Ahh, the funnel.
Despite what you may be hearing through the grapevine, the marketing conversion funnel is most definitely still alive and well…
When it’s built right, that is.
In order to build funnels that actually convert, you first need to fully understand what the core stages of the marketing funnel are, what the goals are at each stage, and the role landing pages play throughout that journey.
From there, you’ll be able to build funnels that consistently convert visitors into leads, and leads into customers, both short-term and over the long haul.
Let’s do it.
A landing page funnel guides potential customers through your sales process. It’s a series of steps designed to convert visitors into leads and eventually into paying customers.
Unlike a regular website, a landing page funnel focuses on specific actions you want visitors to take, like signing up for your email list or purchasing. Each stage of the funnel is tailored to meet the needs of your audience at different points in their journey, ensuring a smooth transition from awareness to conversion. This targeted approach makes landing page funnels highly effective in boosting your conversion rate.
Before we go any further, let’s make sure we’re on the same page here.
You’ve likely heard of the “funnel” concept many times before, but there are some pretty significant differences between a traditional marketing funnel you may be familiar with, and a landing page funnel which we’ll cover in-depth today.
Marketing funnel: This represents the overall buying journey, from initial awareness to final conversion. The marketing funnel is typically talked about in terms of top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, and bottom-of-funnel and includes multiple touchpoints along the way. Think email campaigns, social media interactions, sales conversations, content marketing, and more, guiding prospects over a longer period.
Landing page funnel: This is a series of interconnected landing pages designed to be completed in a single session. It focuses on immediate actions, like clicking on call to action buttons to move to the next stage of the funnel, adding a product to your cart, or completing a form to move forward.
These terms sometimes get thrown out synonymously, but in reality there are a few slight (and significant) differences between each.
Landing page: a single page.
A landing page is a single web page designed for a specific marketing campaign. Its sole purpose is to encourage visitors to take a specific action, such as filling out a form or clicking a call to action button.
Landing page funnel: a string of multiple landing pages.
A landing page funnel is a step-by-step process that guides visitors from initial interest to making a purchase. It involves multiple landing pages and actions that gradually lead potential customers through the buying journey.
Website: the hub for all of your landing pages, content and products.
A website is a collection of all the landing pages that exist across your business, plus other pages like blog posts, careers pages, case studies, product pages, etc. It’s like an online storefront where visitors can browse different sections.
Recommended resource: What’s the difference between a landing page, a homepage, and a website?
A landing page funnel aims to drive conversions by guiding visitors through a structured step-by-step sales process.
Each stage in the funnel is focused on carrying prospects through to the next, with the funnel ultimately reaching a conversion page at the end that aims to seal the deal—either through a lead gen form or a purchase to complete.
The primary use cases for landing page funnels are:
Understanding the stages of a marketing funnel is essential for effective customer journey management. Each stage of the funnel targets different audience segments with specific goals and actions, and landing pages play a critical role along the way.
In this section, we’ll break down the stages, explain the role of landing pages, and share a few different types of pages (with examples) to help you get started.
In the top-of-funnel (TOFU) stage, potential customers first become aware of your brand. At this stage, the goal is to attract a wide audience and generate interest in your products or services.
Objectives at TOFU:
Recommended resource: How to use your landing page to increase brand awareness
Squeeze pages are short, simple landing pages designed to capture only an email address by offering something valuable in return, like a free guide or discount.
Quiz pages engage visitors with an interactive quiz—sometimes simple, sometimes complex—that leads to a call to action like entering an email in exchange for the results.
Image courtesy of Linen Chest
Webinar registration pages do exactly what they sound like—they facilitate sign-ups for free webinars, whether they are live or recorded. To dig in even further, check out our guide on all thing’s webinar marketing, too.
Gated content pages offer visitors something valuable like a guide, template, or checklist in exchange for their contact information—typically just their name and email address. As an example, Later was able to hit a 60% conversion rate on their gated content landing pages.
In the middle-of-funnel (MOFU) stage, prospects begin to engage more deeply with your brand. At this stage, the goal is to nurture these leads by providing more detailed information and building a relationship with them.
Objectives at MOFU:
Free trial pages offer a free trial of your product or service in exchange for an email address.
Product demo pages let prospects either test drive parts of your product through an interactive demo, or show them how it works through a recorded demo video.
Case study pages share real customer success stories to build trust with prospects and show how you help similar companies solve similar problems.
Image courtesy of Unbounce
Content libraries can take many shapes, but in this context, picture a detailed buyers guide that’s targeting a prospect who already has a baseline understanding of a problem you can help them solve and is looking for more advanced information.
Image courtesy of Wayfair
Comparison pages compare your product with competitors to highlight your unique selling points.
Image courtesy of Close
You can also approach comparison pages from an “us vs many” perspective as well, where you zoom out to look at multiple competitors on the same page. Take a look at our Unbounce vs competitors page as an example.
In the bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) stage, prospects are ready to make a purchasing decision. At this stage, the goal is to convert these leads into paying customers.
Objectives at BOFU:
Checkout pages are focused entirely on the final stages of a purchase. The goal is to reduce friction, simplify the checkout process, and clear the pathway toward completing the transaction.
Image courtesy of AG1
Sales pages are persuasive pages that highlight the benefits and features of your product, aiming to close the sale.
Consultation booking pages offer a free consultation or demo to help finalize the decision-making process. These pages are common with service providers like agencies.
Pricing pages clearly display pricing options and encourage visitors to make a purchase decision or reach out for more context or a custom quote.
Image courtesy of Notion
There’s plenty of different approaches you can take with a pricing page too. For example, while the Notion page above only shows bullets for what’s actually included in each tier, we use X’s and checkmarks on the Unbounce pricing page. The idea here is that X’s can act as a nudge toward the higher-level plans if you see certain features that are must-have’s for your specific needs.
There’s no “right answer” here though, so keep A/B testing.
Like marketing funnels, the landing page funnel can be split into three stages—top, middle, and bottom. The top is meant to push prospects into the funnel, the middle carries them through a series of steps, and the bottom captures their information or asks them to complete a purchase.
The top of your landing page funnel starts with a click-through page.
This is your “start” page.
The goal is simple and straightforward—click a CTA button to “start” the funnel. If your funnel is a multi-step quiz, this would be the first landing page prospects see with buttons prompting them to start the quiz. If your funnel is an account creation flow, the CTA buttons would be focused on—to no surprise—creating an account.
The middle of your landing page funnel is where the options begin to open up. Your funnel could be a simple 1-2-3 sequence where the middle is just a single page, or it could be a complex flow with multiple paths a prospect can take. Both can work.
The goal at this stage is to engage your prospects.
By nature of reaching this stage, they’ve already shown interest in what your offering by clicking the button on your squeeze page. The focus now is on keeping them interested and carrying them through the stages of your funnel.
To keep the previous examples going, in a quiz funnel the middle pages would be the quiz itself. In an account creation funnel, the middle pages would likely be context gathering questions where you ask for company size, which department your prospect is part of, etc.
Finally, the bottom of your funnel is where you seal the deal. This is typically a single checkout page or lead capture page, but could be a few closely linked steps like a cart confirmation page then the checkout page. Either way, the objective here is simple:
Get your prospect to act.
In your quiz funnel, this would be where you gate the results from the quiz behind an email opt-in form. In your account creation funnel, this could be where you collect an email address or it could be where you ask for payment info, depending on your approach. This is also where an ecommerce funnel would push for the purchase to be completed.
Building a landing page funnel involves several steps, each crucial to guiding your prospects from awareness to conversion. Here’s a simple guide to help you create an effective funnel.
Step 1: Choose a landing page builder
Pick a user-friendly landing page builder (like Unbounce) that will make it easy for you to design and publish your pages without needing any coding skills or dev resources. With Unbounce, you’ll have access to:
Step 2: Decide on the type of funnel you want to build
Start with your goal—like lead generation, product sales, event registrations, etc. From there, decide on the type of funnel you’re building, like a quiz, account creation flow, webinar, video sales letter, or something else. Each type of funnel has different steps and content to match your objectives.
Step 3: Create your click-through page
First, design a compelling click-through page with a clear call to action. Remember, the goal of your click-through page is simple and straightforward—persuade visitors to click the primary call to action and start the funnel. Keep the page clear and focused to avoid distractions.
Image courtesy of Sleep Number
Step 4: Create the middle parts of your funnel
Next, build out the “meat” of your funnel. This step is going to look different depending on the type of landing page funnel you decide to build, but generally speaking you’ll be creating a few different pages for visitors to progress through.
For most funnels, you’ll also be able to build these pages via your landing page builder (if you’re using Unbounce) since you can easily link one page to the next with your calls to action.
Image courtesy of Sleep Number
Step 5: Create your conversion page
Finally, build your final conversion page where you’ll be asking visitors to share their content info or complete a purchase. This is where conversion-centered design principles will be critical. You want to remove as much friction as possible from this page to maximize the percentage of prospects that complete the final stages of your funnel.
Step 6: Connect the dots between your funnel
Before you go live, make sure each page in your funnel flows smoothly to the next. Use links and calls to action to guide your visitors seamlessly through each stage. Make sure the transition between pages feels natural and logical.
And it may seem obvious, but it has to be said—test every single link yourself. Go through the entire funnel in an incognito window to make sure each link works and brings you to the destination it’s meant to.
Step 7: Integrate your funnel with your other marketing tools like CRM and email
Connect your funnel to any other core tools in your sales and marketing tech stack like your CRM and email marketing tools. This integration helps you track leads, automate follow-ups, and maintain engagement with your prospects.
Once again, after your integrations are in place—test everything. Make sure your follow up messages deliver and info for new leads ends up in the destinations it’s supposed to.
Step 8: Double-check that you have the proper analytics tracking in place
Set up analytics to monitor the performance of each page in your funnel. Tracking metrics like conversion rates and bounce rates will help you identify areas for improvement. If you’re using Unbounce, you’ll have built-in analytics around page visitors and conversion rates, and you can integrate your pages with Google Analytics natively.
Step 9: Launch your funnel and drive traffic to your click-through page
Once everything is set up and tested, launch your funnel and start driving traffic to your squeeze page. Use whichever marketing channels you have in place like social media, email, and PPC ads to attract visitors.
One simple way to turn the traffic tap on immediately (without ponying up even more on PPC campaigns) is to launch a popup or sticky bar on your website. For example, you could add a sitewide sticky bar banner that nudges visitors toward your click-through page so that no matter where visitors enter your website, they’re always one click away from your funnel.
Step 10: Consistently A/B test every step of your funnel
With your funnel now live, shift your focus toward constant testing to squeeze the absolute most juice out of the orange as you can.
With multiple pages throughout the funnel, each with dozens of test-worthy elements on the page, there’s no reason not to be running A/B tests 24/7. There’s always more to learn, and more conversions to earn.
Recommended reading: How a three-word A/B test led to triple-digit conversion growth
Creating an effective landing page funnel requires following certain best practices to maximize conversions and guide visitors smoothly through the sales process. Here are key practices to keep in mind.
Conversion-centered design (CCD) focuses on creating landing pages that drive specific actions and involves using persuasive design techniques and psychological triggers to guide visitors toward those actions. Key principles include creating a clear focus, building a logical structure, maintaining consistency, highlighting benefits, drawing attention, establishing trust, and reducing friction.
Why it’s important:
To put it as simply as possible, the fewer links you have on the landing page, the better your conversion rates will be.
Setting up analytics and tracking tools is essential for monitoring the performance of your landing page funnel. Unbounce’s built-in analytics as well as tools like Google Analytics help you track key metrics such as conversion rates, bounce rates, and user behavior.
What gets measured gets managed, so make sure you have the proper tracking systems in place before you even go live with your landing pages.
Why it’s important:
Launching your landing page funnel is just the beginning. It’s crucial to continually optimize and refine your funnel and landing pages based on data and feedback. Regularly test different elements, such as headlines, images, and calls to action, to see what works best.
A/B testing isn’t just a box to check from time to time. The best marketing teams adopt a culture of experimentation. This encourages every single person on the team to constantly be brainstorming, looking for inspiration, and asking questions that could potentially unlock greater and greater conversion rates.
Why it’s important:
One core theme throughout this entire funnel journey?
