Pardot Landing Page Best Practices

Rahim

Rahim Karsan

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A landing page is a web page that has one key purpose: to drive prospects or customers to perform the call to action on the landing page. The simpler your product and call to action and the lower the price if it is a sales page, the simpler your landing page should be to maximize conversion. The more complex your call to action and product or the higher the price, the more information you will need to provide.

2 Ways to Create a Landing Page in Pardot

As a digital marketing company, we recommend two different ways to create a landing page in Pardot. You can use either a pre-existing template or Pardot’s Landing Page Builder. For a landing page that looks similar to your Website, use the Layout Template with pre-existing HTML code. If you don’t have pre-existing code or would like a completely different design, use the Landing Page Builder.

Additional Tips for Creating a Landing Page That Gets Results

When the purpose of your landing page is to obtain a specific action, such as booking an appointment or signing up for a webinar, a landing page is a simple way to capture that information.

Here are some quick tips for the best conversion rate possible:

  • Simplify page content to focus on your offer and CTA.
  • Clear the path to your CTA by removing distractions and detours. Remove the standard navigation bar; avoid linking to other website locations.
  • Position your most important content – including your initial CTA – “above the fold” in the area that’s visible without scrolling down.
  • Speed counts: make sure your landing page loads quickly. According to Google, more than half of your visitors won’t wait longer than three seconds

Here is an example of a well-designed landing page. You will notice that the page is very simple. It has a strong headline, a call to action, and a web form above the fold. It also has a strong hero image of the presenter, which helps you to connect emotionally.

Lead With Your Offer

Your offer is what brings visitors to your landing page, so make sure it appears right up-front:

  • Present a clear value proposition: what are you offering and what’s special about it?
  • Include a relevant illustration or video if your offering is more complex.
  • Don’t make visitors wade through a lot of details to get to the offer.

Position Your CTA Front and Centre

Your message needs to be compelling and concise. Before you even begin to write your email, understand the language, tone, and even layout that will work best for your readers to help guide them to click through and purchase your offer.

The call to action is the star of your landing page, with all other elements playing supporting roles:

  • Use the visual symbol people already know and recognize: the CTA button.
  • Rather than passive terms like “Submit” or “Enter,” use active, benefit-oriented language on your CTA button: “Save More Today” or “Get Started Now,” for example.
  • Avoid asking prospects to choose among different options.

Ask Less and Get More

A landing page is not the place to ask for your prospect’s life story. Minimizing the amount of information you ask them to provide increases conversion rates.

  • Ask for easy items first (that don’t require any thought or a decision).
  • Avoid requesting anything sensitive or complicated or information you already have.
  • Ideally, ask prospects to provide only one or two pieces of information.
  • If you must ask for a lot – as can be the case with high-value offers – consider using a multistep form or Pardot’s Progressive Profiling tool.
  • When visitors may have more complex or urgent questions, consider testing a “Click-to-Call” button with your phone number on mobile landing pages.
  • Use structured data fields where possible, e.g., drop-down lists, menus and checkboxes.
  • Use error checks, e.g., for skipped fields.
  • Pardot’s Drag-and-Drop Form Builder is a useful tool.

Build Confidence and Trust

Social proof can increase response by building visitor confidence and trust.

  • Possibilities include awards, customer testimonials, reviews or logos of happy clients.
  • Also, consider business association memberships, certifications and years in business.

Authenticity counts: include credibility-enhancing details such as names, locations or photos. In this example, you will see how Geologie provides social proof through testimonials in the second section. They even include the awards they have received right above their “Get Started” call to action. Depending on your industry, credibility indicators may be vital to your success, especially if you do not have a well-established or known brand in your industry.

Tell Your Story in Clear, Compelling, Conversational Language

No matter how well-educated your prospects are, don’t make them work hard to digest your story. Short sentences and simple word choices work best.

  • Use straightforward, to-the-point descriptions.
  • Make sure your message comes through in a quick scan.
  • Write with a “you the customer/your needs and interests” orientation.
  • Choose active wording to keep your story moving through to the CTA.
  • Keep your audience in mind: your landing page is talking to them.

In the Geologie example, you will notice that their value proposition is clear: “The Most Respected Brand in Men’s Skincare.” It’s simple and differentiates their product right away. When you look at their landing page, it’s easy to scan and take in the information that they are communicating.

Multiple Variables Have an Impact on Your Results

When designing your landing page, consider the following for optimal results:

  • People scan webpages in an “F” shape. The top left gets the most viewing time. From there, eye movements scan from top-down and from left to right. Position your content accordingly.
  • Simple, uncrowded layouts work best. Give your content room to breathe (“white space”), making it easier to comprehend.
  • People look at images before words, and a picture is worth a thousand words – when it’s the right picture. Make sure illustrations are relevant and positioned where you want people to look.
  • Use visual signals like arrows, buttons, credit card icons that your audience already understands. Think of them as traffic signs on your landing page.
  • Save high contrast colour treatments for your CTA button. You want it to stand out! Colour may make a difference: a red button has been shown to get higher response than a green one.
  • On longer pages, add a duplicate CTA further down.
  • Keep image file sizes in check to avoid slow page load times.

Airbnb has done a great job with its landing page. The headline pulls you right in with a simple value proposition and benefit. The value proposition is positioned at top left, so it’s the first thing you notice. The submit button is in red, which captures your attention, and the language in the submit button is clear and aligned to the value proposition.

Plan for the Platforms and Devices Your Prospects are Using

Roughly half of landing page visitors use mobile devices. This means a vast range of screen sizes and devices are being used to view your landing page. Device-responsive website technology lets your page adapt accordingly.

Help it along with a few more steps:

  • Keep layouts simple, and type sizes relatively large.
  • Allow generous empty space around CTA buttons.
  • Use autofill tools for forms.
  • Check how your landing page appears on different devices before it launches.

Hold the Extras for “Thank You” Emails

Avoid the temptation to include extra information or supplementary links in landing pages. Instead, provide these in “thank you” emails, which you may be using to deliver on your offer.

  • Build relationships by letting respondents know they are appreciated and where to find help.
  • Use the opportunity to request additional information or present an upsell offer.

Monitor, Test and Update

Make it a routine to check on results. In addition to tracking conversions, you may wish to review other analytics such as page visits, locations and device types.

  • Don’t assume: test! Offers, headlines, body copy, forms, illustrations and design elements can all play a part in the results you achieve. Look for actionable differences that are within scope and make sense for your business. To quote Unbounce, “Test it out before you commit, and make decisions based on data instead of gut instinct.”
  • Many platforms, such as Pardot, offer tools for setting up and managing landing page tests.
  • Machine learning and artificial intelligence are starting to offer potentially powerful datacrunching and predictive capabilities. Watch for new analytical tools in this arena.

Checklist of Landing Page Elements

  1. Headline focused on your value proposition (offer)
  2. Subhead to support or expand on the headline
  3. Hero image or video
  4. Offer description
  5. Benefits with features
  6. A single CTA
  7. Scarcity or urgency, if any
  8. Your logo and company name
  9. Social proof or trust marks
  10. Footer with essentials such as company URL, legal, privacy, or unsubscribe notice