Your boss calls one morning and says, “It’s time.” You gulp, remembering the challenge from a while back—you need to dive into the world of landing page design to make an impact.

The problem? You don’t know the first thing about creating high-converting landing pages. But don’t worry—this is your chance to learn. It's time to become a lead generation master.

Along the way, you meet Ceros, the ultimate guide for building landing pages. Ceros shows you how it’s done, shares examples, and points out the common mistakes to avoid.

All you have to do is read this guide.

Ready to absorb all the knowledge awaiting you? Let’s go!

Source: Giphy

What is a landing page?

Once upon a time, there lived a landing page (LP). A solitary creature used to boost conversions and drive traffic. In reality, it’s a standalone web page created for marketing or advertising purposes. Its goal is simple: to capture leads or encourage visitors to take a specific action. 

Things like: 

• Signing up for a newsletter
• Making a purchase
• Downloading a resource
• Registering for an event
• A/B testing pages
• Launching products 

There are different types of landing pages, such as lead generation LPs that collect information about visitors (often through a form), or product pages that include specific details, testimonials, and CTAs to persuade potential buyers. 

BUT a landing page isn’t the same as a website.

Let’s explore the differences between them in the next chapter. 

What’s the difference between a website and a landing page? 

A website, a landing page — they’re the same thing, right? Both have similar layouts, a compelling copy, some images sprinkled throughout. Aaaand they compel people to perform an action, whatever that might be.

You’re half right. They’re both web pages, but that’s where the similarity ends, really. Here, let’s show you the differences in this awesome graphic: 

So, to summarize: LPs have one clear goal and focus all their energy to persuade users to perform a specific action. Websites are more general; think of them as a business card for your products and services. 

You could, technically, use your homepage as the LP for your campaign. But be warned: it probably won’t convert any leads. Instead, using LPs has some benefits — let’s go through them. 

What are the benefits of landing pages? 

Five words, 10 syllables, one truthful statement: 

Source: Giphy

Yep. Trust us. An LP’s benefits can tilt your world (in a good way). Please, see for yourself: 

• Make a great first impression: Everyone cares about first impressions; we all want to be unique and people to like us for being interesting. As a brand, it’s easy to make a good impression through a captivating and well-thought LP, as it provides an initial experience that influences people’s perception of your brand. 
• Higher conversion rates: LPs are all about converting leads — their main job is to turn potential customers into actual buyers. That’s why your landing page should contain content relevant to the specific audience of the dedicated campaign and organized in such a way that it’s easy for them to find what they’re looking for. 
• Improve trust and credibility: Aside from making a good impression, a good LP builds trustworthiness and credibility. “Err, how?” By adding social proof, like testimonials from past customers or showcasing your reputation in the field through trophies. 🏆 Don’t be shy to brag about your performance — show them who’s boss! 
• Increase brand awareness: With greater landing pages comes better brand awareness. Surprise! LPs are not just great for generating leads, but also for building your online presence. 

At some point, you might’ve thought, “What if they leave without converting?” So what?! Chances are they’ll come back. Your branding elements will stay imprinted in their minds and they’ll remember them when they encounter your brand again. 

• Better reach to mobile users: Ugh, when we think about optimizing an entire website for mobile devices, it’s just… 😬 But we do love turning LPs into mobile-responsive pages! 

By optimizing a single LP for smaller screens, we can provide users with a flawless user experience and quicker loading times. With people having small (*ahem* zero) attention spans, a landing page can sell your unique proposition faster. 

• Greater marketing campaign accountability: Without dedicated LPs for each campaign, you probably don’t even know how much traffic it drives. Womp - womp. To make smarter decisions and allocate your marketing budget effectively, create landing pages! You’ll convert more visitors AND see how campaigns perform. Win-win! 

Right, we’ve talked enough about the benefits. You’re probably more eager to start creating your own LP, right? Let’s jump right to it, then. 

How to create an effective landing page: Step-by-step guide

The secret to building great landing pages is…

…

…

Source: Giphy

…following these next steps!

Step 1: Define the goal for your landing page

Alright, pay attention now cause this is important. Riddle me this: what are you trying to achieve with a landing page? Do you want to: 

1. Show off a new product or service
2. Pump the numbers up and get more leads
3. Persuade users to join your newsletter

There’s a secret option: ALL OF THE ABOVE! Yep. You don’t have to choose one goal, but several (within reason). The important bit is for the landing page to have a purpose; without one, you won’t be able to craft an effective LP. 