Landing pages.
The keys to creating winning funnels are your landing pages throughout. If your initial click-through pages are subpar, nobody will even start the process, let alone finish it. If your mid- and bottom-funnel pages are lackluster, you’ll lose the initial bit of momentum your click-through page helped to create.
With Unbounce, you can build an unlimited number of landing pages, all with an easy to use drag-and-drop builder, to create funnels as long and complex as you need.
Beyond the builder itself, the Unbounce platform will also give you the keys to advanced AI copywriting tools, built-in A/B testing, sitewide sticky bars and popups, and integrations with the most popular marketing tools on the market.
Ever found yourself clicking on a promising ad only to be met with a landing page that just didn’t live up to the hype?
It’s like being excited for a movie and ending up in a theater with a screen that’s too small and sound that’s out of sync. Frustrating, right? That’s how your potential customers feel when they hit a landing page that’s not optimized for their experience.
In ecommerce, making every click count is crucial.
Your landing page is often the first impression of your brand. To make sure it’s a good one, you need to test different elements—headlines, images, calls to action—to see what resonates most.
Just like perfecting a recipe, finding the right mix for your landing page can turn casual visitors into loyal customers. And we’re here to show you how to do it.
Let’s get into it.
Imagine you’re picking a spot for dinner on a Friday night.
You weigh the distance, the menu, and the overall vibe, trying to figure out which restaurant will leave you feeling the most satisfied.
A/B testing is like that decision-making process but for your product. Instead of choosing between restaurants, you’re choosing between different landing page versions to see which one performs better.
Just like you need to know your restaurant preferences to make a satisfying choice, as a marketer, you need to understand your audience’s preferences and behaviors to satisfy their needs and turn them into customers.
A/B testing helps you test different elements—like design, copy, or pricing—to see what clicks with your audience. Take Packlane, for example. This custom packaging company uses A/B testing to fine-tune its landing pages for various campaigns and customer segments, often creating new pages in a single day to capture shoppers when they’re most ready to buy.
Packlane goes suuuuper deep on their target segments. They recognize that every individual in their audience has unique needs and preferences, so they craft landing pages tailored to deliver a personalized experience accordingly. This level of customization ensures that every visitor feels understood and valued, leading to a more engaging and effective landing page experience.
With somewhere between 12 to 24 million ecommerce stores currently online, calling the industry competitive is putting it mildly.
What sets successful brands apart? The ability to tap into and connect with niche audiences.
Jacob Donnelly, former B2B GM at Morning Brew and founder of A Media Operator, captured this perfectly when he said:
“This attempt at blitzscaling (the specific set of practices for igniting and managing dizzying growth) consumer media is over. The era of leading with growth models rather than differentiated, audience-first content is over. Publishers realize that smaller, more engaged audiences are where their livelihoods will last.”
Understanding these niches takes time and a lot of testing. By continually running A/B tests, you can refine your approach to cater specifically to your ideal customer.
The real competition isn’t about being the best across the board but about being the best for YOUR unique audience.
You might not be their BFF, but through strategic testing and data-driven insights, you can get to know your customers well enough to create compelling offers and designs that make them click “yes, sign me up” without a second thought.
The ecommerce industry is fast.
New companies are popping up all the time and the industry is still set to hit a staggering $6.3 trillion by EoY 2024. Yet, despite this colossal figure, the average conversion rate across ecommerce sites hovers around a modest 1.88%.
Paddy, a founder and conversion rate optimization (CRO) specialist, hits the nail on the head in his post on X (formerly Twitter):
“CRO is one of the best marketing channels, when done right, that a brand can make use of.
Everyone usually goes for the usual trifecta of ads, emails & creatives (which you 100% need) but they don’t optimise or test where these people go? It just doesn’t make sense.
You can simply increase the revenue of already visiting customers by increasing revenue per visitor and profit per visitor from your traffic through winning tests.
If you test on the other marketing channels, and not your website or funnel.
Then you are genuinely leaving money on the table.”
If you only focus on ads, emails, and creatives—while completely ignoring your own landing pages and “owned” properties—you’re leaving money on the table.
Ecommerce A/B testing is quite literally a game-changing tool for your business.
There’s no better way to optimize your online store’s performance. But doing it the right way, so you don’t backtrack or harm your brand rep, relies on 10 key steps to make sure all your dots are connected.
Sometimes too much choice isn’t a good thing—and you have a lot of it when it comes to choosing what to test on your ecommerce landing page.
Headlines, form inputs, images, layout, and color schemes—the combinations are endless! Probably longer than all the digits in the number pi (okay, maybe not that long).
Take First Midwest Bank, for instance. They broke away from their industry’s outdated brand guidelines to focus on customer-first design.
Inspired by Medalia Art’s success with artist photos increasing conversions by 95%, the bank A/B tested 26 landing pages with state-specific photos and placed their form below the fold—a move most marketers would call risky, but that decision resulted in a 52% increase in conversions.
Variant A: Form on the side.
Variant B: Form underneath.
We like the decision to put the form below the fold because they believed so much in the value of their offer. They were confident it could stand alone and be enough to increase interest, drive the scroll, and encourage an enthusiastic click-through.
With one problem, one hypothesis, and one idea, their business benefitted greatly.
Your idea can do the same.
One thing we didn’t see in their process, though, is what got them to that hypothesis. Why the design? That decision likely came from a group brainstorm or a consulting session.
In case you still need to do that because you’re at the start of your experiment, here are some ideas to bring to the table.
The possible combinations of A/B testing ideas in ecommerce truly are endless. To stay focused, keep your hypothesis and problem statement in front of you. This will help guide your decisions on what to test next.
Recommended reading: What to A/B test: 10 A/B testing ideas to inspire your experiments
Ecommerce probably has more landing page variants than any other industry. The seasonal nature, varied customer segments, and fierce competition make it crucial to test and nail your landing page for every campaign.
It’s the gateway to that sweet Shopify notification, the welcome mat to your online store’s front door, and the key to unlocking conversions.
No pressure, right?
The best way to ensure your landing page is up to par is through rigorous testing.
There are two primary types of landing page tests you can run:
A/B tests and multivariate tests.
Choosing which to use isn’t always as easy as you may think. Each method has its strengths and ideal scenarios. Let’s break down when to use each one and how they can help boost your page’s performance.
A/B testing involves creating two (or more) versions of the same landing page and running them simultaneously to see which performs better. The key here is to test only one variable at a time.
For example, Variant A could have a different headline than Variant B, but that should be the only difference between them. This approach allows you to pinpoint the exact element driving performance changes.
To measure success, establish clear metrics or KPIs for comparing your landing page variants.
Unlike A/B testing, multivariate testing allows you to test multiple elements simultaneously. This method creates various combinations of elements together for you to test. For example, you might have:
Because you’re testing more variables, you need a larger sample size to ensure your results are statistically significant.
A/B testing and multivariate testing help determine what content works best for your audience, but optimizing traffic ensures the right people see it.
Unbounce’s Smart Traffic is an AI-powered tool that analyzes visitor attributes like device, location, and browser to optimize traffic and improve conversions.
The reality is this:
Landing pages sell your product.
You need them to give visitors a full experience of your brand and brand beliefs, and prove that you know their story well enough to sell them the product on your page.
Sustainable diaper startup, DYPER, took storytelling to another level to make sure their landing page resonated with their specific customer.
You might not know this if you don’t have children, but disposing of diapers is a major issue. In the United States, disposable diapers are responsible for about 2% of landfill waste and can take up to 500 years to decompose.
DYPER aimed to combat this stat with AI-powered subscription services for their plant-based, compostable diapers in pursuit of reducing landfill waste.
It was a great mission. There was only one problem:
Their unique selling proposition wasn’t persuasive enough on its own.
Instead, they decided to expand on the story to make sure their target audience understood the gravity of their message.
Over six months, they created and tested targeted landing pages emphasizing different value propositions like discounts, sustainability, and heartwarming brand initiatives. These efforts generated over 6,000 conversions, primarily resulting in long-term subscriptions.
Using Unbounce, DYPER efficiently created and customized landing pages, ensuring their brand story was consistently communicated, significantly impacting customer engagement and conversion rates.
Creating a landing page testing strategy involves avoiding common mistakes, analyzing essential metrics and KPIs, and following key rules for effective testing. For more insights and detailed strategies, visit Unbounce’s guide on landing page testing
Creating a landing page testing strategy is a bit like being a detective in the world of digital marketing. You need to crack the case of what makes your visitors click.
Here’s how to solve the mystery:
Step 1: Formulate hypotheses
Start by playing detective with your data. Analyze what’s currently happening on your landing page and make educated guesses on what changes could boost performance. Prioritize these changes based on their potential impact and ease of implementation.
Step 2: Establish a baseline
Know where you stand. Dive into your current landing page’s performance metrics to understand what’s working and what isn’t. You need a clear starting point to measure improvements effectively.
Step 3: Set clear goals
What does success look like for you? Define specific, measurable goals such as sign-ups, downloads, or sales. These KPIs should directly align with your business objectives.
Step 4: Choose the right tools
Equip yourself with the right tools for the job. There are plenty of landing page testing tools out there. Pick one that fits your needs and budget—like Unbounce, which has A/B testing built right in.
Step 5: Identify variables and create variations
Decide which elements of your landing page you want to test. Create different versions for each element—be it headlines, images, or CTA buttons. For example, if you’re testing headlines, come up with several versions to find the most effective one.
Step 6: Calculate time and traffic requirements
Before launching your test, estimate how long it needs to run and the amount of traffic required for statistically significant results. Use a sample size calculator if necessary.
Step 7: Analyze and deploy
Once your test is complete, analyze the results. Which version won? Implement the winning version on your live landing page and start planning your next test.
Step 8: Document learnings
Whether your hypothesis was proven correct or not, there’s always something to learn. Document what worked, what didn’t, and why. This information is invaluable for future tests and broader marketing strategies.
Even seasoned pros can stumble when it comes to testing landing pages. Here are some common pitfalls to sidestep:
Experiments are about learning.
You should be eager to learn something new about your audience from each test that allows you to get more specific in setting up your landing page. If you don’t, you’re not really testing, are you?
We’ve talked a lot about the importance of tracking data and measuring the impact of your landing page tests. To help you get started, we’ve put together a handy list of key metrics you should be keeping an eye on.
1. Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the golden metric—it measures the percentage of visitors who complete the desired action, such as signing up, downloading, or purchasing. It’s your ultimate gauge of how effective your landing page is at driving actions.
2. Click-through rate (CTR)
CTR tracks how many visitors click on a CTA or link on your landing page. A high CTR usually signals that your content or offers are compelling and engaging.
3. Bounce rate
This metric shows the percentage of visitors who land on your page and then leave without interacting further. A high bounce rate might indicate that your page isn’t hitting the mark or doesn’t meet visitor expectations.
4. Form abandonment rate
Ever wondered how many people start filling out a form but don’t finish? This metric helps you pinpoint problems with the form itself—whether it’s too complicated or feels too invasive.
5. Average time on page
Think of this like gauging how long someone lingers in a store—it tells you how engaging and relevant your content is.
According to a study by Nielsen Norman Group, the average time users spend on a webpage is about 15 seconds. However, landing pages that effectively capture attention and provide value can see average times on page of 30-60 seconds or more. If visitors are staying longer, it usually means they’re finding your page interesting and worth their time.
6. Page views/unique page views
Page views tell you how often your landing page is being seen, while unique page views filter out multiple views by the same user. This helps you get a clearer picture of your actual audience size.
7. Lead generation metrics
For landing pages focused on generating leads, tracking both the quantity and quality of leads is key. This tells you not just how many people are interested, but how many of them might turn into potential customers.
8. Traffic sources
Knowing where your visitors are coming from—be it social media, email links, or organic search—helps you tailor your content and strategies to better align with your audience’s habits and preferences.
With these metrics in hand, you’ll be well-equipped to assess and optimize your landing page testing efforts for better results.
Recommended reading: 10 A/B testing metrics to analyze results and measure success
Skimmed to the bottom?
No sweat. Here’s a quick recap of the five key takeaways from this post:
Ready to put these strategies into action?
