Touchdown web page web optimization finest practices: A step-by-step information


Touchdown pages are incredible at driving leads and gross sales, however they’re usually not so good at bringing in natural site visitors.

Why? As a result of the very components that assist touchdown pages convert guests — minimal content material, few hyperlinks, and extremely promotional messaging — are just about the reverse of what search engines like google like Google are on the lookout for.

However, if you happen to observe some tried-and-trusted methodologies, it’s completely doable to construct touchdown pages that rank effectively, herald tons of site visitors, and obtain sky-high conversion charges.

Find out how in our information to touchdown web page web optimization…

What’s an web optimization touchdown web page?

web optimization touchdown pages are internet pages optimized to:

  • Rank effectively in search
  • Drive plenty of leads or gross sales

Touchdown pages serve a single function or purpose. Most frequently, the purpose shall be to promote a services or products, seize an e-mail deal with or drive signups to an occasion or webinar.

Typically, a touchdown web page is one in all many pages on a web site.

However there are additionally loads of standalone touchdown pages on the market, constructed utilizing touchdown web page instruments like AWeber and Unbounce.

They generate related site visitors by focusing on particular key phrases. And so they function some type of name to motion (CTA), usually a lead seize type or a “purchase now” button.

Similar to this one:

landing page with lead capture form and cta

Why isn’t your web optimization touchdown web page rating?

It’s a tricky process getting any web optimization touchdown web page to carry out effectively in search.

Reality is, Google (in all probability) makes use of 200+ various factors to find out rankings, together with:

  • Content material high quality
  • Backlinks
  • Key phrase optimization
  • Web site pace
  • Cellular friendliness

It’s exhausting to fulfill a lot of these components if you happen to don’t have a lot content material in your touchdown web page. And it will get even more durable if you happen to’re constructing a standalone touchdown web page.

For starters, you don’t have the authority of an present web site to prop up your rankings. 

What’s extra, you may’t reap the benefits of inside linking — a simple-but-effective web optimization tactic that reinforces a touchdown web page’s authority by linking to it from plenty of different pages on the identical web site. This clearly isn’t an possibility if you happen to’re making a standalone web page since you don’t have another pages.

Touchdown web page web optimization finest practices: A step-by-step optimization information

Certain, touchdown web page web optimization is difficult.

Nevertheless it’s not all dangerous information, as a result of there are many examples of standalone touchdown pages that punch method above their weight within the search rankings.

For example, at time of writing, this touchdown web page about creator and enterprise knowledgeable Jay Baer’s favourite tequila manufacturers…

landing page with very little copy but ranks in top 10

…was rating at #6 for the time period “tequila lists”, which will get a decent 300 estimated searches a month.

That’s regardless of having fewer than 70 phrases on the entire web page. With a little bit extra content material and a few sensible web optimization, we guess it might rank even increased.

Wish to do the identical? Use our touchdown web page web optimization suggestions and tips to spice up your search rankings and generate extra site visitors, leads, and gross sales.

(FYI these ways will work simply as effectively for “common” touchdown pages which might be a part of a full web site. If something, they’ll be much more efficient, as a result of it’s usually simpler to rank with a web site web page than a standalone touchdown web page.)

Establish low-difficulty goal key phrases

The final word purpose of touchdown web page web optimization is to rank for related key phrases with first rate search quantity.

It’s essential be reasonable right here.

Think about you and I needed to construct a standalone web optimization touchdown web page for our new yoga enterprise.

We would wish to goal a broad time period like “yoga mat”, which will get an estimated 215,000 international searches a month.

However the high 10 search outcomes are stuffed with huge manufacturers, retailers, and publishers like Amazon, Goal, and the New York Occasions. There’s zero probability we’ll outrank any of them with a solitary touchdown web page. We’d be a small fish in an enormous pond.

As an alternative, our job is to discover a extra particular key phrase. Fewer folks shall be looking for it, so it’ll be far much less aggressive. We’re nonetheless a small fish — however the pond simply acquired lots smaller, too.

Realistically, to search out these low-difficulty key phrase alternatives, you want to join an web optimization analysis software like:

The primary two are very good, however they’re additionally fairly costly at $100+ per 30 days.

Ubersuggest doesn’t have as many options, but it surely’s a complete lot cheaper (beginning at $29/month), and it even provides you a restricted quantity of free performance. So we’re going to indicate you use it to trace down that low-hanging key phrase fruit.

First, it is advisable to enter a “seed” key phrase — a broad time period like “yoga mat” that we’ll use to search out extra particular variants.

