The Future of Landing Pages: 8 Emerging Trends And Technologies

What’s the key to a successful online marketing campaign? A fantastic landing page, of course! After all, what’s the use of great marketing if a user doesn’t stick around on your website? You’ve done the legwork, and got a prospect to click on your ad. But you’ve been let down by a boring and uninspired landing page.

What’s the solution? To fix your landing page woes, you need to go back to the drawing board. So, let’s look at some emerging landing page trends.

But first, let’s start with the basics.

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

A common mistake is to think that a landing page and a homepage are the same. It’s true that they serve similar purposes. They’re both intended to be a user’s first impression of your business.

The difference is that the homepage is designed for general users discovering your website. A landing page is much more tailored. It’s designed to influence a user to behave in a certain way.

Let’s say that you’re running an ad to promote your new product. A prospect sees your ad, and clicks a link. They are taken to a page specifically designed to tell a user about the product, and persuade them to buy it. This is a landing page. The centerpiece of a landing page is always a call to action (CTA -eg. Buy it now, learn more, etc).

To be effective, a landing page needs to have pinpoint accuracy. For that, you need to understand your users inside and out. You should know the kind of content they respond to, and what turns them off. For that, you’ll need the right data engineering tools to unlock customer insights.

So, whilst we can’t talk about the behaviors of your user, we can talk about general trends in user behavior. Let’s look at some top design practices used by websites in 2023.

Simplicity is key

There’s always a temptation to throw everything you can at your landing page. Why not add video, images, and animations? After all, you want it to look exciting. Whilst this might seem appealing, it is a bad idea.

Too much content only distracts a user. Remember, your landing page should have a clear focus. Content should be structured in a way that points a user toward a CTA. For example, if you want the visitor to place a food order from you, use a restaurant call to action like ‘Order’ or ‘See Menu & Order’.

The other factor to remember is speed. We know that 1 in 2 visitors abandon slow-loading websites. Too much content will slow down your landing page.

So, whilst it might be a good idea to use media, use it sparingly. Always ask, ’Is this enforcing the message of my landing page?’.

Make it interactive

What differentiates an effective landing page? More often than not, the best landing pages involve the prospect. Don’t forget, the goal is to hold the attention of a user.

Incorporating interactive elements on landing pages elevates engagement and improves usability.

Let’s imagine two different kinds of landing pages for a product.

The first contains no interaction. A user can only read the copy and see static images. It’s straight to the point, but is it interesting? Some users might get bored and leave.

Now let’s consider the second landing page. Instead of a wall of text, there is a mini-game. As they progress, they can learn interesting facts about the product. Images have a layer of interactivity, allowing users to zoom in and look at items more closely. These factors could help keep a user engaged, and more likely to buy a product.

Of course, not every audience will enjoy minigames. Consider the likes of your audience, and build interactivity around them. Other interactive elements might include:

• Quizzes.
• Animations.
• Stories.
• Chatbots.

Introduce video backgrounds

Want your landing page to stand out? Video backgrounds can be one of the most effective methods. A video will play in the foreground of a landing page, showing off your product from different angles.

If you decide to use video backgrounds, consider these tips:

• Keep it short – Users won’t stick around watching lengthy videos. Not only that but the longer the video, the more space it takes up. Large video files can slow down your landing page.
• Make it loop – When a video finishes playing it shouldn’t change to a black screen. Instead, have a continuous loop.
• Make sure the transition between the loop isn’t jarring, as this can affect the immersion.
• Have a mute option – If your video contains audio, make sure a user has the option of muting. Autoplaying audio can be annoying and inconvenient for a user. Include subtitles if necessary.

Don’t forget mobile users

Mobile users now make up a majority of traffic online (nearly 60% of users). If your landing page doesn’t cater to these users, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Optimizing the layout and content for mobile devices ensures that visitors can easily navigate, read, and interact with the page.

One emerging landing page trend is a ‘mobile first design’. Instead of building your landing page for desktop users first, and mobile users later, you flip the approach. Only once you’re sure that a page is effective on mobile, do you begin building for desktop.

