The aim of all online experiences should be to motivate the user to take some kind of action. Landing pages tend to be the first point of contact for users with your brand. They follow a link, and enter your landing page before they move on to the main website and perform a specific action – like sign up for a service. From simple CTA’s like ‘buy now’ to more complex decisions, landing pages signify a commitment or decision from the user that they are ready to take the next step. This is why designing landing pages should be the top priority for any UX designer.
Your landing page design should inspire or motivate users to click, buy a product, fill out a form or take any other sort of action. The goal of the best landing pages is quite simple – to convert the user. This conversion can be in the form of signing up for something, checking out a sale or participating in something. Or in other words, inspire users to take some sort of action. Therefore landing pages should be simple and uncomplicated – directing users towards that one action and making it simpler for them to make that decision.
How can you design landing pages with good user experience?
While the aesthetic design or a visually pleasing design of a good landing page is subjective, the main factor that separates a successful landing page from a failed one is the conversion rate. The role of the designer is to create a landing page that supports the organization in the conversion of users.
This can be achieved by creating a landing page with a clean visual hierarchy. This helps you guide your users towards the action you want them to take. The design should be free from any clutter, so that your users can see your offerings right upfront.
Before you begin the design process, the entire team needs to be on board with a coordinated vision. The landing page is the fastest way to convey your core services and products to your target audience without requiring a full website redesign. Ensure that you are encapsulating your offering in a short headline, brief description with crisp and concise description and a clear unambiguous call to action.
The next step is to consider your customer journey. Keep in mind that the customer journey is not a straight line. Users will drop off, come back, bounce around from page to page and consider the opinion of friends and family before taking the next step. Thus your design elements should facilitate their action with the least amount of friction or difficulty. As soon as they are ready to take the next step, they should be able to do so without any hassle. It should be obvious to them how they can do this and what the result will be.
The best landing pages are simple and clean and provide a clear direction to the user towards the action you want them to take. An effective layout is visually appealing while also being clutter free. The core benefit should be clear to the user and clearly linked to the action.
Your design choices will be driven by the copy and language you are using, so first lay down your basic copy and then choose design elements that support the language and intent. The purpose of your copy is to reinforce the decision your users have made when they landed on the page and drive them to take action.
Lastly, don’t forget about mobile responsive design. Mobile first design prioritises the mobile user which ensures that the page is viewable in any environment. Ensure that you conduct user tests to make sure that the experience is appealing and functional on any device.
Landing Page Examples with Great UX
The landing pages with the best conversion rates balance five design elements for maximum impact – emotional images, appealing typography, strategic white spaces, motivational colors and relevant CTA’s. These are some landing page ideas that can help inspire you.
Landing pages from Apple are designed to focus your attention on the device being showcased using repletion and stark background color differentiation. When you focus on the emotional aspect of the image you want to convey, it packs an even bigger punch.
Dropbox uses CTA’s that drive action and also take up minimal space on screen. Their product which is software that can store document in the cloud is a bit complex to explain, but they do so in just three words – Your Stuff, Anywhere. With the extra space, they can add more than one CTA to drive users towards action.
Shopify has a straightforward and uncluttered visuals which transmits the idea that a user can sell online with Shopify in just one sentence. Leaving the rest of the page for striking visuals. This also simplifies the sign up process.
This is a landing page example that barely relies on copy in order to get the point across. Uber is one of those companies that enjoys incredible fame, to the point where pretty much everyone knows about it. The main point of this page design is simply to break up the signup process so it feels easy.
5. Spotify
Spotify landing pages deliver a great experience. The page design plays to the strength of visuals and font, with the CTA showing plenty of contrast with the background. We love that this landing page example is all about getting people to focus on the music that the page evokes, with a young and fun vibe that benefits the platform.
Conclusion
Landing pages can be a powerful way of attracting customers and users. They can make a great first impression on people and are very practical to make quickly in the short term. The bottom line for any landing page is managing to convince the user, to entice and encourage. These are the best pages for landing page inspiration.