Once you have a goal and you know who your audience is, start building the landing page with the appropriate content. 

Step 2: Research your competition

It’s time to put on your detective hat 🕵️ because there’s some research to do before you put everything into motion. And no, we don’t mean stalking rival CEOs in real life; just seeing what they do online.  

Grab a notebook (and a large pot of coffee) and visit your main competitors’ landing pages. Observe what type of content they use to generate leads and capture users’ attention.  Do they use customer reviews to build credibility or countdown timers to create a sense of urgency, and make visitors think, “Oh no, I don’t want to miss out on this offer!” 

Note the things that will resonate with your audience, what potential clients might be interested in, and anything that will capture their attention. 

Step 3: Choose a good landing page builder

With the right HTML or CSS knowledge, you can create your own LPs from scratch. But, honestly — who in their right mind would want to do that when there’s an easier and faster way? 

Instead of taking weeks to do the work yourself, you can create LPs in a few seconds with the right builder. In this fast-paced world, your marketing strategy needs to be top-notch so you can publish content quickly, without any headaches. 

How you choose the right builder depends on the needs, budget, and features you want. Speaking of features, here’s a list of must-have capabilities an LP builder should have: 

✅ Pre-designed templates 

✅ Generative AI features 

✅ Design tools and editors

✅ Free stock photos

✅ Mobile optimization

✅ Performance metrics

Huh, that list describes Ceros pretty well. 🤔 

Ceros can be the perfect tool for creating fun, eye-catching, and interactive landing pages. It has many automation features, like an AI-enhanced image and text generator, interactive creation capabilities, and user-friendly templates that help you create the LP of your dreams.  

Step 4: Start with a landing page template

You can hang up your badge and take off the hat because your detective days are over. It was a fun time, but now you have all the information you need to start creating the LP.

In this next step, there’s not much to do aside from selecting a template and building upon it. Many LP builders have such pre-made templates, each with its unique layout that saves you looooots of time than doing it from scratch. 

Plus, they’re also so efficient and visually appealing! Don’t believe us? You must look at Ceros’ Inspire page, where you can pick different landing page templates (for different industries, types, and features) that you can work on. 

They’re fun, colorful, amazing, useful — we can talk about Ceros’ templates for hours, that’s how great they are! 

Step 5: Write your landing page copy

Quick — think of a headline! You have three seconds. 

Nothing? Well, we did take you by surprise, didn’t we? But we want to point out that you’ll need to put a lot of thought into your headlines before going live with the LP. You only have three seconds to catch a visitor’s attention, so make sure your headline delivers. 

As for the rest of the copy, one word: benefits. Talk about how your product is the only one that will solve their problem, how wonderful it is, how it does your homework AND brings you breakfast in bed in the morning. 

A good tip is to keep sentences short while avoiding all the blah blah blah. Just stick to the point and visitors will lap it up! 

Step 6: Use eye catching visual content

Ooh, we love this step! It’s so fun! 

Basically, this is the part where you can let your creativity lose. Open up your browser, go on your favorite free stock photo site, and SEARCH! After all, a landing page is not complete without visual content, which helps users understand your message better and increase conversions. 

Through visual content, you direct visitors where you want them to look and persuade them to take action. You know the saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ 

It’s true. For instance, using real photos helps users connect with your brand on a personal (and emotional) level because people get to know the faces behind the company. 

Or you can tell a story through powerful imagery like the hero image or font and emphasize your product’s benefits better.  

The point is, don’t sleep on it. If you need help, Editor is there to help you edit copy and images through a drag-and-drop interface, so you can find the ideal visual content for your brand-new LP easily. 

Step 7: Design the call-to-action

Ahh yes, the CTA button. We love the CTA button. It’s a must-have on any LP you create. This right here is the bread and butter of your landing page, as it converts visitors into buyers by simply being irresistible. Like ice cream!

Basically, the call-to-action button reflects what you want visitors to do on the landing page. “Subscribe to the newsletter” or “Register to the event” or “See the demo.” It can have many shapes and sizes; as long as you know the goal, you can create the button accordingly. 

The CTA is like Mystique from X-men, meaning it can take two shapes: it can disguise itself as a form or be a click-through button. Try to keep the CTA, no matter the shape, as simple as possible. 

AND STICK TO ONE! If you have too many links and buttons and all that jazz, you only distract the user from the real goal. 

