How to create a high converting landing page

If you’ve ever wondered why your ads bring in clicks but not customers, the problem might not be your marketing, it could be your landing page.

A landing page is the first impression your potential customers get after clicking an ad, email, or search result. Done right, it turns visitors into leads or buyers. Done wrong, it leaks traffic and lowers your conversion rate.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to create a high converting landing page, the essential elements to include, and best practices to maximise results. Whether you’re building from scratch or using high converting landing page templates, you’ll learn conversion rate optimization tips that will help you design with purpose, capture your target audience, and drive that thing we're all looking for... the "desired action".

The purpose of the landing page

A small language change makes a big difference. When we talk about a 'landing page', we're not talking about any old web page.

Unlike a standard web page, a landing page is designed with one goal in mind: conversions. That could mean signing up for a free trial, booking a consultation, downloading a resource, or making a purchase. Landing pages are usually created to complement paid advertising, such as social ads or pay per click, so they need to be as conversion-optimised as possible, to make the most of every cent spent.

What separates a good landing page from a great one is focus. Every design choice, word of copy, and visual element should lead the user toward your conversion goal.

A landing page isn’t about giving too much information, it’s about guiding the visitor clearly, leaving them wanting a little bit more, and persuading them to take the next step.

How to create a high converting landing page: The ingredients

If you want to create a high converting landing page, here's what you'll need.

• Compelling headlines with a clear value proposition

• Persuasive copy and key features

• Prominent CTAs

• Visual elements and clean design

• Social proof and credibility

If you've got all these things together, you're ready to get cooking.

High converting landing page: The recipe

1. Headline and value proposition

Your headline is your first impression. It should immediately grab the user’s attention and clearly communicate your value proposition. Keep it short, benefit-driven, and easy to understand.

If you've ever heard that annoying saying "If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it", you're half way there. The idea is to get your product/service across in a clear and concise way. However, there's a line to tread because you don't want to over-simplify and lose the emotional value.

For examples, one of the best industries to look at is SaaS platforms. They always have incredibly CRO-optimized landing pages.

Example: Instead of something simple but un-emotive, like "Online accounting software", Quickbooks have gone with "Seriously easy accounting for small businesses". What works...

• It's clear this product is going to help you with accounting

• It addresses a common pain point, keeping on top of your books is rarely easy

• It's clear who the product is for, not for any old business but specifically for small businesses

2. Persuasive copy and key features

Your landing page copy should persuade without overwhelming. Use concise copy that focuses on benefits rather than features. Bullet points are a great way to highlight the key features users care about most. As most visitors scan, they should be able to see your benefits at a glance.

Example: Zoho have a clever section here which has their benefits/features alongside some impressive stats, for extra persuasiveness. Without getting too nerdy, the way these points are written is super smart. They're clearly benefits, but the feature is implied within them.

For example:

• Get a 360-degree view of your business. → A benefit, but implies a feature like dashboards/analytics.

• Follow up on important sales and marketing opportunities. → Benefit, implied that there will be features like reminders or pipelines.

• Quickly view your next best actions. → Benefit.

• Increase conversion rates from leads to sales. → Pure benefit.

• Take your business everywhere, at your own pace. → Benefit, feature implied that remote access/mobile app will make this easier.

Each benefit sells the outcome rather than the tool itself, which is great for helping visitors connect emotionally with the product.

3. Prominent CTA buttons

Your CTA buttons are where conversions happen. They should stand out visually and use a clear call to action text like “Start Free Trial” or “Book Your Demo”. Place CTAs strategically: one above the fold, and others repeated as the user scrolls.

Example: Deel have a great hero section here. There are two CTAs, well technically 3, above the fold; 'Book a demo' and 'Learn more'.

Book a demo is clearly the primary CTA here. It's in a dark, contrasting color, and the text is super action driven. We often see businesses make the mistake of putting generic button text like 'Submit' or 'I'm ready', neither of these options really tell people what they can expect from hitting that button. 'Book a demo', on the other hand, makes it very clear what's going to happen after you've filled in that contact form.

The secondary CTA, on the left, is not quite as important but it's still useful to have, as there may be visitors who are not quite ready to book a demo yet. So, Deel have given them a way to find out more, but they've designed that button very discreetly to try and minimize the number of people who press 'See how it works' instead of 'Book a demo'.

4. Visual spice and clean design

A clean design with a consistent color scheme improves visual appeal and makes the page easier to navigate. One popular way to streamline the design on landing pages is to hide the search bar and navigation. You want to control the user journey through the page, towards the conversion. A search bar and navigation just acts as a potential distraction, giving people an escape route out of your sales funnel. So, think about whether you want to hide those on your landing page design.