Get started with a 14-day free trial of Unbounce today and start experimenting with your ecommerce landing pages to boost performance and conversions.
In the classic 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin performs a hard-hitting monologue (with most of the “hits” coming from his rather sweary vocabulary) as he tries to inspire a group of real estate salespeople to up their selling game. He uses the acronym “ABC” to drive his (profanity-filled) point home: Always Be Closing. In other words, to be successful you have to ask for the sale and do it effectively.
Your landing page experience likely won’t include rude language (unless that’s how you roll?), but it should include calls to action (CTAs) that encourage customers to take action. With the right copy, design, and placement, you can motivate visitors and potential customers to make a move and, ultimately, get the results you’re looking for.
Ready to start creating effective CTAs for your landing page? Let’s get started.
A call to action (CTA) is exactly what it sounds like—you’re asking your audience to do something specific. Think “buy now” buttons, email signup forms, or free trial offers. CTAs are the final step that moves people from “just looking” to taking real action on your page. Skip this, and you might as well wave goodbye to your conversions.
We’re for the people. If you’re curious about the different types of CTAs you can use and how the Unbounce team recommends crafting CTAs that convert—keep scrolling.
If you’d rather skip ahead…
Here’s the deal: creating compelling CTAs isn’t rocket science. Let’s break down the five elements that make people click—no marketing degree required.
Your CTA needs to stand out on the page through strategic placement and smart design. Whether it’s on your web page, blog post, or ad campaigns, your call to action should catch attention even during a quick scroll. Mix up colors, fonts, and other elements to help it pop.
The decision making process should be dead simple. One CTA, one action. Sure, you might need multiple CTA buttons sometimes (like on sales pages), but each one should direct users to a specific next step. No mixed messages here.
People want to know what they’re getting into. Want them to create a free account? Get instant access to a download? Book a free proposal? Tell them exactly that. The more specific you are about what happens after the click, the more likely they are to take immediate action.
Great calls to action use strong verbs that encourage users to act. Try starting with words like:
You can also experiment with first-person point-of-view (“Give me my deal”), positive affirmations (“Yes, I want to 10X my ROI”), and creating a sense of urgency (“In limited supply. Claim yours today!”).
Sometimes the best approach to writing calls to action is to test out several variations. When it comes to optimizing copy, a call to action is one of the easiest things to swap out (and even small changes can make a big impact on your conversions). Smart Traffic uses AI to analyze your visitors and automatically display the most effective CTA to each person.
Let’s break down the main types of CTAs you’ll use throughout your marketing. Think of these as different tools in your toolbox—each one has its own special job in moving customers along their journey with your brand.
These CTAs help you find people interested in what you’re selling. They’re like friendly waves that invite people to learn more about you by sharing a bit about themselves. Use these when you want to build your email list or get more qualified leads in your pipeline.
Quick lead generation CTA examples:
These are your bread-and-butter buttons that move people from one page to another. They work great in emails, ads, and landing pages when you want to build interest or help people discover more about what you offer.
Quick click-through CTA examples:
Here’s where you ask for the sale or get people to create an account. These CTAs need to be crystal clear about what happens next—no surprises. They work best when someone’s already interested and ready to take that next big step.
Quick sales and signup CTA examples:
Want to learn more about how ecommerce brands are using landing pages to drive sales? Check out 27 ecommerce landing page examples to maximize sales.
Sometimes people just want to talk to a real person. Click-to-call buttons make that super easy, especially on mobile devices. They’re perfect for businesses that handle complex sales or offer services that need a conversation.
Quick click-to-call CTA examples:
For an example of just how well this can work, check out how clever call tracking helped this agency get 219% more leads.
These CTAs help you build your social media presence and create a community around your brand. They’re more casual and fun than other types, which makes sense—social media is where people go to be social, after all.
Quick social engagement CTA examples:
Brands that successfully promote their products and services on social media use calls to action to drive engagement. By asking viewers to follow, share, like, comment, or smash that subscribe button, you can broaden your reach, increase your following, and build relationships with potential customers.
Here’s the thing about choosing the right CTA—it’s all about matching where your customer is in their journey with what they need right now. Think of it like a conversation. You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you on the first date, right? Same idea here.
If your visitor is just getting to know you:
If they’re showing real interest:
If they’re ready to make a move:
But here’s what really matters: stick to one main CTA per page. Our data shows that focusing on a single, clear action drastically improves conversion rates. Think of it like a good menu recommendation—instead of listing every dish, the best servers suggest exactly what you’ll love based on your tastes.
The perfect CTA shows people their clear next step.
No confusion, no overwhelm—just the right action at the right time. Before choosing your CTA type, ask yourself: “What’s the one most helpful thing our visitors can do right now?” That’s your answer.
Unbounce customers are using CTAs to drive customer actions across a range of industries and use cases. Use these great CTA examples to inspire your next CTA, or A/B test ‘em against one that’s not doing so well.
The call to action examples shown below are divided into the following types:
It’s a simple equation: (good copy) + (good visuals) = (good CTA). Here are some examples.
“Fill your calendar with appointments”
Here’s a call to action example from The Listings Lab that reminds us CTAs don’t exist in a vacuum. Even the smartest CTA button copy doesn’t work magic without an assist from a strong headline, supporting copy, and visual cues. Not only is the button itself designed to stand out, but there’s literally an arrow directing readers from the small print to the CTA.
Why this approach is effective
There are tons of ways to match gated content with a simple call to action to generate leads. For more real-world examples like this one, take a look at 8 High-Converting Lead Generation Landing Page Examples.
“Explore our platform →”
Well-written copy is an essential part of every CTA ( says the writer), but design elements also play an important role in establishing an enjoyable experience. On this Procurify page, when the visitor hovers the mouse cursor over the CTA buttons or taps the button on a touchscreen, the arrow inside the circle “lights up.” This makes the page feel responsive and gives the visitor the sense that something is actually happening when they click or tap.
Why this approach is effective
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a difference.
For some tips on how to create CTA templates that will make people want to click, see How to build and optimize CTA buttons that convert.
“The tailor is in”
By letting visuals of their suits do much of the selling, Indochino shows potential customers what they can aspire to, rather than telling them why they should book an appointment. In this context, their approach makes sense. Afterall, Indochino doesn’t sell one-size-fits-all clothing—but they do aim to make all of their customers look their best.
Why this approach is effective
Sometimes simpler is better, like you’ll see with these CTA examples.
“Get your app”
In this example, CloudSpot uses a lead magnet to attract potential customers, build an email list, and drive app downloads. The entire page is perfectly catered to their target audience (wedding and portrait photographers), which immediately tells leads that they’ve landed in the right place.
Why this approach is effective
“The science”
Moona knows that sleeping on a cool pillow is the best, but some page visitors might need to be educated about the benefits of the Moona pillow-cooling system. An explanation of the science behind how temperature regulation can improve sleep helps visitors not only understand but also feel why this product is for them.
This CTA starts off with copy that makes a bold, attention-grabbing statement (“A cool head means better sleep”), then invites the visitor to click through and dive into the science with a simple, yet clear CTA button message that identifies what the visitor will see next: “The science.”
Why this approach is effective
In the most effective CTAs all the elements work well together, creating a cohesive message that informs, convinces, and spurs the reader to action. This CTA accomplishes that well by setting up a strong expectation (which is aided by the image of the person peacefully enjoying some ZZZs), then clearly identifying the next step.
“Get ready to see happiness”
The secret to good copywriting is balancing cleverness with clarity. It’s not always an easy balance, but Waldo’s tagline “Get ready to see happiness” is both cute and concise, making it perfect for this contact lens subscription service—especially when paired with a straightforward benefits statement and a direct CTA.
Why this approach is effective
This call to action example by Waldo effectively drives website visitors to start a free trial because even though the tagline leans towards clever, the call to action button itself is 100% clear about the reader’s next step (“Start your free trial”).
Ever heard the quote “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist,” (which might or might not have been said by Pablo Picasso)? Well, even if the creators of these CTA buttons never heard of that, they’re certainly channeling the spirit of it.
“Enter to WIN a signed copy!”
Sourcebooks used this landing page to attract leads interested in winning a signed copy of The Similars by Rebecca Hanover. The contest served two valuable purposes: to get people excited for the book (and boost future sales from those who don’t win a free copy) and to build a targeted list of potential leads (by collecting contact info from those who are most interested in this particular genre and author).
Why this approach is effective
Although we typically don’t recommend CTA buttons that simply say “submit,” in this case the heading encourages readers to fill out the form (“Enter to WIN a signed copy!”) so it might still be effective. It’d be worth testing out more actionable copy on the button itself (like “Sign me up!” or “I want to win!”) to see how it impacts conversions.
The round button in the top left corner presents a second, competing call to action (“Click here for an excerpt”). Interestingly enough, this strategy also goes against conventional advice, which would be to focus on one call to action per page to prevent diluting your conversions. However, it works well in this use case because the main CTA is not related to a purchase and because the secondary CTA is an option to preview an excerpt from the book—which actually adds value to the main action of entering the contest, rather than competing.
“Let’s get you started”
Athabasca University uses landing pages like the one above to drive enrollment for online courses. In this case, they use a soft CTA above the form to get visitors to fill it out. Like we mentioned in the Athabasca University example above, although “submit” doesn’t usually make for the best button copy, the clear simplicity of it works well here.
The heading “Let’s get you started…” is less of an order to do something and more of a supportive pat on the back. This tells prospective students, right from the get-go, the school is ready to provide support and help them achieve their goals.
Why this approach is effective
The biggest lesson here is that writing for your audience and speaking to their needs is more important than blindly following any hard and fast rules for call to action writing. If you’re looking to improve your conversion rate for signups or account creation, check out some more of our tips for creating signup pages that convert.
“Free the funk”
The use case for this example is a bit different, so the approach is a bit different, too. Awayco is an equipment rental company for surfers and other outdoor enthusiasts. The call to action changes a bit throughout the page, ranging from “Free the funk” to “Book the board” to “I’d like to ride that.” It’s this last one, in particular, that’s interesting because rather than simply asking visitors to do something, Awayco is putting words directly into their mouths—and potentially putting ideas into their heads.
Why this approach is effective
Trying out different calls to action is kind of like A/B testing within a single landing page. (If you have a heatmap set up on the page, you can see which one visitors click more often.) But more importantly, the variety of CTAs give Awayco more opportunities to play with language and show their audience that they’re on the same, ahem, wavelength.
For some inexplicable reason, people are attracted to lists of items in threes, like “blood, sweat, and tears” or “snap, crackle, and pop.” A similar principle can apply to CTAs on a page.
“Download the deck”
As a Good Witch once said, if you want a wish to come true you must repeat it three times (we’re paraphrasing here).
Why this approach is effective
By repeating the exact same call to action three times throughout this landing page (“Download the Deck”), Shoelace keeps the desired action top of mind and reinforces the visitor’s next step at the end of each benefits section. It also keeps the CTA buttons conveniently within reach, so the visitor doesn’t need to scroll far to reach a button—something that’s especially important on mobile.
We also love this example simply because the landing page and call to action design both embody the pop-art animated aesthetic of the brand perfectly—and you can bet the deck matches it as well.
“Claim your compensation”
Much like the Shoelace example above, ClaimCompass drives home the audience’s goal by repeating the call to action three times.
Why this approach is effective
ClaimCompass switches up the wording for each CTA in an attempt to match the reader’s intent.
They start off with the most forward phrasing at the top of the page (“Claim your compensation”) and tailor the next call to action to readers who are scrolling further for more information—perhaps because they’re unsure if they qualify (“Check if your flight is eligible”). At the very bottom of the page, ClaimCompass ends with the most urgent version of the call to action (“Check your flight now”) to re-engage leads who have scrolled to the bottom.
If you’re still searching for inspiration, there are plenty of awesome call to action examples out there in the wild. Here are a few lessons you can learn from big-name brands.
At first glance, there’s not a lot going on here on this Wealthsimple page, and that’s a big part of what makes this call to action example worth showcasing. The three-word headline and straightforward messaging explain exactly what the product does in the simplest way possible. Not only is this plain old good copy, but the simplicity is also a nod to just how easy it is to “get started.”