Step 8: Include social proof

Or as we like to call it, “The bragging rights section.” We’re joking (mostly), but it is a step that requires you to show people how awesome your product is. And that means adding…

• Testimonials
• Customer reviews
• Case studies
• Certifications
• Subscriber counts

…to your landing page. This helps users unfamiliar with your brand (but even those who know you might need reassurance) see what other people have to say about your product. It helps them be more inclined to buy it when they know how great it is.

Ever had a show pop up on Netflix that seemed vaguely (but not very) interesting until your best friend said you HAVE to watch it?  That’s how testimonials work too, adding credibility, genuineness, and trust to your name. 

To create the section, simply add the quote and a photo of the person giving the review. Chances are people will trust your product more if they see it comes from a real person, so start hunting for reviews now! 

Step 9: Check for SEO

Each day when we create something new, we pray to the SEO gods to be merciful with us. It goes like this: 

SEO, SEO, help me drive more traffic.

Rank me high in search engines

And attract the visitors I need.

But SEO doesn’t necessarily need to rely on celestial beings to drive the traffic you need. Many landing page website creators have built-in SEO tools that you can tinker with and optimize the LP. 

Pay close attention to the title tag and meta description. Make them short and sweet, but be as descriptive and engaging as possible. This is the first impression someone makes about your brand when searching for a specific keyword. And we all know how important first impressions are.

Step 10: Track, test, and improve

Okay, we’re at the last step, bear with us. 

After publishing the landing page using whatever method the builder has, you need to measure how well your LP is performing. Sorry to say, but you can’t just publish it, clap your hands, and forget about it. Nope. 

You have to regularly check on it and see how it’s performing. In case it’s not, then you have to fine-tune and improve on it until it’s back on track. Some builders have integrations with Google Analytics, for example, so you can rest assured that you can track anything that interests you. 

Ceros can give you the insights you need to improve your LPs. Watch your metrics soar with Studio’s real-time analytics and optimize your landing page to perfection. 

***

That’s all we have on how to create a new landing page from scratch. So congrats on finishing this chapter, we knew you could do it!

But we’re not over yet. Next, let’s chat about what mistakes you should avoid when creating landing pages.

What mistakes to avoid when designing landing pages?

It’s human nature to make mistakes. BUT what we can do is learn from our mistakes. And even prevent them.

In this case, discover what mistakes to avoid when designing LPs so you can create the best content the world has ever seen without the hassle. 

Writing walls of text

When potential customers see an LP with text the length of an essay, their reaction will most likely be this: 

Source: Giphy

Which is fair because who wants to read that much? Chances are you’ll lose your visitors after the first few sentences. Ain’t nobody got time for that! In this era of speed, where everything is like Ricky Bobby and “gotta go fast”, you need to be brief and to the point.

So, avoid creating walls of text that make people instinctively want to back out of your site ASAP. Choose your words carefully and avoid fluff. Each word and sentence should have meaning and serve to build trust, elicit emotions, or create a connection. 

Being too generic

In your panic to write as little content as possible (as the LP requires), you forget to put soul into your words. Too late do you realize that your words are a little bit…

Boring. Generic. Uninspired. 

People who read your copy can predict the next word because they’ve heard it all before. Besides, it doesn’t sound like your brand, its style or personality. 

It’s not a good feeling to have. Your words need to be memorable and make an impression. Don’t copy phrases and words from other competitors because they sound nice. Be genuine, always think about your message and structure, and tailor the landing page content for your audience. 

Not matching with the target audience

Your landing page looks gorgeous. It has dazzling colors, super cute font, the best content you’ve ever written. 

They do love it. But for all the wrong reasons. They come on your LP, see how beautiful it is, and leave. You poured all your sweat and tears into it, but it’s still not converting. 

Because it’s not what they’re looking for. It doesn’t meet their expectations and doesn’t match the user persona. For instance, if your audience is CEOs, try to keep the LP’s design simple and professional, with minimal jokes. Put the benefits at the top and focus on features; things that CEOs might look for. 

Another great tip is to clearly define the problem and the solution, so users get the right message from the get-go. 

Unmemorable headline

You’ve created a catchy headline with many fancy words. You’ve placed it at the top of the page to create a good first impression. What can go wrong?

Source: Giphy

Like with your content, headlines can look pretty and have fancy keywords. But it can say nothing. Sure, it stays in someone’s mind for a while. But if they leave the page without converting, then what? 

