase your “gains” to improve the performance of your page.
Gainz?
19. Copy is free from negative language
While you might believe it is important to inform readers about the negative things that you do, it has been shown that negative language can decrease conversions.
Furthermore, negative language can create a negative view on the reader, which colors everything around them, even your sales pitch. Although it is not a simple rule, using positive language is more efficient and safer.
20. The copy is written in a suitable tone.
It can be hard to find the right tone, whether you hire a copywriter or write it yourself. What is the best way to make your landing page work? It’s not “stale” or “formal” that the answer is.
While a conversational tone is the best default target, it’s not necessary to use all your common sense. Once you have decided to do this, you must commit to sticking with it, even if there are a few drafts.
Both pros and amateurs can have trouble with the formal language they’re used to reading.
Graphics & Images Checklist
A picture is worth a thousand words, but not mine… but someone’s.
Your ability to convert visitors can be affected by the images and graphics you use on your landing pages. These are some of the things you should keep in mind.
21. A custom visual supports the value proposition.
Your value proposition goes beyond a simple written statement. The imagery surrounding your value proposition includes more than just the written statement. It can include background images, graphics, illustrations, videos, and any other type of imagery.
You should budget for a custom illustration, illustration, explainer, or other visual that supports your value proposition.
A custom image does not have to be expensive. One trucking company increased its landing page conversion rate by 45% simply by replacing stock photos with photographs of their trucks or team.
Real photos > Stock Photos
These photos could have been taken free of charge with a smartphone. To get great results, you don’t necessarily need to have a large budget.
22. This page only uses relevant images and graphics.
Every piece of real estate you have on your landing page may not be equal. Some areas are more important than others. Your value proposition is the most important.
The same standards don’t apply to everything else on your page. However, it is important to maintain relevance and consistency throughout the page. Stock photos and $5 graphics can be great everywhere else on your page, as long as they are relevant.
23. This page contains visual social proof and credibility indicators.
83% of consumers trust recommendations from their family and friends. 66% trust online recommendations from strangers. It is possible to show people that you are trustworthy by recommending you.
Star ratings, reviews, and testimonials can all be very useful here. It doesn’t take much to convince people that you are the person you claim to be.
24. The page’s visual branding remains consistent.
Our visuals, just like our messaging, should be consistent. Keep graphics consistent in style and use a consistent color scheme across the page.
25. CTAs are highlighted using contrasting visuals
One exception to the consistency rule: sometimes we don’t want it to be consistent. We want something to stand out.
We discussed bold messaging in CTAs earlier. The same is true for the CTA design. CTAs must stand out from the rest of the design and draw attention to them. Contrasting colors can be a great way of accomplishing this. However, color is not the only visual tool at your disposal.
26. Visuals can be used to focus attention.
Visuals, beyond the CTA, can have a significant impact on how visitors interact with the page. Your visuals should not divert attention from the area you want visitors to focus on. Visuals can be used to direct attention where you want them.
27. Support testimonials can be supported by smiling face images
There has been significant research into this topic. Studies consistently show that smiling faces increase landing-page conversions. These images are particularly powerful when they are attached to testimonials and social proof.
If possible, ask people to include a photo of themselves with their testimonials. However, if this is not possible, you might consider using an AI face generator such as this to create the appearance of smiling faces on your landing pages.
28. It is easy to be aware of the impact that color and images have on emotions.
This is more of a consideration than an action item. It may be obvious that images can cause emotions, but did you know colors can?
There are so many emotions to choose from.
Although it is unlikely that your color scheme will have an impact on conversions, it is important to understand how colors affect emotions. Next, consider where on your landing pages there may be areas where the mood created or images create and what mood you want to create with your copy.
29. All images are correctly sized and compressed.
Poor code or poor formatting are the main causes of page speed problems. You must ensure that your images are correctly sized and compressed.
Use WordPress to install one of these compression plugins.
30. All images contain alt tags.
Add alt tags to all images. It is simple and easy to do. This improves the user experience of your site in certain situations. The more pages and images that you have, the greater the potential for additional traffic to your site.
Let’s talk about traffic.
On page SEO Checklist
The majority of the information in this 47-point checklist relates to conversion. You can attract visitors to your page via SEO. A landing page that ranks for targeted organic search traffic is one of the best assets in online marketing.
Some landing pages are not suitable for organic search traffic. However, this checklist will help you to make sure your page ranks well.
This checklist assumes that the landing page is being targeted toward a primary keyword, which is common SEO practice.
31. The meta title is captivating and includes the target keyphrase.
Our meta title should have two goals and we need to use around 70 characters.
