{"id":38789,"date":"2022-03-02T10:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T16:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?post_type=resource&p=38789"},"modified":"2022-05-04T10:51:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T15:51:08","slug":"wordpress-landing-page-creation","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/wordpress-landing-page-creation\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Create Successful Landing Pages In WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are many successful marketing tools you can use to increase leads and conversions. However, a landing page \u2013 a dedicated web page optimized to capture conversions \u2013 is one of the very best methods to improve<\/span> sales figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019d be forgiven for thinking that creating a custom landing page within WordPress would be difficult. However, given the many plugins available to help you achieve your goal, the process is practically no different than creating regular content for your WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this piece, we\u2019ll look at landing pages in detail. We\u2019ll discuss the best practices you should follow, when to use them, and most importantly, how to create one. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is the Purpose of a Landing Page?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The goal of a landing page is to funnel users towards taking a specific action. Visitors to your site usually \u201cland\u201d on a landing page after clicking on an ad or a link from your email marketing campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the homepage and other areas of your <\/span>WordPress site<\/span> likely contain multiple calls to action (links, forms, and chat functions), a landing page is more narrow in scope. There should only be one option to click on, such as \u201cPurchase Now\u201d or \u201cSign Up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many landing pages contain a contact form or signup form for visitors to enter their information. In return, they\u2019re rewarded with a discount code, download link, or otherwise\u2014and now you have a new lead. (Speaking of sign up form, if one of the personal information collected is email addresses, it\u2019s worth considering to learn how to use MailChimp.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landing Page Best Practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you break open your text or visual editor or page builder, it\u2019s worth considering some of the best practices<\/a> others follow, in order to maximize conversions and move visitors through the sales funnel. It might even be worth keeping a checklist that includes best practices by category<\/a> for helping to boost conversions on landing pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, it\u2019s important to realize that presentation is crucial. Unlike long-form content found elsewhere on the web, landing page copy should be concise and direct. Also, remember that the page heading should match the anchor text displayed within Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, every landing page should display a clear Call To Action (CTA)<\/a>. This is ultimately what converts the visitor, and should simply tell them what to do next. It needs to be short and concise, yet highly descriptive \u2013 and placed in a prominent location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, if you\u2019re creating landing pages for paid ads, you should always include content referring to the campaign itself. In addition, the page should be set as noindex<\/em>, as you won\u2019t want it to be found organically (i.e. through search engines).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Create a Landing Page?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Landing pages are primarily used to promote and sell a product or service. The idea is to use one as the entry point to your sales or conversion funnel. Its content should be highly focused, and designed to compel the reader to move through the page. By the end, there should be no other decision than to click on your CTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, landing pages also serve a more analytical function. For instance, they can help put hard numbers to specific campaigns, and give you a basis to track their success. We\u2019ll talk more about goals later on. In short, however, you\u2019ll want to decide whether your goal is to increase leads, sales, product or brand awareness, or simply to educate the reader. This will help you decide how your landing page should be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Use Long-Form Landing Pages vs. Short-Form Landing Pages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Landing pages come in two basic varieties: long-form and short-form. The former goes into explicit detail about the product or service, and usually includes many different sections. The latter is much more concise. Which one you opt for largely depends on the type of visitor you want to attract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s often said that there are two types of customer<\/a>: those who want detailed explanations, and those who are turned off by them. In other words, you\u2019ll want to consider whether your audience is mostly likely to respond to a hard or soft sell<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer landing pages are more suited a harder sell, and work well for frictionless, direct purchases that offer a \u2018quick fix\u2019. This includes pharmaceuticals, training programs, and investment opportunities. In contrast, short pages favor situations where your goals are to generate leads, and you can leave the persuasion to other campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting Goals for Landing Pages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we mentioned earlier, it\u2019s important to define your goals<\/a> before you get knee-deep in the creation process. You\u2019ll already have established the goal of the campaign itself (i.e. sales or leads), and you probably have a rough idea of how to create the landing page. However, figuring out how to measure its success can help with the design process down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, while there are plenty of methods for setting goals, it\u2019s a good idea to put a number to what you\u2019ll want to achieve and work from there (e.g. 100 leads per month). Creating a dedicated tracking URL<\/a> will be helpful here, and the analytics you\u2019ll get will let you keep an eye on your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Create a Landing Page in WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve talked about how to actually create a landing page<\/a> over on the Torque blog previously. The exact process you follow will depend on your chosen landing page solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are a few things you\u2019ll want to do no matter what:<\/p>\n\n\n\n