Let’s say you’ve got somebody’s attention - they clicked on an ad, your social post, a link in an email campaign. How long do you think you’ll keep their focus before they click away?
Unfortunately, not very long. According to some studies, many will stay for less than 15 seconds, and it’s likely that many will have made up their minds about your offering before that 15 seconds is up.
That’s why it's so important to present those few people who take those few seconds to actually look at your page with the most relevant, catchy content possible. Presumably, they chose to click onto your site because they are looking for a specific piece of information, and you need to deliver it to them as quickly as you can, preferably in an appealing package of nice site design and well-thought-out copy.
That’s what makes unique, focused landing pages such an essential piece of your campaigns. Here are some core considerations to keep in mind when you’re making a landing page of your own:
It’s understandable. You’ve likely put more time and effort into your homepage than any other page on your site. It tells people exactly what you want them to know about your brand and does it beautifully. However, the problem with using your homepage as a landing page is that you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for personalization and customization.
The potential audience for your homepage is wide, encompassing everyone you’re hoping to speak to—whether that be potential customers, current customers, people applying for work, or any other number of audiences. This is of course because you really don’t have a great idea of why someone has clicked onto your homepage, there’s nothing to indicate that they fall into one of these interest buckets.
When it comes to landing pages, you have a much better idea of how somebody got there, with what intent they clicked on the ad, and what stage of the buyer’s journey they are in.
If you are given the opportunity to create a landing page personalized to your audience’s interest and stage (and have the time and resources to make that happen) take it.
It can seem daunting to create new pages for each ad, email, or any other kind of campaign that you generate with a new audience in mind, but even just copying existing landing pages and reworking small pieces of copy can make a significant difference.
If you’ve split your paid search campaign into a number of different ad groups, for example, consider simply changing the headline for each to be a closer fit to the keywords that will be leading visitors to your page. Not only will Google’s algorithm appreciate it, but your audience will too. They had a specific question in mind—it’s your job to provide a specific answer.
Whenever you are creating a landing page, it's crucial to take into account the stage that your audience is in. Are they just researching how to solve their problem? Are they comparing solutions? Are they trying to figure out if you are the best fit?
Once you’ve determined what kind of intent their click indicates, cater to this with content that provides them with the exact kind of information and CTAs they’re looking for. Not every ad click needs to be met with a purchase link or demo request. What’s more important is that you’ve helped your audience accomplish the goal they had in clicking onto your page.
Particularly when it comes to creating B2B SaaS landing pages where your audience may be committing thousands of dollars with their purchase, knowing when to sell, when to educate, and when to offer value is essential to working them down what may be a rather long funnel.
When people choose to visit your landing page, they have been guided by a specific call-to-action, and are ostensibly there to complete that action, or to see if it’s an action worth taking for them. Thus, the purpose of your landing page is really quite simple. Provide the little bit of information they need to decide if they want to interact and provide them with the means to do so.
The part of your webpage that’s above the fold should deliver this info with a single, simple CTA. The truly curious can scroll on to see the videos, copy, blogs, and other material you have provided to help them make their choice. But for most, a short blurb and a button or form will be all the content they consume before moving forward or clicking away.
When you’re writing copy for these pages then, consider not just what you want them to know about your product or the general, elevator pitch you might place on your homepage. Instead, provide a blurb that speaks to the precise question they have or the action they are hoping to take.
Landing pages are a fantastic place for making use of A/B testing. Small tweaks to the placement of your CTA, copy of your headlines, and other essential page elements are both easy to implement and can have huge impacts on your page’s conversion rate.
Don’t be afraid to mix up the content you present either. When forms, blurbs, and buttons alone aren’t cutting it, try introducing more graphics, videos, or pop-ups to test if your audience is more likely to stick around if presented with different media.
A great way to get a good idea of what parts of your page need tweaking is by tracking user interaction with services like Hotjar and Clarity. Using these tools to see where your users are clicking, how far they’re scrolling, and where you’re losing them will provide you with real feedback to guide your experimentation.
Closely watching KPIs like clicks, bounce rate, and session-to-conversion rate will also be essential, but won’t provide you with the same kind of direct feedback that session recordings and heatmaps can.
Focused messaging is one of the most essential components of great B2B SaaS marketing. If you are then given the opportunity to focus your site page to fit a specific intent or audience, you should make use of it. Keeping your content focused, educational, and intriguing will give you your best chance at holding site visitors’ attention for as long as possible.
As you start building out your landing pages, be sure to check out our guide to the “Core elements of great B2B SaaS landing pages” that will walk you through everything you’ll need to include to create a landing page that actually converts. Get your copy below!
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