Search for yoga mat using ubersuggest

Now for the great things: select Associated phrases to broaden out our search, then use the web optimization Issue filter to exclude any key phrases with a rating over 30, as a result of these phrases could be too aggressive.

(Keep in mind that completely different instruments have alternative ways of rating key phrase problem. For example, Ahrefs tends to provide decrease problem scores than Ubersuggest. So if you happen to’re utilizing Ahrefs, set a decrease most key phrase problem; 15 – 20 needs to be fantastic).

Screen shot showing how to filter by SEO difficulty using Ubersuggest

Hopefully, that’ll spit out a bunch of related outcomes.

Now, hit the Quantity filter so that you’ve acquired a listing of the lowest-competition key phrases with the very best variety of estimated month-to-month searches:

Screen shot showing how to filter by volume using Ubersuggest

Then it’s only a case of reviewing the outcomes and choosing out any that catch the attention.

At first look, “dimensions of a yoga mat” seems fascinating. Certain, it doesn’t present a lot shopping for intent, but it surely has a ton of quantity (1,900 searches a month). We might convey these searchers to our touchdown web page, clarify all of the completely different yoga mat dimensions, then suggest a bunch of mats in every measurement class.

Or there’s at all times “yoga mat for canine” (260 searches a month) if we fancy actually niche-ing down.

You could have to do some extra analysis at this stage to determine the intent behind a key phrase and whether or not it’s price pursuing.

For example, folks Googling “grounded yoga mat” (260 month-to-month searches) are on the lookout for a mat that supposedly creates {an electrical} connection between the earth and the yogi utilizing it. If that’s one thing we promote in our imaginary yoga retailer, it’s a good time period to focus on.

Select the very best of the bunch and make an observation of it; that’s your main key phrase.

Or if none of them works for you, begin over with a unique seed key phrase.

👉 Do that: When you’ve discovered your main key phrase, Google it, then pick potential secondary key phrases within the “Individuals additionally ask” and “Associated searches” sections. For example, “what’s a regular yoga mat measurement” might make a helpful subheading on a touchdown web page focusing on the first time period “dimensions of a yoga mat”:

Screen shot of People Also Ask found in a Google search for "what is a standard yoga mat size"

Construction your web optimization touchdown web page copy

Use the key phrases you discovered within the earlier step to construct a tough construction for the title and subheadings of your web optimization touchdown web page.

These titles and subheadings will type your heading tags. Also referred to as H tags and header tags, they’re a significant a part of your on-page web optimization, which has a big effect on how effectively your web page will rank (extra on that within the subsequent part).

Heading tags run hierarchically from H1 – H6. Your touchdown web page ought to have a single H1 tag and as many H2s, H3s, and many others as it is advisable to meet the search intent and outrank your rivals. The extra in-depth, the higher.

For example, the heading tag construction of our yoga touchdown web page would possibly seem like this:

    • What’s a regular yoga mat measurement?

      • <H3> 5 finest normal yoga mats

    • What’s a big yoga mat measurement?

      • <H3> 5 finest yoga mats for tall folks

👉 Do that: Construction your touchdown web page, then write your web page content material. Your purpose is to write higher content material (i.e. extra in-depth) than the present #1 rating web page on your main key phrase — in any other case what’s the purpose?

Sort out different on-page web optimization parts

We’ve lined a key a part of on-page touchdown web page web optimization: heading tags.

However they’re solely one in all a number of on-page parts that assist search engines like google perceive what your web page is about.

To offer your web page the very best probability of sturdy rankings, you additionally have to nail all these parts:

Title tag

Your title tag is the very first thing searchers see once they come throughout your touchdown web page on a search engine outcomes web page (SERP):

Location of a title tag in a Google search result

It needs to be quick — not more than 60 characters. And it ought to compel searchers to click on.

👉 Do that: Attempt to place your main key phrase at the beginning of the web page title and put much less necessary phrases final.

Meta description

The meta description seems under the title tag in SERPs:

Location of a meta description in a Google search result

It’s form of like an commercial on your touchdown web page, briefly explaining what it’s about and why folks ought to click on. Google highlights the search time period — plus shut matches and different related info — in daring textual content, serving to the outline stand out and bettering click-through fee.

👉 Do that: Write a meta description of as much as 160 characters on your touchdown web page, together with your main key phrase.

Visible parts

Including photos and movies to your touchdown web page can persuade guests to stay round for longer.

This reveals Google that individuals like your content material, which in flip can enhance your rankings.

However that’s not the one advantage of utilizing plenty of visible parts.

Photographs can even present up in search outcomes, providing you with one other supply of site visitors. Plus they’re usually extra environment friendly than textual content for speaking details about your services or products.