Why this approach is effective
This page appeals to those who don’t want to make their own investing choices or actively manage their funds. The clean, simple design and basic language mirror the hands-off user experience offered by this platform. The minimalist messaging aligns with their easy onboarding and low-touch product experience.
The biggest lesson from this example? Keep your page design and call to action minimalist for low-touch products. Or, to apply this more generally, match the messaging to your product and audience pain points.
Glo shows off a great example of how different CTAs can be used at specific points in the customer journey to build momentum and investment.
When leads first visit the page above, they’re invited to start a 15-day free trial. Rather than taking those who click “Try us free” straight to the sign-up page, leads are redirected to a landing page designed to learn more about them.
Why this approach is effective
Everything about this user flow is designed to increase adoption and retention. By inviting prospects to customize their practice (with a casual, non-committal “Sounds good,” no less), Glo is taking advantage of leads’ interest and drawing them deeper into the app experience before they’ve even taken their first class.
Of course, those who click “No thanks” are simply redirected to complete registration. But if you do decide to “design your unique practice,” you’re telling Glo about your skill level and class preferences—which not only gets you more invested in using the app, but also allows them to provide custom recommendations and keep you engaged with relevant messaging.
We’re highlighting this Honey page because it’s such a simple, smart example of catering directly to your ideal audience. In this case, the target customer is budget-conscious, which is why they’re interested in the product in the first place. They’re looking for savings and likely wary of hidden fees or extra expenses. That’s why the button doesn’t just say “Add to Chrome.”
Why this approach is effective
By clarifying that Honey is free to download, the call to action provides extra context and pre-emptively addresses the most relevant customer objection: the cost (especially for a coupon-finding extension).
How often do people “reserve” shoes before they’re available? Most of us probably don’t—at least, not outside of a compelling Kickstarter campaign. Yet, that’s exactly what Vessi is encouraging website visitors to do in this unconventional CTA example.
Why this approach is effective
Vessi taps into consumers’ “fear of missing out” (FOMO) by urging them to pre-order (or “reserve”) a yet-to-be-released sneaker style. This not only builds excitement and creates a sense of exclusivity around the product, but also motivates shoppers to commit to a future purchase.
In this case, the CTA appears on the homepage to draw attention and send more traffic to a specific store page. You can achieve the same effect by using popups and sticky bars to add clickable CTAs to your website or landing page. Best of all, popups and sticky bars make it easy to experiment with different CTA language, placement, and design to see what clicks (and encourages clicks)—without making changes to the rest of your copy.
Look, we’ve seen thousands of CTAs in our time—and honestly, some of them make us cringe. Before you hit publish on your next call-to-action, let’s walk through the mistakes that can tank your conversion rates faster than you can say “submit form.”
Here’s the biggest CTA mistake we see: turning your page into a button festival. You know the type—”Sign up!” “Download!” “Subscribe!” “Follow!” “Buy!” all competing for attention.
Multiple CTAs aren’t always bad, but they need a clear hierarchy. Think of it like a dinner party—you want one main course, not five competing entrees. Your page should have:
Nobody—and we mean nobody—has ever been excited to “submit” anything. Yet we keep seeing CTAs that sound like they were written by robots who’ve never met a human.
Great CTAs use action-oriented language that feels natural. “Get my free guide” beats “Download now” because it tells you what you’re actually getting. Think conversation, not command.
Here’s a face-palm moment: your CTA looks amazing on your desktop but turns into a tiny, unclickable speck on mobile. Ouch.
Your CTA message needs to make sense everywhere it appears—from Google Ads to landing pages to email campaigns. A “Sign up now” button might work great on your landing page, but that same message could fall flat in an early-stage blog post where readers are just getting to know you. Match your CTA’s message to where people are in their journey, no matter where they find you.
Want to know why some CTAs convert like crazy? They’re personal. Instead of showing everyone the same “Learn More” button, smart marketers adjust their CTAs based on user behavior.
First-time visitor? Show them a low-commitment CTA. Returning customer? Get more specific with what you offer. It’s like being a good host—you wouldn’t serve a vegetarian a steak, right?
Think you’ve nailed your CTA?
Test it anyway.
(Then test it again.)
The conversion process isn’t a “set it and forget it” deal. Small tweaks in your CTA copy can lead to big wins in click-through rates. Test everything:
Remember: even a 1% improvement adds up over time.
A compelling call to action is a key part of effective marketing. In fact, you might say it’s the key. After all, there’s no action—or conversion—without a call to act. It’s your opportunity to ask readers to take a specific action and frame it in a way that speaks to your audience’s needs.
“Attention!“
You’ve heard the word before. Marketers, copywriters, and salespeople talk about attention all the time. It’s like a nervous tic, always sitting on the tip of the tongue.
It’s curious, though, because another word that marketers don’t often use is “patience.” And patience is just as important.
Sure, our first objective is to gain the attention of our prospects. But with sign up pages, it’s also about making that registration process as painless and as easy as possible. In other words, it’s not enough just to get your visitors’ attention—you shouldn’t test their patience either. Not with additional questions. Not with confusing copy. Not with incongruent design.
As UX expert Steve Krug once famously put it, “Don’t make me think.”
Today we’re going to cover 14 examples of sign up pages that get both patience and attention right. But before we get our hands dirty, let’s take a closer look at what a sign up page is.
A sign up page is a dedicated landing page that turns visitors into users, customers, or subscribers. It’s that simple.
For software companies, your sign up page might lead people straight into starting a free trial. For ecommerce brands, it could be where shoppers create an account or join your email list. And for service businesses, it’s often where potential clients take that first step to work with you.
The magic of a sign up page is its focus—it’s built for one thing only: getting those registrations. Nothing more, nothing less.
Picture this: A visitor clicks “sign up” from your blog post and—bam—they’re staring at a blank form asking them to enter their email and choose a password. No context. No explanation of what happens next. Just a form floating in space. That’s what happens without a dedicated sign up page, and it’s a conversion killer. Here’s why you need one:
When potential customers hit a dedicated registration page, they know exactly what they’re getting into. Your sign up page tells the full story—what they’ll get, how it works, and why it matters. This context builds confidence, and confident website visitors are way more likely to complete your signup process.
Think of your sign up page as your digital sales rep. It walks your target audience through what to expect, answers key questions, and removes doubt. Without this guidance, you’re basically asking people to make a decision in the dark. And in the dark? That’s where form conversions go to die.
A dedicated landing page lets you craft the perfect path to conversion. You can test different messages, tweak your user friendly flow, and optimize every element that matters. When you know exactly where and how people are converting, you can make it better every single time.
Here are the main types of sign up pages you’ll run into—and when each one makes the most sense.
Think of these as the choose your own adventure books of the signup process. Instead of hitting users with one massive form, you break the account creation flow into digestible chunks. Each step feels like a small win, making the registration process less daunting.
Here’s why they work:
Sometimes, you just need an email. These pages are all about making newsletter signup dead simple. No password fields, no twenty questions—just an email signup form that gets straight to the point.
The magic here? Your user’s email address is the only thing standing between them and your valuable content. When you’re offering something really good, that’s all you need.
These registration pages are built for speed. Users fill out a bare minimum of info and boom—they’re in. It’s perfect when you need a signup form that doesn’t scare people away with too many questions.
The key is keeping it ultra-focused:
Wanna learn how other SaaS marketers use landing pages to connect with customers? See how you can get a handle on your business and achieve unprecedented growth in our guide for SaaS marketers from Talia Wolf.
Like most landing pages, a high-converting sign up page must have some essential elements, like:
Your headline needs to grab your target audience’s attention right away. Instead of a generic “Sign up,” tell website visitors exactly what they’ll get. Think about what makes new users click—then make it pop with eye catching design elements that draw them in. “Start creating stunning designs today” beats “Sign up” every time.
Keep your essential information clear and user friendly. Your copy should focus on allowing users to understand exactly what they’re getting—and when. The best effective sign up forms don’t overwhelm with details; they give you just enough to feel confident clicking that button.
Your signup page needs to look sharp and professional. Build a user interface that feels hassle free from the first glance. Look at any good form example from top companies—notice how the design helps you focus on what matters.
Your call to action button is where everything comes together. Whether it’s for a free trial or business account, make your sign up button impossible to miss. The best simple signup form pairs a strong visual CTA with text that makes clicking feel natural and exciting.
“But wait.”
Yes, you there with your hand raised.
“Where’s the form?”
Exactly!
A great sign up page is one that might as well be yelling, “Look, ma. No hands!” You want to keep the f-f-f-friction to a minimum, either by keeping your form as short as possible or even hiding it until the right might moment. (Some smart examples of this tactic below.)
You can do this by having them click on the call-to-action, and voilà! A form appears, seemingly out of thin air. From there, you’ve got options. Will you lead them down a multi-page sequence? Or will you collect their email and get them to log onto your platform, where they’ll be prompted to follow dopamine-triggering queues? Or will you email them and start nurturing them that way?
A great sign up page follows all the principles of a great landing page with the aim of getting people to willingly hand over their details. Since we have 14 examples to review, let’s focus on actionable takeaways.
Ruby is a virtual receptionist and chat company that gets the power of branding. Their gorgeous above-the-fold setup for this landing page is a perfect example of sign up done right.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Also, comparing this sign up page with Ruby’s homepage illustrates the different approach you need to take with your landing pages:
Fair headline, right? Unlike the sign up page, though, it ain’t about the target audience at all. “Meet Ruby” sounds a lot like something you’d say when introducing someone at a party. The body copy focuses on the company too. And the CTA? “Watch OUR Video.”
But the most significant difference lies in all those menu options. Buttons are popping out at you from almost every corner. That’s five buttons you get exposed to even before you start scrolling. Everything is calling for your attention, and you’re more likely to begin exploring than to convert.
This works for a homepage, of course. It’s beckoning you to browse and get to know Ruby. But Ruby’s sign up page had a much tighter focus in its messaging suited to converting traffic from a paid campaign.
GraphicsZoo offers white-label design services for agencies. Its sign up page is sizzling hot in its simplicity. As a white-label graphic design service, they get landing page design. The GIF above gives you a sneak peek of the platform. That’s all you need to know that it’s got a gorgeous, useful, and intuitive UI.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Flyhomes makes buying and selling your homes easy, and profitable. (Their website copy is a fun read as well.)
Key points about this sign up page example:
PointsBet is an online bookmaker for sports and entertainment, based out of New Jersey. Props to Zeller Media for putting this one together. The agency did a fantastic job creating this sign up page.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Grow your agency with landing pages. Find out how Unbounce can help you win more conversions for your clients and extend your menu of services using landing pages—no coding required.
Heymarket is a powerful SaaS platform that lets teams collaborate in business text messaging with customers.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Zire is an advertising platform for musicians, and it’s thoroughly impressive in its ease of use. In terms of visual style, this sign up page is my favourite with spot-on branding and fluid design.
Key points about this sign up page example:
If you’re already on a platform like Spotify, as soon as you put your name in, your name, song, or album will pop up as a suggestion. When you click on it, the page prompts you to add relevant images and upload a clip of your song. Then, once you finish clicking a few buttons here and there, you end up with a summary of your efforts:
The GIF example above is sped up, by the way. The actual flow is a lot smoother, and it’s a pleasant experience through and through. Zire did a fantastic job with every aspect of this.
Wait! (Cue the record scratch.)
Are we missing something here?
Right. They haven’t asked for my email yet. But I’m engaged with their services, and ready to convert. Now that’s slick.
Intouch Insight is a B2B company that provides software solutions for companies aiming to scale.
Key points about this sign up page example:
“Food costing software”? Never heard of it, but the target audience (professional chefs) certainly has. reciProfity—their name combines the words recipe, profit, and reciprocity—is an inventory management system for executive chefs who dream of being “home before midnight.”
Key points about this sign up page example:
Nakisa helps companies visualize their organizational structure so that they can make better business decisions. On this sign up page, Nakisa makes the wins for its prospects easy to understand, specific, and tangible.
This type of landing page can work well for SaaS B2B, in particular, for a couple of reasons: first, a B2B visitor is ready to buy because they’re actively shopping around for a solution. But the buyer journey isn’t linear because the B2B buyer tends to be research-savvy. They jump back and forth between the interest and consideration stages, and the consideration stage is much longer.
