Essential Landing Page Elements You Need to Have: A Complete Guide

Your headline is the first thing visitors see—it’s your chance to grab their attention and keep them on the page. A great headline is clear, concise, and communicates the core value of your offer. It should answer, “What’s in it for me?” from the visitor’s perspective.

Tips for Crafting a Headline:

• Keep it short (under 10 words if possible).
• Use power words like “free,” “proven,” or “instant.”
• Match the headline to the ad or link that brought the visitor.

Tips:

• Be specific about the benefits or next steps.
• Keep it concise, ideally 1-2 sentences.
• Use it to address potential objections or questions.

Example: If your headline is “Grow Your Business with Email Marketing,” your subheadline might be “Create targeted campaigns that drive results in just minutes.”

A hero image or video is the large visual at the top of your page that instantly shows what your offer is about. It should be high-quality, relevant, and ideally depict your product or service in action. Visuals help visitors process information faster and make an emotional connection.

Best Practices:

• Use images of people using your product to create relatability.
• Include a short explainer video (under 60 seconds) to boost engagement.
• Ensure visuals align with your brand’s style.

Your USP answers the question, “Why should I choose you over competitors?” It’s a concise statement that highlights what makes your offer unique, whether it’s price, quality, or a special feature. A strong USP sets you apart and gives visitors a reason to act.

How to Define Your USP:

• Identify what differentiates you (e.g., “Fastest delivery in the industry”).
• Display it prominently, often near the headline or CTA.
• Keep it customer-focused, not company-focused.

While features describe what your product does, benefits explain how it improves the visitor’s life. Your copy should focus on these benefits, using clear, concise language to show value. Bullet points or short paragraphs make this information easy to scan.

Tips:

• Highlight 3-5 key benefits in bullet points.
• Address specific pain points or desires.
• Use action-oriented language like “save,” “grow,” or “achieve.”

Example:

• Save Time: Automate your email campaigns in minutes.
• Boost Revenue: Target the right customers with precision.
• Reduce Stress: Get 24/7 support when you need it.

Social proof builds trust by showing that others have benefited from your offer. This can include customer testimonials, reviews, case studies, or logos of well-known clients. It reassures visitors that your product or service is credible.

Types of Social Proof:

• Testimonials: Quotes from satisfied customers.
• Reviews: Star ratings or user feedback.
• Logos: Display trusted brands you’ve worked with.
• Case Studies: Brief stories of customer success.

The CTA is the heart of your landing page—it’s the button or link that prompts visitors to take the desired action. It needs to stand out visually and use compelling, action-oriented language.

Design Tips:

• Use contrasting colours (e.g., a bright orange button on a blue background).
• Keep text short and urgent, like “Get Started Now” or “Download Free.”
• Place it above the fold and repeat it lower on the page.

Stat: Unbounce notes that a single, clear CTA can boost conversions by up to 300%. 

If your goal is lead generation, a form is essential to collect visitor information. The key is to balance capturing enough data without overwhelming the user. Too many fields can deter conversions.

Optimisation Tips:

• Ask for only essential information (e.g., name and email).
• Use clear labels and placeholders for ease of use.
• Include a privacy statement like “We respect your privacy.”

Trust indicators alleviate concerns about privacy, security, or risk. These can include security badges, money-back guarantees, or links to privacy policies, reassuring visitors that their data is safe.

Examples:

• “100% Money-Back Guarantee”
• “Secure Checkout with SSL Encryption”
• “Trusted by 10,000+ Customers”

Unlike a homepage, a landing page should minimise distractions to keep visitors focused on the CTA. Including full website navigation can lead them away from your goal.

With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, your landing page must look and function seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. A non-responsive page can frustrate users and increase bounce rates.

Testing Tips:

• Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check performance.
• Ensure buttons are large enough for touchscreens.
• Optimise images for faster mobile loading.

Page speed is critical for both user experience and SEO. A slow-loading page can lead to higher bounce rates and lost conversions. Research shows that a one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7%.

Improvement Tips:

• Compress images and videos.
• Minimize code with tools like minifiers.
• Choose a reliable hosting provider.

AI can tailor content based on user behaviour, such as showing different headlines or offers depending on past interactions. This can boost engagement by making the page feel custom-made. How might personalisation make your page more relevant to visitors?

Quizzes, calculators, or chatbots can engage visitors and provide personalised experiences. For example, a mortgage calculator on a real estate landing page can keep users engaged longer.

Videos are powerful for conveying information quickly. A short explainer video or customer testimonial can increase engagement and trust.

With voice assistants growing, optimising for voice search (e.g., using conversational keywords) can capture this audience.

Slack’s landing page is a model of simplicity and effectiveness. The headline, “Made for people. Built for productivity,” clearly states the value. A subheadline expands on collaboration benefits, and a hero image shows the platform in use. The CTA, “Try for Free,” is prominent, with social proof from logos of companies like Airbnb.

Shopify’s free trial landing page features a bold headline, “Start your online store today,” paired with a subheadline about ease of use. A hero video demonstrates the platform, and the benefits are listed in clear bullet points. The CTA, “Start Free Trial,” is bright green, and trust indicators like “No credit card required” ease concerns.