Your LP should inspire people to explore the content, find something they like, and click that CTA button. Don’t make a headline that is appealing but not persuasive enough to make people stay on the page. 

Always keep your message at the top of your mind and communicate only the most important information, aka value and emotion. 

Hard-to-find CTA

Last mistake is in regards to the call-to-action button, which is key to every landing page, remember that. But where, exactly?

Well, the CTA button needs to be visible. Often, people place it at the top of the page, in the header, so the user sees it as soon as they enter the LP. With the right color contrast, the CTA button can stand out from the background and capture the user’s attention. 

Don’t forget to use persuasive language like “Download,” “Buy,” or “Register” to encourage people to convert. Try to be clear in your instructions and avoid vagueness.

The mistake people make is to hide CTAs under the hero section or simply not distinguish them in any way. As a result, people miss it completely. Oops! You definitely don’t want that. If people can’t find the CTA right away, chances are they won’t look for it. 

One more thing: be careful how many CTAs you place on your landing page. Too many, umm, not ideal. It’ll overwhelm the user and the CTAs will fight for the user’s attention. 

A rule of thumb is to use two different CTAs, like a click-through button and a form at the end of the LP.

***

Enough theory! Let’s see all these tips in action by looking at some gorgeous landing page examples (by yours truly, Ceros).

5 effective landing page examples to inspire you

We know you’ve been eagerly awaiting for this part, so we’ll delay no longer. Let’s look at some examples from Ceros’ Inspire page that will blow. your. mind. 🤯

1. Recruitment landing page

Let’s kick off with a recruitment LP, a relatively simple and straightforward landing page with little animations, but strong visuals. 

It’s an LP that goes straight to the point, clearly sending out the message: “We want to hire you!” The landing page contains social proof, like numbers and testimonials from the team, as well as a brief description of the benefits of joining this company. 

Moreover, the CTAs are well-placed. Candidates can apply to the role they’re interested in by simply clicking “Apply now.” 

2. Rosetta Stone for business

This is another great landing page example, starting boldly with social proof: “Join the 12,000 organizations that use language training to evolve their business.” If that isn’t persuasive enough for you…

The LP then gives users a choice: either to read more testimonials (building more credibility) or go straight to buying the product by requesting pricing. If the user needs more convincing, they can scroll down the page and see the benefits of the product. 

Plus, Ceros makes LPs interactive. Click on the + button and read additional info about the product, which adds to your digital marketing’s success. 

3. Product page

Going back to the roots, this is a more traditional LP, starting with a catchy headline and a compelling CTA in the hero section.

 You can clearly see the importance of content and how it persuades users to click on that CTA button. Scrolling downward, you can see the product’s key features, as well as multiple CTAs that prompt users to explore the solution further. 

Pretty simple, no? 

The interactivity of the LP is due to Ceros’ user-friendly editor that allows you to create wonderful experiences. 

4. Good health changes everything

You can’t really see it here, but this landing page features a video, which is such a cool idea! Talk about being unique and catching people’s attention; users will surely spend time watching it and getting intrigued by the product. 

Other than that, it’s a relatively easy-to-navigate landing page, filled with information about the benefits of the product. It also has some e-commerce elements, featuring a shop where you can buy supplements. 

There aren’t many CTAs, but that’s perfectly fine! If people are interested in the product, they’ll surely click on the CTA at the end of the LP. 

5. National chewing gumgum day

Our last LP example is a bit more fun with its bright colors and fun visuals. Look at it. So cute! 

It doesn’t feature a lot of text, but it doesn’t need to. Since it’s a newsletter, it has all the content the user needs to be intrigued, such as new features the platform offers or details about upcoming events. 

Besides, what makes this LP special is the interactive quiz you have, which is only possible with Ceros. People will stay a while and test their knowledge, successfully engaging with the brand. 

***

That’s a lot of information to chew on, but the key takeaway is that LPs are great marketing tools for driving more traffic, increasing conversions, and strengthening relationships with customers. 

If you’re ready to build your LP, then… 

Over to you!

As our closing statement, we just want to show you one thing: a review. C’mon, take a look at what people have to say about Ceros. 

Source: TrustRadius

Ceros is the best tool for building engaging and interactive LPs that will convert leads in the blink of an eye.

One minute you’re just starting and then POOF! A landing page. 

Try it for yourself. Schedule a demo now. 😉

And thus our story ends…