Second, B2B buyers also more interested in technical features than emotional appeals compared to B2C. That’s because they want to know all about the performance and return on their investment.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Targetable is an advertising platform that uses AI to help restaurants make more money with data.
Look at the quote they use as a heading on this sign up page. Are there many restaurant owners who believe their restaurant is “amazing”? Sure. But this quote isn’t functioning as a testimonial, per se. Instead, the bottom subheading (in red, which helps it stand out) asks if you share this common sentiment. Then it presents a list of benefits that address this pain point, with a simple visual showcasing a platform feature.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Marley Spoon is a meal plan delivery service with healthy food options, but that isn’t the only thing that’s tasty around here. Nom, nom, nom. This sign up page does a couple of things extremely well.
Key points about this sign up page example:
They make getting all that food delivered right to your doorstep look effortless. (And tasty too.) Mwah! A chef’s kiss.
Libris by PhotoShelter is the final boss of digital asset management tools. If you need a way to manage your visual assets, then you just can’t say no to Libris, and this landing page shows you why.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Libris’ no-brainer offer ticks all the boxes.
If you’ve got it, flaunt it, especially if you’ve received a significant award and recognition from an industry leader in your space. The award from G2 is a major trust booster and signals indirectly to your visitors that they’re missing out if they don’t try Libris out.
One thing I would test is the “limited time offer” message. When something’s limited, you should indicate the period or the deadline. Don’t do it, and your message can feel somewhat generic and fall flat. Do it, and make your target audience perceive and feel the scarcity. Feeling inspired yet? (If you need even more inspiration, check out these examples of evergreen SaaS landing pages.)
Sometimes a sign up landing page’s design can say a lot without saying a lot (of words), and the sign up page for software company Atlassian is the perfect example of that. The overall design is actually pretty simple, but underneath that simplicity lies a foundation that was built with a lot of planning and forethought.
Key points about this sign up page example:
While putting together a blog post about how to create excellent sign up landing pages, we couldn’t resist including an example from Typeform, a company that specializes in creating sign up forms. Since getting people to sign up is at the heart of their business, Typeform obviously knows how to do it right.
Key points about this sign up page example:
Before you dive in head-first on your own, let’s break this down into manageable steps that’ll set you up for success.
Picture the perfect signup process. How smooth should it feel? Start by mapping exactly how users create their accounts—from the moment your form appears to their first login. Write down each step, then ruthlessly cut anything that feels like a roadblock.
Your copy needs to speak directly to your target audience. Think about what makes potential customers click “sign up” and run with it. Here’s what you need:
Quick tip: Highlight the benefits of signing up, not just the features of your product or service. And if you’re looking for help generating copy, give our AI-powered copy generator Smart Copy a try—with just a few clicks you can fill your page with professional, high-quality messaging.
Your sign up page design sets the tone for everything. Create a separate page that’s clean, focused, and impossible to ignore. A good user interface guides eyes right where you want them—to that signup button. No distractions, no confusion, just pure conversion potential.
Quick tip: Use a visually appealing color scheme and high-quality images that resonate with your target audience. Remember, the goal is to make a lasting first impression. And if design isn’t your thing, no problems—we’ve got hundreds of templates you can choose from.
This is the moment of truth. Your call to action button needs to be a no brainer click. Make it hassle free to spot, crystal clear about what happens next, and hard to resist. Remember: good CTAs don’t sell—they invite.
Look at any successful page example and you’ll notice something: they’re built for thumbs first. Make your simple signup form work beautifully on phones by:
Time to break things—on purpose. Try every way possible to mess things up. Test wrong email and password combinations. Click everything twice. Make your sign up forms bulletproof before launch.
Don’t guess what works—test it. Look at different sign up page examples, then create variations of your own. Test one thing at a time, whether it’s copy, design, or flow. Watch those form conversions climb as you learn what your website visitors actually want.
Quick tip: Use A/B testing to check the performance of one element at a time. Or you can save time and effort by using Smart Traffic, the AI-powered optimization tool that automatically directs visitors to the variant of a webpage that’s most likely to resonate with them, based on their characteristics or past behavior.
Need a deeper dive on the ABCs of creating a sign up landing page that converts? This step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to know.
All right, time to saddle up on your business horse and show your chops by creating some high-converting sign up pages. By following the tips we’ve provided above, you’ll be well on your way to hitting your conversion goals and getting that well-deserved high-five from your boss.
Listen—building high-converting sign up pages doesn’t have to be complicated. With Unbounce, you’ve got everything you need to make it happen:
The best part? You don’t need to be a developer or designer to create pages that convert. Our landing page templates are built to make you look good, and our optimization tools are there to help you convert even better.
Want to see how easy it can be?
Start your free trial and build your first signup page today. No coding required—just pure conversion power.
There’s a reason 43.6% of the world’s websites use WordPress. It’s easy to customize, well-optimized for SEO, and seamlessly integrates with hundreds of third-party tools and services.
What’s not to like? You could even go as far as to say that WordPress is an ideal place to build landing pages that increase conversions.
In this guide, we’re going to cover what that actually means, whether you should build landing pages in WordPress, and how to go about doing just that.
A WordPress landing page is exactly what it sounds like—a dedicated landing page built on your WordPress site.
But here’s what makes it special: unlike your regular web pages full of menus and links, a landing page has one job and one job only. It’s a custom, standalone page focused on getting visitors to take a single action.
Picture this: You’re running Facebook ads for your new social media marketing guide. You’ve crafted the perfect ad copy, picked your audience, and the clicks are rolling in.
Without a landing page…
Those precious ad clicks land on your homepage. Your visitors see your main menu, your latest blog posts about email marketing, and that busy sidebar. They hunt around for your guide, get frustrated, and bounce. Your ad spend? Pretty much wasted.
With a landing page…
Every click goes straight to a clean, focused page that matches your ad. Your guide is front and center, with three quick benefits and a simple email form. No distractions eating into your conversion rate. Just happy new leads downloading your guide.
See the difference? That’s the power of WordPress landing pages. They turn your ad spend into actual results by giving your visitors exactly what you promised—no confusion, no dropoffs.
Let’s clear up a common mix-up. Your regular WordPress website pages are like a busy shopping mall—lots to explore, menus everywhere, and plenty of paths to wander down. And that’s perfect for your main site where you want visitors browsing around.
But a standalone page built specifically for conversions? That’s different. A WordPress landing page is more like a pop-up shop with one amazing product. No food court distractions, no window shopping—just your offer and a clear path to say “yes.”
Here’s why this matters:
When you’re spending money on ads or email campaigns, you need a distraction-free landing page that focuses visitors on one thing only. Not your blog posts, not your about page, not your latest company news. Just the offer they clicked to see and how to get it.
Think of it this way: Your WordPress site tells your whole story. Your landing page tells just the chapter that matters right now.
Here’s a question we hear all the time: “Should I build my landing pages right in WordPress or use a separate tool?”
Both options can work. But if you’re already using WordPress for your site, keeping your landing pages there makes a lot of sense. Here’s why:
First—everything stays under one roof. Your WordPress site becomes your command center. No jumping between different tools or remembering extra passwords. Your pages, plugins, and analytics all live in the same place. Nice and simple.
Plus, you get all the perks of WordPress right out of the box:
The key though?
You need to use a landing page builder.
Even if you’re building and managing your landing pages through WordPress, a dedicated landing page builder should be a non-negotiable.
So why exactly is a landing page builder non-negotiable? Think of it this way: You wouldn’t build a house with just a hammer, right? Same idea here.
Here’s what a good landing page builder gives you that WordPress alone can’t:
We’ve seen people try the DIY route—building from scratch or hiring developers. But here’s the reality: Your time is valuable. A landing page builder pays for itself by turning what used to be weeks of work into a few hours of clicking and customizing.
Plus, when you combine WordPress’s built-in perks with a proper landing page builder? That’s when the magic happens. You get all those WordPress benefits we just talked about, plus the power to create and test pages at lightning speed.
Want to know what separates a high converting landing page from one that flops? It’s not magic—it’s method. Every click on your ad is a win, but what happens next makes all the difference. Let’s break down the must-have elements that turn those clicks into customers.
Here’s the thing about creating landing pages: what you promise in your ad needs to match what visitors see when they land. Think of it like a first date—if your dating profile says you’re a chef but you show up in a lawyer’s suit, that’s going to raise some eyebrows.
Your landing page design should feel like a natural continuation of your ad. Same message, same look, same promise. That’s how you build trust from the first second.
The moment someone hits your landing page, two things need to grab their attention:
Beautiful landing pages aren’t just about looks—they’re about instant understanding. Your visitors should know exactly what they’re getting within three seconds.
Your landing page content needs to do one job: move people toward action. Keep it clear, keep it focused, and make every word count.
Think about it this way: if your friend asked what your offer was about, you wouldn’t give them a 20-minute speech. You’d tell them the good stuff first. Do the same here.
Want to encourage visitors to stick around? Break up your text into bite-sized chunks and highlight the benefits they care about most.
Bonus tip: if you need help writing compelling landing page copy, try using Smart Copy to help you put all the right words together using AI.
If you’re aiming to create a landing page that generates leads, your custom form landing page needs to strike the right balance. Ask for too much info? People bounce. Ask for too little? Your sales team won’t be happy.
Here’s what works:
High converting landing pages almost always include proof that you can deliver. Think testimonials, case studies, or simple stats that show you know your stuff.
But here’s the key: keep it real.
One genuine customer story beats ten generic, empty testimonials every time.
Your call to action continues the journey. Make it clear, make it action-focused, and—this is important—make it match what people expect to get.
Pro tip: If your landing page goes beyond what’s visible on screen, drop in that CTA button more than once. Because let’s be honest, nobody likes scrolling back up.
Last but definitely not least: your landing page’s performance on mobile can make or break your success. Most people will see your page on their phones, so test everything on mobile first.
Remember: a high converting landing needs to work everywhere, not just on your laptop. In Q1 of 2023, 95.3% of the world accessed the internet via mobile phone, compared to 57.9% via personal laptop or desktop. So like it or not, everything you do should be mobile-friendly.
Give mobile users the same smooth experience, and you’ll see your conversion rates climb.
Need to make tweaks? That’s what testing is for. Keep an eye on your numbers and adjust as you go. The best landing pages are never really “done”—they just keep getting better.
Now that you see the value in creating landing pages for your marketing campaigns, let’s get to the how of creating a high-converting landing page for your WordPress website.
For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll assume you already have a WordPress website.
You have several options to build your page.
Depending on scope and scale, all options have their value. But if we’re good mind-readers, we know which one you’re eyeing by now.
Since we like to hit the easy button around here as much as possible, this tutorial will show you how to create a landing page in WordPress using the Unbounce templates and drag-and-drop page builder. We might be biased, but we do think it’s one of the best WordPress landing page plugins around.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a WordPress landing page.
First things first, head on over to your WordPress site, login and navigate to your dashboard.
On the left side of the page, find “plugins” and click on it. This will open up a drop-down menu and also take you to the plugins page.
Next, click on “add plugin.” In the search bar, type in “Unbounce Landing Pages,” and it will bring up the plugin to install. You can also navigate directly to it here.
Once you’ve clicked “install” and then “activate,” you’ve successfully installed the plugin, and you’re ready to build your first WordPress landing page. Congrats.
If you haven’t already, sign up for an Unbounce account. There’s a free trial period, so you can explore its features and decide if it meets your needs.
Next, log in to your Unbounce account and click on “Create New.”
From here, you can comb through over 100 WordPress landing page templates and pick one that matches your campaign goals, or you can answer a few questions about your page goals with Smart Builder, and our AI will suggest the best WordPress landing page template for you.
Change colors and fonts, swap out images, and update the heading and text to match your branding and campaign goals.
It’s time to take your awesome new WordPress landing page live. Here are the quick-fire steps:
Always test your landing page—always test everything, for that matter—before sending traffic to it. The last thing you need is to spend money promoting it only to discover it’s full of glitches.
Check form submissions, links, and mobile responsiveness. Be sure to test it on a few different browsers, and make sure it functions as expected within your WordPress site.
Now that your Unbounce landing page is embedded into your WordPress site and you’ve tested it to ensure everything works (phew), it’s time to start driving traffic to it.
