While a landing page is essentially any one of your web pages that a visitor can arrive at, within the realm of marketing, your landing page is simply a standalone page which is distinct form your primary website. This page is one that is focused on a single objective and there is no global navigation which ties it to your primary website. Instead, your landing page is meant to restrict your user’s options, guiding them irrevocably toward a conversion—in other words, a new client for your law firm. A click-through landing page is meant to persuade users to click to another page and the goal is to “warm up” your users to a point where they are close to making a decision.
The click through page in the case of a law firm would likely be a registration page or contact form. A lead generation landing page is also used in much the same way to capture your potential client’s information and your user should be told up front just what they will receive in return for submitting their personal information. In some cases you could offer a short e-book or whitepaper in return for the information you will receive, or possibly a free consultation—anything that genuinely makes it worth the user’s time to fill out a form. But what—specifically—differentiates a so-so landing page from a truly great landing page?
Seconds Count, Simplicity Matters, Trust is Key
Visitors quite often determine whether or not they will allocate their precious time to fill out your online form in the mere blink of an eye. This means that your form must appear professional, easy to understand and simple to fill out and this must be conveyed to the user almost instantaneously. If you remember when designing your landing page that your user had to click on something to get there—some sort of action button—then you realize that you already know something very important about your user. This knowledge allows you to keep every single question on your landing page extremely simple. Any user who sees an overwhelming list of questions will likely click away from your landing page in a heartbeat, so consider why the user is on your landing page, then keep it short, concise and extremely simple while offering them something of value in return.
Remember—unlike every other page in your website, your landing page needs no navigation, no menu, no link to your homepage, literally nothing to click on other than a form to fill out and a submit button. Never forget that you are asking people to submit their most private information, therefore your landing page must, above all, inspire trust in those who arrive. Your logo must be prominently displayed, and your real-life physical address and phone number should also be part of your landing page. If your users don’t trust you, they will not be filling out your form, no matter how enticing the return may be. Your design and graphics should be simple, elegant and understated to further inspire trust from your users. If your landing page doesn’t appear credible, then all your work is for nothing.
Would You Fill Out the Form?
Take a long hard look at your landing page and ask yourself whether you would fill it out. Would you feel comfortable sharing your personal information through this landing page and it is confusing in any way? Is the return your users will receive clear? Make sure the primary headline of your landing page matches the ad your users clicked to arrive on the landing page, keep your purpose and message short and credible, and ensure your call to action is both large and positioned above the fold and you will see great results from your legal landing page.