Don’t forget responsive web design, too, your page must look flawless on mobile devices. More than half of traffic now comes from mobile users, and a clunky layout can destroy your conversion rate. It's also bad for your SEO, as search engines love a mobile-optimized site.

Example: It might not be the prettiest, most awarding-winning example of design, but this landing page from Hubspot is a great example of clean, conversion-optimized design. There's 0 clutter, plenty of white space, and no overpowering elements that are going to get in the way of the copy and contact form. The rest of the page follows the same, clean design ensuring the copy and the message are what sings.

5. Social proof & credibility

The cherry on the cake...

Visitors want proof that your offer works. Adding customer testimonials, case studies, and reviews builds trust. Showcasing social media mentions or logos of companies you’ve worked with helps to build credibility.

This type of social proof reassures people that others have already benefited, making them more likely to act.

Example: One of the first, and most well-known, companies to do this was Amazon. They launched their customer review feature in 1995, literally way back when I'd only just been born. Since then, their review features have gone from strength to strength with photos, videos, and most recently, AI review overviews.

Trust-building logos are another great way to build social proof, which can up your conversion rate. Take a look at Stripe's banner here, with names like Google, OpenAI and Amazon on there, you're going to feel pretty secure in trusting them. Even if you haven't worked with household names like these, adding logos of people you have worked with will still help.

Tweaking and testing

Creating a high-converting landing page is an ongoing process. Following the above tips and outline will get you halfway there, but the important part is continual testing and tweaking. This is what separates a good CRO landing page from an absolute powerhouse.

We've written a whole article about A/B testing ideas to up your conversion rates, but below are a few to get you started on upping your average conversion rate.

1. Button color

Seemingly a simple choice, button color can actually have a huge impact on conversion rates. There's some ongoing debate in the CRO world, this is often around green v red/orange buttons. In some studies, green wins, in others, red/orange comes up trumps. Really, you have to figure it out for yourself. It depends on your site and your audience, so A/B test both!

2. Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency pushes people to act now, not later. Adding limited-time offers, countdown timers, or low-stock alerts is a great way to nudge hesitant users. Just make sure the urgency feels authentic, not manipulative.

3. CTA text

A/B testing is all about tiny tweaks. One place these can have the most impact is on, you guessed it, buttons. For example, what do you think might happen if you changed button text from "Try now" to "Try now for free". We have a pretty good guess, but A/B testing will let you know for sure.

High converting landing page templates

Website builders and drag and drop editors like Wix, WordPress and Framer have loads of conversion-optimized templates. These templates will have all the components you need, from customer testimonials to key benefits sections. All you need to do is fill in the blanks and get live.

The most important elements

Now you know how to create a high converting landing page, one that’s focused, persuasive, and designed around the user. By combining a strong value proposition, persuasive copy, a prominent CTA, and trust-building social proof, you can transform clicks into customers.

Just remember that a high converting landing page is never finished. Test, refine, and optimise based on results. If you start with proven high converting landing page templates and improve over time, you’ll steadily increase your landing page conversion rate and drive meaningful growth for your business.

How to create a high converting landing page: Q&A

What is the main purpose of a landing page?

A landing page is designed with one specific goal in mind, conversions. Unlike a homepage, which introduces your brand and multiple offerings, a landing page focuses on persuading visitors to take a single action such as signing up, booking a demo, or making a purchase.

How is a landing page different from a website homepage?

A homepage provides an overview of your business and links to multiple sections, while a landing page has a single, focused objective. Homepages encourage exploration; landing pages are about getting visitors to act immediately.

What are the key elements of a high converting landing page?

The most important elements include:

• A compelling headline with a clear value proposition

• Persuasive copy that highlights benefits

• Prominent CTA buttons

• Clean, responsive design with strong visuals

• Social proof and credibility (reviews, testimonials, logos)

Do I really need social proof?

Yes. Social proof builds trust and reduces hesitation. Testimonials, case studies, reviews, or well-known client logos show visitors that others have had positive experiences, making them more likely to convert.

How many CTAs should I include on my landing page?

At least one CTA should be above the fold, with additional CTAs placed naturally as the user scrolls. Repetition is fine, but avoid overwhelming the visitor, focus on a single main action.

Should my landing page be optimized for mobile?

Absolutely. More than half of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. A clunky, non-responsive layout will lower your conversion rates, so mobile optimization is essential.

How can I improve my landing page conversion rate over time?

Ongoing A/B testing is key. Test different button colors, CTA text, page layouts, and headlines. Use analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to track performance, then refine your design and copy based on actual results of user experience and user behavior, not guesswork.

Do I need to use a landing page template or build from scratch?

You can do either. High converting landing page templates (from platforms like Wix, WordPress, or Framer) are a great starting point, since they’re already structured for conversions. However, custom-built pages can give you more flexibility and branding opportunities.