Although landing pages are typically used in PPC ad campaigns, nothing is stopping you from promoting them on your other channels, as well. Think email marketing, social media, retargeting campaigns, and more.
Here are a few ideas to get your WordPress landing page around:
To get the most bang for your buck, it’s important that you continuously monitor the performance of your WordPress landing page. Use A/B testing—built into Unbounce’s landing page builders—to improve conversion rates.
Now that you know all about WordPress landing pages, we don’t want to leave you hanging without a valuable resource.
With Unbounce’s library of WordPress landing page templates, you can streamline the process and save precious time and resources. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or just starting with WordPress, these templates provide a solid foundation.
Landing page SEO is a tricky proposition. Landing pages are potent tools to convert readers into customers, but the way most are designed is not exactly SEO friendly.
Think about it. A landing page aims to direct readers down a specific path, focusing them on your call to action without offering other distractions. But optimizing a web page for search engines requires more content, more links, more calls to action.
Same thing, right?
Not quite.
One refers to dedicated landing pages created to rank in Google, first and foremost. The other refers to optimizing your not-just-for-SEO landing pages to rank better in organic search. Let’s break it down a bit.
SEO landing pages are website pages designed to perform well in search engine results while simultaneously persuading visitors to take specific actions, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
These pages are optimized for particular keywords, delivering relevant and valuable content to users who discover them through organic searches. Unlike regular web pages, landing pages streamline the user experience by focusing on a singular call-to-action (CTA), simplifying the path for users to take the desired action.
The basics are simpler than you might think. Want your landing pages to bring in traffic from Google while still converting visitors? Here’s what matters:
Here’s the best part: you can “add” these elements to any landing page, even ones you’ve already built for other purposes. No need to start from scratch.
We’ll cover all of this in more detail later on, but for now—hopefully that helps frame things.
Simple answer: Because you enjoy being successful!
Longer (and more useful answer): There are a few reasons why landing pages are pretty pivotal in the realm of SEO:
While SEO and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) landing pages both aim to convert visitors, they go about it in different ways and with different purposes:
In an ideal world, all of your landing pages would rank well for their targeted keywords in Google and convert people like crazy. But that’s not guaranteed to happen. In fact, it rarely does.
Why not? Well, in some cases, your ideal keywords are already dominated by other sites that have entrenched SEO efforts and backlink profiles. In others, technical issues associated with landing pages keep people from reaching your content.
Ultimately, though, a landing page that’s laser-focused on conversions will have a particularly hard time ranking. For this reason, it’s best to distinguish between landing pages you want to rank well in the search engines and those you’ll design purely to convert. (Later on, we’ll cover how you can use both together to great effect.)
Conversion-focused landing pages are all about what happens when a person gets to the page. While a high word count is essential for ranking in search engines, too much wording can actually detract from getting that final conversion or capturing that lead. Notice how little there is to distract visitors in the examples below:
In an ideal world, all of your landing pages would rank well for their targeted keywords in Google and convert people like crazy. But that’s not guaranteed to happen. In fact, it rarely does.
Why not? Well, in some cases, your ideal keywords are already dominated by other sites that have entrenched SEO efforts and backlink profiles. In others, technical issues associated with landing pages keep people from reaching your content.
Ultimately, though, a landing page that’s laser-focused on conversions will have a particularly hard time ranking. For this reason, it’s best to distinguish between landing pages you want to rank well in the search engines and those you’ll design purely to convert. (Later on, we’ll cover how you can use both together to great effect.)
Conversion-focused landing pages are all about what happens when a person gets to the page. While a high word count is essential for ranking in search engines, too much wording can actually detract from getting that final conversion or capturing that lead. Notice how little there is to distract visitors in the examples below:
Creating a landing page that ranks isn’t magic—it’s a method. Let’s walk through the exact steps you can use to build pages that both Google and real people love.
A solid SEO strategy begins with comprehensive keyword research. Identify relevant, high-traffic keywords that resonate with your target audience. These keywords should align with the intent of your landing page.
After that, seamlessly integrate your target keywords into various elements of your landing page, such as headings, subheadings, body text, and image ALT text, while making sure it’s still readable.
Above the fold, the page should include the key selling points and a call to action. There should be few other distractions here. This is established best practice for conversion-focused landing pages as well, but that’s where the similarities end.
Because we’re trying to rank in search engines, you’re also going to need plenty of content further down the page. It’s gotta be legitimately useful content (not just an extended sales pitch) and it should attract editorial links. Without this, you’re going to struggle to rank well for any popular keywords.
Using a simple vertical design and repeating the call to action as you scroll down, you’ll want to add as much value for the reader as possible
Additionally, consider incorporating multimedia elements such as images, videos, infographics, and charts to enhance the user experience and effectively convey information.
Looking for some sweet examples of long-form landing pages for your newly inspired SEO content? Take a look at this post about converting with extra copy to see how it’s done.
Next, you’ll want to optimize your URL, page title, meta description, headings/subheadings, and image alt text for your target keywords.
When it comes to your URL, a custom domain does have some advantages for landing pages, but you might instead prefer to leverage the SEO of your existing domain.
Either way, ensure your URL is concise, descriptive, and relevant to the page’s content. Use hyphens to separate words, and avoid special characters or excessive parameters. Additionally, incorporating target keywords into the URL can improve search engine visibility.
Here’s something most marketers miss: search engines understand when your page looks bad on phones. And these days, that’s a deal-breaker.
Making your page mobile-friendly isn’t rocket science. Pull up your page on your phone. Can you read everything easily? Do images fit the screen? Are buttons big enough to tap? If you spot any issues, fix them before your search rankings take a hit.
Nobody likes a slow page—especially search engines like Google. Think of page speed like a first impression. A slow page sends visitors running back to the search results.
Here’s what actually moves the needle:
Here’s a secret most people miss: Google follows links like breadcrumbs. If you want search engines to find and rank your landing page, you need to create paths that lead there.
Think of your website like a city. Every internal link is a road that helps visitors (and search engines) find their destination. The more roads that lead to your landing page, the more important it seems.
Here’s what really works:
Just remember—keep it natural. Link when it makes sense for your readers, not just for SEO. After all, if humans can’t follow your logic, search engines will struggle too.
Pro tip: pay special attention to links from your most popular pages. These carry extra SEO juice and can give your landing page a serious boost in search engine result pages.
Quality backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. But here’s the truth: you can’t force them. Instead, create content so helpful that other sites want to link to it.
Share your page with people who might find it useful. Write guest posts for industry blogs. Join relevant conversations online. The best links come from real connections.
The more useful and interesting the content, the more likely you are to attract backlinks and boost your rankings. You should also make use of link-building strategies, just like you would for any blog post or product page.
Landing pages perform better when you keep improving them. Watch your organic traffic numbers. See which search query brings in the best visitors, then A/B test different headlines, images, and layouts.
Small changes can make a big difference in your search engine result pages. Keep what works, fix what doesn’t, and never stop testing.
After the page is published, add internal links across your website that point to your SEO landing page. This’ll help boost its SEO value, as well as drive people to your landing page from other pages on your website and set them on the road to becoming customers. For instance, you could add a call to action to the end of every blog post on your website, encouraging visitors to visit the page to learn more about your offer.
Promote the landing page using the same strategies that you would do for a blog post that you want to rank well in Google. Share it on social media or reach out to contacts in your industry asking for a link. (This guide includes ten things you should do to help boost initial traffic to new content.)
Once the organic traffic starts to flow in, it’s important to track what happens after they land on the page. The Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report revealed that the average conversion rate for landing pages is just under 10%, so if yours is lower, consider tweaking your call to action or the design of your page to encourage more conversions.
At this point, it’s OK to start sacrificing SEO factors to help you convert traffic better. After all, what’s the point in ranking well if you fail to convert?
Be sure to track what keywords people are typing to land on your page, too. Are they what you expected? By keeping an eye on this, you’ll be able to spot areas that you can tweak as well as opportunities to rank better.
If you sometimes create landing pages for promotions that last a limited amount of time, you might be in the habit of taking them offline afterward. However, you should keep your SEO landing pages online even after the promotion has ended.
Many retailers make the same mistake of closing their landing page too early and missing out on traffic that would have converted. By deleting your page, then putting it back online, you’re essentially pouring any SEO juice you built down the drain. Don’t make things harder for yourself by starting from scratch.
An excellent way to get around this is by using a 301 redirect to make sure that the traffic you create will at least go to some use. It may even help to create a new page explaining how the promotion is over, but showing what other offerings you may have.
Trick question, because you don’t have to choose between ranking and your conversion rates. Nothing stops you from creating an SEO-focused landing page and a conversion-focused landing page further down the funnel. Perhaps the former could push people to the latter?
Let’s say you wanted to create an SEO-focused landing page to sell personal finance software, for instance.
In this situation, have your conversion-focused page target purchase-focused keywords, such as “personal finance software,” “budgeting software,” and “accounting software.” These are the type of keywords that people pretty much already looking to buy would type. Just look at the search results:
People who search for “personal finance software” are looking to buy, and Google knows it.
With your SEO-optimized landing pages, though, you can also target more inquisitive keywords like “how to budget” or “how to save money,” and then direct these visitors down the funnel toward more conversion-focused pages. You can see the difference in the search results, which are much more oriented toward answering questions than selling something:
As your SEO-focused landing page will naturally have more content, it’ll be easier to target multiple long-tail keywords—and even local SEO keywords if your business operates only in certain areas.
Your choice of keywords will also determine how ready your SEO traffic is to convert. This can get pretty granular, too. For instance, somebody searching for “how to save money” will likely be less qualified to buy your software than somebody searching for “how to budget” because the former is a little broader than the latter.
Here’s the truth about landing page SEO: it’s not rocket science. But it does take the right balance of content, optimization, and design to work well.
The real challenge?
Creating pages that both Google and your visitors love. You want those sweet search rankings without drowning your page in keywords and links that scare away real people.
That’s exactly why we built Unbounce with both SEO and conversions in mind.
The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to:
Ready to build a landing page that both ranks and converts? Start your free Unbounce trial and put these SEO tips into action. Our AI-powered tools will help you create content that search engines understand—while keeping your human visitors clicking that “Submit” button.
Remember: good SEO isn’t about tricking search engines. It’s about making pages that actually help people. When you nail that part, the rankings tend to follow.
Find out how you can build a landing page much quicker without a developer—no coding skills required.
Follow these 10 simple steps to get your marketing campaign up and running with a beautiful, high-converting page.
Ever found yourself in a coding maze when building a landing page, desperately wishing for a shortcut? In other words, have you ever felt like Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter?
Or even worse, you’re still stuck in website mode, building janky new pages on top of old platforms with hidden extra work waiting at every corner.
If you’re one of those budding digital sorcerers, ahem, marketers, then we’ve got good news for you. Turns out there is a secret passage out of that digital labyrinth:
You can create a landing page much quicker than a developer with no coding skills required.
All you have to do is follow 10 easy steps, and you’ll have a high-converting landing page that will leave your audience spellbound. And hopefully, you’ll have a better time coming out of that maze than poor R-Pattz.
Picture this: You’re scrolling through Instagram and spot an ad for a cool product. You click, and boom—you land on a single page that’s laser-focused on one thing: getting you to try that product.
That’s a landing page in action.
A landing page is a standalone web page with just one job: turning visitors into customers (or subscribers, or leads—you get the idea). Unlike your regular website pages that let people wander around and explore, a landing page is like a skilled salesperson who knows exactly what they want you to do next.
The best landing pages share some common DNA. Here’s what makes them work:
Before you dive into building your landing page, let’s make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. A little planning now saves a ton of headaches later.
Just like our friend in the Triwizard maze, you need a game plan before you start running. A little strategy now keeps you from hitting dead ends later.
Picture this: You’re back in the maze, and you have two paths ahead—your website and a landing page.
Think of your website as the scenic route, perfect when you want visitors to explore and learn about your brand. But when you need leads, sign-ups, sales or you’re starting a Harry Potter book club? Landing pages are your golden ticket—fewer distractions, more focus, and better conversions.
Here’s exactly when to use each:
Use your website when:
Use a landing page when:
Added bonus too—simple landing pages are far easier to build (and experiment with) than an entire website.