- Help us rank the page based on the target keyword
- Inspire Google users to click our entry in the search results
This is done by putting the target keyphrase in the title and making the headline compelling. If it is impossible to create the exact match phrase sounds intriguing, we might consider using an “LSI keyphrase”.
32. The meta description should be compelling and include the target keyphrase.
Our meta description follows the same guidelines and has the same objectives. We need to include the exact match keyphrase. Additionally, we need to make it persuasive enough to get Google users to click on our entry. Try to keep your text under 150 characters.
33. The page URL contains the target keyphrase.
Your landing page URL should look something like this in most cases:
Some will suggest removing filler words such as “to”, “a” and even “the”, but I find using the exact match keyphrase to work better.
34. The target keyphrase is included in the first 100 words.
This means that your value proposition should likely have the target keyphrase in it.
This means that your key phrase should be chosen from your value proposition. If you choose the right keyphrase and create a value proposition, then there should be at least an LSI match.
35. A headline at the top of the page (h2) includes a target keyphrase.
This is one of those timeless SEO tips. It doesn’t do much but it is still worth mentioning. This is what most of the top SEOs are using to get great results. If it works, it should work for you.
36. A minimum of 1,000 words are required to fill the page.
It is extremely unlikely that you will rank anything below 1,000 words.
Here we return to our objective. It is possible to increase the page’s length to 1,000 words for SEO purposes if it is between 600 and 800 words. It’s unlikely that your page will be a good candidate for SEO if it is between 300-500 words.
You don’t want to compromise conversions to rank high. Your landing page should convert visitors.
Visitor Tracking Checklist
Your landing page is not an isolated entity, as we said earlier. It is part of a larger funnel and visitor tracking acts as the heartbeat of that funnel.
We recommend the following tracking options for your landing page.
37. Google Analytics has been installed and properly set up.
You are trolling yourself if you don’t have Google Analytics. It’s free. It is more powerful than premium tracking software.
38. Facebook Pixel has been installed and properly set up.
When you install Facebook Pixel to your landing page, it adds everyone who navigates to your page with Facebook cookies to a small database. This allows you to easily Facebook Retargeting Ads, which will allow you to sell to people who are curious enough to visit your page but not yet ready to buy.
This means that even though you don’t plan to advertise on Facebook right now, you can automatically start collecting data (for free) for when you do decide to.
39. Adwords Conversion Linker has been installed and properly configured
This one is optional unless you’re actively using Adwords. However, if you meet that criterion, it’s mandatory.
40. Hotjar tracking has been installed and is properly set up.
The heatmap tracking method is a great way of visualizing activity on your landing pages. It is also very easy to use and relatively inexpensive. Hotjar is our top recommendation for heatmap software at Linear. However, if you have another heatmap tool that you use, feel free to replace it on this list.
41. CallRail tracking has been installed and properly set up
Direct calling is an integral part of your sales funnel. You must track it. Linear recommends CallRail as our top recommendation.
42. Google Tag Manager has been installed and properly set up.
“Wow, Jacob! That’s a lot of tracking code. Isn’t this going to slow down page speed?
Yes, it is, wise reader. That is why you need to also install Google Tag Manager (GTM). GTM consolidates all of your tracking code into one javascript snippet, which keeps your page running smoothly.
It’s truly the greatest thing that ever happened. Yes, I agree. Pre-Launch Testing Checklist
We’ve done a lot of hard work and play hard. Now it’s time to launch the landing page.
…… It’s gone.
To ensure your landing page isn’t crashing in your face, run the following checks before you launch.
43. To ensure that all conversion actions work correctly, test them.
Check that all forms, buttons, carts, and follow-up emails are working properly. You don’t want a lot of people trying to convert but not being able due to technical issues.
44. To ensure that all conversion actions are correctly tracked, test them.
All that tracking was done to collect valuable data was the whole point. Before you open floodgates and launch, make sure the data is accurate.
45. Final proofread the copy and run it through Grammarly.
Even though I am a writer, I believe that mild spelling and grammar errors can cause much less damage than people think. However, it’s not a bad idea to have your editor or copywriter proofread the copy and run it through an app such as Grammarly.
46. Test page load speeds multiple times across multiple devices.
Load speed was discussed earlier. But, this cannot be understated. You can run speed tests on multiple devices and repeat the test several times.
47. Test UX multiple times across multiple devices.
It’s important to test for speed and to ensure that the user experience is consistent across all devices. You should test multiple times to ensure that all elements load correctly. Also, make sure you run all previous tests across all devices.