For example, Gaiam makes use of photos to assist customers select the fitting yoga mat:

Landing page from Gaiam showing images to help shoppers choose the right yoga mat

In reality, there’s barely any seen copy on this touchdown web page, as a result of it’s largely contained inside collapsible parts:

Landing page showing collapsible section

This makes the web page fast and straightforward to scan.

There’s no “splendid ratio” of visible parts to textual content on a touchdown web page. Slightly than forcing your self to incorporate an arbitrary picture or video each 100 phrases, deal with making the searcher’s life simpler, including as many as it is advisable to totally reply their question.

👉 Do that: Discover related imagery — and, ideally, a video too — so as to add to your touchdown web page. If you happen to don’t have any of your personal belongings, use galleries like Pixabay and Unsplash. Additionally, you’ll want to compress photos and movies utilizing instruments like TinyPNG and Freeconvert to assist your touchdown web page load quicker (extra on this later).

Alt textual content

Although photos present up in search outcomes, Google can’t really see them.

It’s essential add descriptive alt textual content to your photos to inform search engines like google what they’re about.

Alt textual content additionally improves the accessibility of your touchdown web page by enabling display readers to “describe” photos to customers with visible impairments.

When writing alt textual content, attempt to spell out what’s within the picture and add key phrases naturally.

For example, the highest picture outcome for the time period “dimensions of a yoga mat”…

top image result for the term “dimensions of a yoga mat” in Google

…has the alt textual content: “Illustration of yoga mat sizes.”

👉 Do that: Write as much as 125 characters of alt textual content for every picture in your touchdown web page. 

Touchdown web page URL

The URL is likely one of the most simply neglected parts of touchdown web page web optimization.

It helps search engines like google perceive what your touchdown web page is about and the way it pertains to different content material in your web site, so it ought to embrace your main key phrase.

👉 Do that: Write a URL on your touchdown web page, together with the first key phrase you’re focusing on. Purpose for a size of fifty – 60 characters. Learn extra about modifying your URL with a site, subdomain, and web page path in our information: How do I customise my touchdown web page URL?

Web page pace

Google has been utilizing web page pace as a consider search rankings for effectively over a decade now.

Why? As a result of slow-loading pages create a poor person expertise.

In reality, 45% of individuals have a unfavorable impression of internet sites that take too lengthy to load, and 32% say they’d possible by no means go to the positioning once more.

Bar graph showing user sentiment as it relates to website speed

Google is aware of this, so it punishes slow-loading pages with decrease rankings.

We’ve already mentioned one key component of web page pace optimization: compressing photos and movies.

However there are many different components, so that you’ll wish to undergo all of them to make sure a slick loading expertise.

👉 Do that: Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights software to establish and proper points slowing down your touchdown web page.

Backlinks are hyperlinks pointing to your touchdown web page from exterior websites.

They’re a vital component of touchdown web page web optimization, as a result of when different web sites hyperlink to your web page, Google treats it as a form of advice that you just’ve produced high-quality content material.

This has a large impression on rankings.

In reality, on common, the #1 search outcome has 3.8X extra backlinks than these in positions #2 – #10.

Graph showing impact of backlinks in search result rankings

Some websites would possibly hyperlink to your content material with none effort in your half, particularly if you happen to’re a high-profile identify in your area of interest and/or a trusted supply of knowledge.

For example, Wikipedia has tens of thousands and thousands of backlinks, and so they possible didn’t need to ask for a lot of of them.

However if you happen to’re not Wikipedia, you’ll in all probability need to make a aware effort to construct these all-important backlinks your self.

👉 Do that: There are numerous faculties of thought on one of the best ways to construct backlinks. However one easy strategy is to:

  • Discover the web page that presently ranks #1 on your main key phrase
  • Use an web optimization software like Ahrefs or Semrush to search out websites that presently hyperlink to that web page
  • Ask these websites to hyperlink to you as an alternative!

Stage up your touchdown web page web optimization with AWeber

Earlier than you may leverage any of those touchdown web page web optimization finest practices, you first have to construct your touchdown web page.

AWeber can assist.

Our touchdown web page builder makes it fast and straightforward to construct fast-loading, high-converting touchdown pages.

landing page templates found in AWeber

Constructed-in Canva entry helps you convey your design concepts to life.

Or, if you happen to want a little bit inspiration, begin with one in all our 100+ mobile-responsive pre-built templates and customise to your coronary heart’s content material utilizing our easy drag-and-drop editor.

See for your self by signing up for a free AWeber account.
Get began right here!