Before you take your first step, answer this question: What’s the one thing you want visitors to do?
Your goal might be to:
If you’re an ecommerce marketer on the quest to transform casual browsers into enthusiastic buyers, landing pages are like the retail equivalent of a shop window, beckoning customers with its charm.
Think of it as your digital storefront where the magic happens. Start out by choosing one particular product you want to promote—or a group of related products. So, gear up for some e-commerce extravaganza because, with landing pages, you wanna turn browsers into bona fide buyers with a sprinkle of online retail magic.
For agency marketers, landing pages are a great multitool for boosting conversions. With the distraction-free nature of landing pages, turning clicks into conversions becomes almost guaranteed.
Whether you’re showcasing your agency or crafting client-specific pages, think of creating landing pages is your tailored approach to getting more of those conversions.
For SaaS marketers (like the killer folks at Procurify), landing pages can help fuel growth.
By designing landing pages with a clear vision in mind—like getting visitors to sign up for a free resource, product demo, free trial, or consultation with your sales team—can bring you the leads you need to impress the ol’ boss.
Pro tip: Make your goal specific and measurable. Instead of “get more leads,” try “get 100 qualified leads for our new HR software demo this month.”
Wait, here’s where a lot of folks lose their way—they try to speak to everyone instead of someone specific. Your target audience shapes everything about your page, from the words you pick to the images you use.
Ask yourself:
Quick example: Say you’re selling HR software. A small business owner might care most about saving time on paperwork, while an enterprise HR director might focus on compliance and scalability. Same product, different story.
Got your map? Great—let’s pick the right tools for your journey.
Look, building a landing page from scratch used to be a nightmare. You’d need a developer, a designer, and enough caffeine to fuel a small city. Good news? Those days are over.
Now, you just need a good landing page builder—and hey, we just happen to know a really good one. (Spoiler alert: it’s Unbounce. We’re not exactly subtle.)
But here’s what you should look for in landing page builders no matter who you choose:
Why are we so confident in Unbounce being the best landing page builder you can use? We’ve got everything on that list and then some, and you can test drive Unbounce free for 14 days. (Plus, our support team is pretty much the Hermione Granger of landing pages. Just saying.)
Before you get ahead of yourself and search “How to design a landing page” on TikTok, you should know that landing page copy is twice as important to conversion rates as design. So crank up the lo-fi hip hop writing beats, open a fresh Google Doc, and flex those typin’ fingers.
Landing pages are concise by design, so it’s important to nail every word. Here are some tips on how to write your lading page to the best of your ability:
You’ve got less than 15 seconds to grab a visitor’s attention on a landing page—which means the headline is probably the most important thing you will write. Make sure it’s memorable, clear, and solves the problem your visitors care about most. This is your 15 seconds of fame as a copywriter, so get in there and pump out some great headlines
Remember: your landing page visitors want to hear about how you’ll solve their problems—like how your product will help make their lives easier and why this will benefit them.
Don’t just list a bunch of features and call it a day (snoozefest!), try to think about things from your ideal visitor’s perspective, and craft them some copy they can’t resist. Gotta say our guide to landing page copywriting is a great place to learn how to exactly pull that off.
In general, landing pages tend to convert better when they’re easy to read and not overly long.
Avoid sounding like a business textbook, keep your sentences short ‘n sweet, and try to cut out any unnecessary copy that you don’t actually need on the page. (Long-winded founder stories can go, the benefits your service brings to folks can stay.)
Your CTA (call to action) is the MVP on your landing page. Put simply, it’s what you want visitors to do. Whether it’s filling out a form or hitting a button, take a moment to decide the action you want your visitors to take and figure out the best way to convince them.
It’s like orchestrating the highlight of your landing page while putting on your best Lydia Tar hat—simple, effective, and all about getting your audience to make a move (and hopefully not get cancelled in the process.)
CTA buttons might be small, but they’re mighty, you see. Learning how to get your call to action right is pretty key, and can be a make-it-or-break-it moment for your landing page. Here are some tips on how to really get those CTAs right and stick the landing (page.)
While CTA buttons like “Learn More” or “Get Started” can work—they’re also pretty vague (and not in a mysterious and cool way.)
Visitors won’t know what to expect when they click a button like that. Try to be more specific and descriptive to get better results. (“See Pricing” or “Start Your Free Trial” might work better.)
Alright, let’s talk forms: If you’re including a form on the page, consider how you can make it shorter and easier for visitors to fill out.
Longer forms with more fields tend to have lower conversion rates. They’re kind of feel like the equivelent of internet paperwork, and eesh, who wants that?
The best-converting forms tend to just have one field—email address. We’re past the need for lengthy questionnaires as a society. (On that note, this is a great blog to check out if you’re lookin’ to avoid more rookie landing page mistakes)
A great landing page works by cutting out the clutter found on regular websites. It gives visitors a single, clear path forward.
You basically need to be Marie Kondo when you build a landing page, saying no to whatever doesn’t spark joy—in this case, that’s navigation links, headers, footers, or other calls to action. Keep it straightforward and focused, and guide visitors directly to where you want them to go.
Now that you’ve got your copy written like the wordsmith you are, it’s time to bring out that inner Picasso to work on the visuals of your landing page (but seriously, no pressure.)
Before you get thrown into full design mode, you can start out by selecting what images you want to feature—whether those are product images, stock photos, or custom illustrations. Here are a few starting points to think about:
You wanna come in hot. Most great landing pages start out with a big, beautiful image to show their visitors what the offer is all about.
With Unbounce, you can choose from over 1,000,000 free, professional-grade images right inside our landing page builder. One of our customers, Jeff Taylor, has a pretty inspirational story on how he uses hero image variations to see results.
What does getting to enjoy your offer look like? Look for more images that convey that to support the rest of your landing page copy.
Most visitors won’t actually read every word you write (we can blame our declining attention spans for that) so you may want to get creative with different product images or custom illustrations to help tell a visual story on the page as well.
Now that most of the content of your landing page is in order, you may be wondering: “How the heck do I actually design and build this thing now?”
First, the good news is that landing page design isn’t as complex and technical as it used to be. You don’t need to mess around with HTML and CSS coding blocks anymore, that’s for sure. With Unbounce’s landing page builder, you’ll be able to put together a landing page as easily as a grilled cheese sandwich (no designer or developer required). Let’s show you how to get ‘er done.
Save yourself the creative grind because designing a landing page doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. With every Unbounce account, you hit the jackpot with access to over 100 high-converting templates for free. Unleash your inner designer without the fuss—pick a template, and let the creative vibes flow.
Next, you’ll want to drag and drop your text and visuals onto the landing page. This is a good time to see what it all looks like together and which sections you might need to trim. Remember the Marie Kondo method
It’s important to give your landing page the same look and feel as the rest of your brand. Bring in your business logo, update the fonts, and match your brand colors precisely. This way, your landing page becomes a visual extension of your brand, creating a cohesive and immersive experience that resonates with your audience and increases your brand awareness. So, don’t just build a landing page; craft an experience that screams your brand’s identity loud and clear.
Mobile optimization should not be an afterthought—it’s part of your core design process. If your landing page looks funky on phones, you’re basically throwing away more than half your potential conversions. Yikes.
Here’s how to nail the mobile experience:
Got an iPhone? Great. Android? Perfect. But don’t stop there. Here’s a quick checklist:
Fun fact that’s not actually fun: 40% of people will bounce if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load. Here’s how to speed things up:
Pro tip: Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your work. Or better yet—just build your page with Unbounce. Our templates are automatically mobile-responsive, which means less headache for you and better experiences for your visitors.
Remember: A mobile-friendly page isn’t just nice to have—it’s the difference between capturing leads and watching them disappear faster than you can say “page not optimized.”
A landing page all by itself won’t do ya much good. Now that it’s fresh out the kitchen, you’ll want to connect to your business domain, set up analytics, and integrate any other tools in your marketing stack. How, you ask? We’ve got you covered.
Your URL is a reflection of your brand experience too. Connect your landing page to your domain and customize the URL. If you’re using Unbounce, you can set up custom domains and URL paths easily.
And if you’re using Unbounce with WordPress, you can do this in just a few minutes—no DNS or CNAME required…phew.
After putting in all this hard work on your landing page, you’ll wanna know who’s visiting your landing page and what actions they’re taking. Not in a creepy way. Embed tracking for scripts like Google Analytics (or any other analytics software) to gather data as you go.
Want your landing page and marketing tools to actually talk to each other? Easy. Connect your page directly to your CRM and watch those leads flow right into your system.
The good news?
Unbounce plays nice with all your favorite tools. We’re talking Salesforce, Mailchimp, Hubspot, Hotjar—the whole crew. And if you need to connect with something else? Zapier’s got your back, linking you up with thousands of other tools.
This right here is the moment you’ve been waiting for.
But before you pop the champagne and hit publish on your landing page (ad hopefully not spilling any champagne on your laptop in the process), give it one more look-over to make sure you’re ready for a world debut.
Do a quick spot-check to make sure there are no typos or grammar issues on your page. You wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression.
Make sure you’ve set a proper page title, description, and featured image, then select whether or not you want your page to be visible to search engines.
Is everything working the way you want it to? Did you set up a “Thank You” page after someone submits? Go through the page as a visitor would to see if there’s anything you missed. Do it right now, we’re watching.
Here’s a wild idea: Set up your A/B tests before you start driving traffic. Why? Because data from day one means faster learning and better results.
First up, pick your battle. What’s most likely to move the needle for your specific goals? Maybe you’ve seen a landing page example in the wild that inspired you. For now, any idea is one worth considering.
Think about:
Pick ONE thing to test. Seriously—just one. If you change three things and see better results, you won’t know which change made the difference.
Now for the fun part. Let’s say you’re testing your headline (good choice—headlines can make or break your page). Here’s how to do it right:
Some tried-and-true elements worth testing:
Data makes all the difference—but only if you’re tracking the right stuff. Here’s what to watch:
Remember: Testing isn’t about proving yourself right—it’s about finding what works. Sometimes the “ugly” version converts better. Sometimes longer forms beat shorter ones. Sometimes the test variant that you would’ve bet your house on winning actually loses in the end (this is still a good thing—knowledge is power).
Let the data surprise you.
Awesome work getting your page up! But don’t kick back just yet. Now’s when the real fun starts—getting eyes on your page and turning those views into results.
Your landing page is ready to convert. Now let’s fill it with the right people. Here’s how to drive traffic that actually converts:
Want to show up at the top of Google tomorrow? PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns through Google Ads is your fast track to visibility. The key is matching your ad copy to your landing page—when someone clicks an ad about “easy social media templates,” they better see those templates front and center on your page.
A few quick tips for better PPC results:
Social media ads can be one fo the best tools for reaching cold audiences. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn—each platform has its sweet spot. The trick? Meeting your audience where they already hang out.
This isn’t an exact science, but in general, here’s how you can think about each platform:
In the 2024 Conversion Benchmark Report, we also dug into the actual data to see which channels led to the highest conversion rates at the industry level. It’s free, so take a peek before you allocate your ad budget.
Got an email list? Use it! Email marketing still crushes other channels for ROI across most industries (again, check the Conversion Benchmark Report). Plus, these folks already know you—they’re more likely to convert.
Here’s how to make your emails work harder:
Want more “free” traffic? Here’s how to get your landing page showing up in search results. (Yep, landing pages can rank too.)
First things first: Not every landing page needs to rank in search. If you’re running a two-week promo? Skip the SEO. But for long-term campaigns and core offers? Let’s get those search engines loving your page.
Quick wins to start with:
Here’s where a lot of folks mess up. Your page title and meta description are like your search result ad copy—they need to make people want to click.
Your page title should:
For your meta description:
Don’t let the word “technical” scare you. Here’s what actually matters:
Pro tip: Using Unbounce? A lot of this stuff happens automatically. Your pages are mobile-friendly by default, load fast out of the box, and come with SSL built in. Plus, you can edit your SEO settings right in the builder. (We told you we had your back.)
Friendly remember: Good SEO takes time. Focus on making your page genuinely useful for visitors first—the rankings will follow.
The work’s not done when traffic starts flowing. Now’s when you put on your scientist hat and start tweaking for better results.