When viewing a landing on mobile, ask yourself, is it:

• Responsive – Does your landing respond to touch commands? Are buttons easy to select?
• Fast – Just because your page is quick on the desktop doesn’t mean it will be on mobile.
• Compatible with multiple platforms – Does your website function equally effectively on IOS and Android?

Browse landing page templates with customizable mobile views.

Remember SEO

We all know the importance of SEO. Whether we’re using SEO for podcasts, social media content, or websites, it’s an essential practice. If we want anyone to find our landing page organically, SEO is a must.

Here are some ways to boost SEO on your landing page.

• Include SEO-optimized keywords.
• Gather backlinks (other websites linking to your page) from reputable sources.
• Increase webpage loading times.
• Use a custom domain name.

See how you can set up SEO settings for landing pages.

Always personalize

One thing we can say for certain about the modern audience is that they like personalization. Gone are the days of ‘one size fits all’ – customers want tailored experiences. Unconvinced? Just look at the evidence – 56% of customers say they will become repeat buyers after a personalized experience.

In short, customers want proof that you can respond to their needs. Consider how you can personalize your landing page to meet the needs of individual users. This could range from a simple change of background color to providing location-based content.

 A personalized landing page can build trust and credibility with users, leading to higher conversion rates through increased engagement, improved relevance, or a sense of exclusivity.

How do you personalize?

To provide personalization you need data and lots of it. Luckily your website is full of it. The right analytics software will give you massive insights into user behavior. Of course, you’ll need somewhere to store all that data.

This is where a data mart comes in handy. These are similar to data warehouses but serve a particular department or line of business. Your marketing team might use a data mart to help personalize a landing page. Using a data mart example is a great way to generate ideas for creating your own.

Be a forward-thinking domain

Have you been investing in the latest AI technologies? You might be using AI-powered machine learning to help your personalization. If so, why not demonstrate your forward-thinking attitude on your landing page?

There’s a new trend amongst businesses that are investing in new technologies. They’re showing off their tech credentials with ai domains. Instead of ending your URL with the standard ‘.com’, you use ‘.ai’. It’s a simple way of showing your business’ ethos to visitors.

Cater to all users

There has been a big focus on accessibility in recent years. For too long, online content hasn’t been inclusive to users with disabilities. As well as being unfair, this also shut out potential customers.

When you’re designing a landing page ask ‘Is it accessible?’ Below are examples of accessibility features:

• Include alt text – This provides a description of images for blind and visually impaired users.
• Use headings – Users with screen readers can use headings to navigate your landing page. Break up your content with H2s and H3s.
• Consider navigation – some users are unable to use a mouse. Make sure that your page can be navigated easily using the keyboard.
• Consider data sharing – could you share data where appropriate to improve accessibility across your sector? For more information, here is a data sharing definition.

For more detailed information on introducing accessibility, the University of Berkley have created a checklist of points to consider on their blog.

A bonus tip – always test your pages

After introducing new technologies to your landing page, how can you make sure it’s working? The only effective way of measuring a landing page is thorough testing. Just as the technologies that power your website have evolved, so has testing.

A simple crowdtest is still a useful first step. But new forms of testing give us even better insights into the effectiveness of our landing pages. One example is interface testing. This ensures that your landing page interacts with crucial elements like the web server and database.

Another example is eye-tracking usability testing. This lets us know which parts of a page a user is looking at. Are they drawn to the right areas? With this approach, we can refine our designs even further. This information allows us to refine our designs and make data-driven decisions to improve the usability and effectiveness of our landing pages.

Embrace tomorrow, today!

There’s no denying that if you want to succeed online, you need effective landing pages. But far too many business scrimp when it comes to this crucial stage. Remember, having a strong set of products is important. But a strong landing page is key for making sure people find what you’re selling.

We’ve looked at eight trends that seem set to shape the landing pages of tomorrow. Why not get in early? The right landing page is the key to unlocking more conversions and boosting success. By being ahead of the curve, you can beat your competitors.

Give your landing pages a boost by embracing some of these trends. Your customers will reward you for it.