Numbers tell stories—if you know what to look for. Here’s what matters:
Found something that works? Double down on it. See something that’s not working? Fix it fast. The key is making one change at a time so you know what moved the needle.
When you find a winner, it’s time to pour gas on the fire. Up your ad spend, expand to similar audiences, or create variations of what’s working. Just keep a close eye on those conversion rates—sometimes what works small doesn’t work big.
Why start from scratch when you can build on what works? We’ve got over 100 landing page templates that are ready to go—each one built from real conversion data. No more guessing what works.
Need more leads for your business? These templates are conversion machines, built specifically to get visitors to share their info. From simple email capture to detailed contact forms, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our most popular lead gen templates:
Ready to sell? These templates follow proven sales psychology to turn browsers into buyers. Whether you’re selling products or services, we’ve got layouts that work.
Top picks for closing more sales:
Building buzz for something new? These templates help you nail that crucial launch period with pre-sale pages, waitlists, and launch announcement designs.
Launch templates worth checking out:
Running a webinar? These templates are built to boost signups and reduce no-shows. Each one’s designed to highlight the value of your session and make registration a breeze.
Fan favorites for webinar success:
Pro tip: All these templates are mobile-friendly, tested for conversions, and ready to customize. Just swap in your content, match your brand colors, and you’re good to go.
Want to browse all 100+ templates? Check out our template directory and filter by your industry or goal.
Look at you—you’ve got all the pieces to build a landing page that actually converts. From planning your strategy to setting up smart tests, you’re ready to roll.
Want to put all this into action? Here’s your game plan:
The best part? You can have your first page up today. No coding, no design skills, no maze of technical headaches. Just you, building something awesome.
Ready to create your first high-converting landing page? Let’s do this.
Technically, sure. The tree will make sound waves, but nobody will experience the impact.
When you use the wrong keywords for your PPC campaign, people will see your ads—but not the folks you want to get to click on them. You can’t expect your campaign to perform if your ideal audience doesn’t see it.
Instead, you need to create a solid foundation for your campaign with well-researched keywords to get your ads in front of the right eyes. This guide will teach you the basics of PPC ads, how to do PPC keyword research, and how to tweak your budget as you go.
PPC advertising is the internet’s version of “you only pay when it works.” Every time someone clicks your ad—whether it’s on Google, social media, or a random website—that’s when you spend money.
But before you jump in and start throwing ads everywhere, you need to know about keywords.
Think of keywords as your treasure map. When you build an ad in Google Ads, you pick specific phrases that match what you’re selling. Google then plays matchmaker, connecting your ad with people searching those exact terms.
The real magic? It’s all about matching.
You’re aiming for two perfect matches (and yes, they both matter):
Here’s the scary part: pick the wrong keywords, and you might as well throw your money away. Your ads will look about as natural as a penguin in the desert.
Pro tip: Want to squeeze every drop of value from those keywords? Create a dedicated landing page for your PPC traffic. Your website’s great, but a focused landing page works even better.
Here’s how to do PPC keyword research in five easy steps:
First things first—define your campaign goals before you research a single keyword. You might already have them on hand. But if you don’t, consider:
These objectives help you understand your visitor’s search intent—the purpose people have in mind when they first click on your ad. When your keywords, your objectives, your visitors’ objectives are all aligned, everybody wins.
Take a look at this PPC ad and landing page from Webistry. Their client wanted to bring in new leads interested in buying a new house, so Webistry included the keyword “new house for sale” in their ad headline.
Plus, you’ll notice that the landing page copy aligns with those keywords. It mentions single-family homes and starting prices so customers know they’re in the right place. (It sounds simple enough, but marketers often get it wrong.)
You don’t have to guess at the right keywords until you get ‘em right. There are a variety of tools out there (both free and paid) you can use to aid you in building your keyword list, like:
Each tool will show you metrics like search volume and estimated cost per click (more on that below), and each will also give you keyword ideas based on related keywords, long-tail keywords, what competitors are bidding on, and more.
Let’s quickly explore Google Ads Keyword Planner since it’s free and so many folks use it. After you click “Discover new keywords” on Keyword Planner’s main page, you’ll see this tool:
You can plug in keywords or a website, and Google Keyword Planner will give you some relevant keywords with estimated bidding costs and competition. Pretty neat, huh?
Speaking of bidding costs and competition, let’s talk about two important keyword metrics.
Not all keywords are built the same, even if they relate to your ad subject. You’ll have to look at monthly search volume and cost per click to determine their potential value and cost. Let’s break down these concepts:
So, when you pick your keywords, you’ll want to find the right balance of volume and CPC to bring in clicks within your budget.
While you rack your brain for PPC keywords, remember that you already have tons of inspiration available in your market.
Try checking what keywords your competitors use with one of the paid tools we mentioned above or Ahrefs’ quick and dirty Keyword Planner trick. Plug your competitor’s website into Keyword Planner, filter out their brand name, and snag some keywords from them. WordStream recommends using Google AdWords Auction Insights to see which keywords your competition uses.
You can also look for keywords in high-ranking content using a paid tool or some careful deduction. Search for your keyword as if you’re a visitor, then look through top-ranking pages for the major words and phrases they use. Pay extra attention to the headers and first few paragraphs—those are popular places to use keywords.
Side note: No matter how well a keyword performs, there’s always the human factor. Different keywords will work for different people, especially when it comes to location or preferred product. Unbounce’s Direct Text Replacement (DTR) feature can personalize your landing page keywords to match your ads, just like it increased conversions 5x for School of Rock.
Now that you have your keywords, it’s time to learn how to target them at the best searches. Google AdWords (now called Google Ads) has three keyword match settings, as covered in a previous Unbounce PPC guide:
Generally speaking, you want to get more exact with your keyword matching as your customers go down the conversion funnel. As your leads get more specific with their searches, you should get more specific with your targeting.
Quick tip: Facebook ad targeting works a little differently than AdWords targeting, and that difference might become even bigger with iOS tracking updates. Apple users can now turn off many Facebook tracking tools, so marketers will need to get a little crafty. Learn more on the Unbounce blog.
Ready to turn your keyword research into a real PPC campaign? Here’s the thing about keyword research: finding the terms is just step one. The real magic happens when you organize those keywords into a strategy that makes sense.
First up, you need to build your master keyword list. Think of this like creating a playlist—you want all your potential keywords in one place before you start organizing them into smaller groups.
Start by combining keywords from all your research sources:
Pro tip: Create a spreadsheet with columns for search volume, cost per click, and search intent. This makes it way easier to sort and filter your keyword list later.
Here’s where most PPC campaigns either shine or fall apart. Your ad groups need to be tight, focused, and super relevant to get the best quality score possible.
Picture this: You’re running a coffee shop. Instead of dumping all your keywords into one big group, you’d want separate ad groups for:
Each ad group should focus on keywords with similar search intent. This way, you can write ad copy that perfectly matches what people are looking for.
Quick tip: Keep your ad groups small and focused—aim for 10-20 keywords per group. Any more than that and you’ll struggle to write relevant ads that work for all the keywords in the group.
Let’s talk about one of the most overlooked parts of PPC keyword research: negative keywords. These are the search terms you don’t want your ads showing up for.
Think about it: If you’re selling high-end coffee machines, you probably don’t want your ad showing up when someone searches for “cheap coffee maker under $20.” That’s where negative keywords come in.
Here’s how to build your negative keyword list:
The more targeted your negative keywords are, the less money you’ll waste on clicks that never convert. Plus, your ad relevance scores will thank you for it.
Remember: Your keyword strategy isn’t set in stone. Keep an eye on your search terms report and regularly update both your keyword lists and negative keywords. PPC campaigns work best when they evolve based on real data from your target audience’s searches.
Want your ad groups to perform even better? In the next section, we’ll dive into some advanced keyword research techniques that can give you an edge over your competition.
You’ve got your keywords researched and organized. Your campaigns are running. Now it’s time to turn those good PPC campaigns into great ones with some advanced strategies that actually move the needle.
The same keyword can mean different things to different people. Take “coffee maker” as an example:
Match your ad copy and landing pages to the exact stage of the buying journey your keywords suggest. When you nail search intent, your conversion rates naturally increase.
Broad match keywords cast a wide net, while long-tail keywords work like a fishing spear. Both serve different purposes in your campaigns.
Long-tail keywords get less search volume but often convert better because of their specificity:
The long-tail version reveals exactly what the person wants, and these keywords usually cost less per click because fewer advertisers compete for them.
Your competitors have already done tons of keyword testing. Learn from their work:
Remember to look for ways to improve on their strategy rather than just copying their keyword list. You can use their current setup as a shortcut to get you started, but the goal shouldn’t be to blindly copy/paste their exact approach.
A stellar PPC campaign needs an equally strong landing page. Conversion-centered design makes the difference between clicks and customers.
Your landing pages need:
Our guide to conversion-centered design breaks down the exact process for building high-converting landing pages for PPC traffic.
After all, a high click-through rate means nothing without conversions. Focus on aligning your landing pages with keyword intent, and keep testing until your pages convert consistently.
Your keyword choices affect more than just campaign performance—they shape your entire PPC budget. Advanced campaigns need smart budget management to stay profitable.
Start with Google Keyword Planner’s cost projections to map out baseline costs, but dig deeper into three key metrics:
A good PPC budget calculator helps you plan more accurately. Drop in your target metrics to see exactly what you’ll need to spend to hit your goals.
Then, set a weekly schedule to review your campaign costs. Look for:
The goal isn’t to spend less—it’s to spend smarter. Move budget away from underperforming keywords and into the ones driving real results. Your campaigns will naturally become more efficient over time as you spot and react to these patterns.
Pro tip: Keep historical data on keyword performance and costs. Monthly and quarterly reviews help you spot long-term trends that weekly check-ins might miss.
Running PPC campaigns isn’t rocket science, but small mistakes can tank your results. These are the most expensive keyword research mistakes—and how to fix them.
Too many marketers focus on search volume while missing the intent behind those searches. A keyword with lower search volume but higher purchase intent beats a high-volume keyword with no buying signals.
Common intent-related mistakes:
Fix this by mapping your keywords to specific stages in your customer journey. Your paid search campaigns will convert better when ads match user intent.
Google Ads accounts fail when their structure looks like a junk drawer. Quality scores drop, ad relevance suffers, and you waste money showing ads to the wrong people.
Signs your keyword organization needs work:
Create a clear organization system based on themes, products, or services. Each ad group should tell a cohesive story to both Google and your target audience.
The fastest way to burn through your ad spend? Letting your ads show up for irrelevant searches. Your PPC campaign needs strong negative keyword lists from day one.
Watch out for:
Review your search terms report weekly to catch and block irrelevant traffic before it eats your budget. Your quality score will thank you.
High search volume feels exciting, but it’s often a trap. These keywords typically have:
Focus on finding the right keywords for your specific goals instead of just picking the most popular ones. Sometimes a handful of targeted keywords outperforms dozens of broader terms.
PPC keyword research isn’t a one-time task. Your campaign needs regular maintenance to stay competitive and efficient.
Common oversights:
Set a monthly calendar reminder to review your keyword strategy. Fresh keyword ideas and updated negative keywords keep your campaigns current and cost-effective.
Pro tip: Your PPC campaigns should evolve with your business. What worked last quarter might not work today, so stay flexible and keep testing new approaches.
You’ve got all the pieces now—keyword research strategies, smart organization techniques, and budget management tips. But here’s what separates good PPC campaigns from great ones: what happens after the click.
Even the most targeted keywords and perfectly optimized ads need strong landing pages to drive conversions. Your PPC strategy is only as good as the experience you create for visitors who click through.
The most successful PPC marketers know a secret: you need different landing pages for different keywords and audiences. That’s where Unbounce comes in.
With Unbounce, you can:
The result? Higher quality scores from better message match, lower bounce rates from targeted content, and most importantly—better conversion rates from your PPC spend.
Ready to transform your PPC keyword research into campaigns that actually drive business results? Start your 14-day free trial of Unbounce today and build landing pages that convert your PPC traffic into customers.
Remember: Great PPC campaigns don’t end with the click—they start there. Make sure you’re sending that hard-earned traffic to pages designed to convert.
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