6 Best Practices for Creating Winning SEO Landing Pages

Last Updated: April 22, 2024 by Editorial Team

Say you've got a great product or service to promote online. You've created a compelling landing page and launched your campaign, but nothing happens. No visitors, clicks, or conversions. What could the issue be?

Well, your landing page is practically invisible to search engines and users. Buried beneath countless competing web pages, it can be hard to see.

The solution? Search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO is the key to making your page more appealing to search engines and users. It boosts your search rankings and drives more organic traffic to your page.
Here are best practices to help you create SEO-friendly landing pages that boost conversions and search traffic.

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What is search engine optimization (SEO)?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of enhancing your website to increase its visibility on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. When users search for specific keywords related to your business or content, effective SEO strategies help your website rank higher in the search results. This drives more organic (non-paid) traffic to your site.

What Are SEO Landing Pages?

SEO landing pages are web pages that are part of an inbound marketing campaign. They have two main features: optimization for search engines and conversion of visitors to customers.

Also Read: What Is a Landing Page?

In order to nail the search engine bit, you need to pick a specific keyword or phrase that people are searching for.

For instance, if you sell running shoes, "best shoes for running" could be your target keyphrase. Use this phrase in your page title, headline, content, and meta tags. This will help your page to rank higher on Google and other search engines.

Now, for the conversion part, your page needs to be crystal clear and compelling. It should tell your visitors what they will get, and a call to action — let's say you want them to buy your shoes.

This means having an attention-grabbing headline, highlighting the benefits of your shoes, having a stunning image showing how they look on a runner, and a button that shouts "Shop Now"

The “Shop Now” button seals the deal since it is a strong call-to-action (CTA) guiding visitors to the next step, like filling out a form to get the shoes or getting in touch with you.

But how do you create an SEO landing page that ticks all these boxes?

Best Practices for Effective SEO Landing Pages

To achieve both high search engine rankings and audience appeal, apply the following vital practices:

1. Practice Effective Keyword Research and Selection

The first and most crucial step in making an SEO friendly landing page is picking the right keywords. Keywords are the exact terms you want your landing page to rank for in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

However, not all keywords are suitable for landing pages. Typically, a keyword must show some transactional intent for Google to display landing pages in the search results.

The keyword should indicate that the person searching is interested in purchasing, signing up, downloading, or generally taking action.

For instance, when you search for "best project management software" on Google, you will see various landing pages from software companies like Asana, Monday.com, Wrike, and Trello.

Project Management Software Google Results

These landing pages are aimed at a keyword with transactional intent. They want to persuade you to sign up for their software or start a free trial.

However, if you search for "how to manage projects" on Google, you'll mostly find blog posts, guides, and articles providing information and advice on project management.

These pages target a keyword with informational intent to educate you about project management.

So, how do you find and select the best keywords for your landing page?

Here are some tips:

Use keyword research tools to find and evaluate keywords for your landing page. Some examples of keyword research tools are Google Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.

Identify high-volume and low-competition keywords for your landing page. These are usually long-tail keywords, which are more specific and less common than short-tail ones.

Analyze the SERPs for your target keywords. Look at what kind of pages are ranking for your target keywords. Are they landing pages or blog posts? Are they from your competitors or other sources?

2. Create Compelling and Relevant Content

You've heard it before: Content is king. But not just any content. You need content that acts like a movie trailer for your product or service. It is there to give your audience a sneak peek into your product or service and make them want to know more.

But how do you do that?

You need to create content that is both interesting and useful. Interesting content grabs people's attention, piques their curiosity, and stirs their emotions.

On the other hand, useful content matches what your audience wants, likes, and expects.

This means having interesting and useful content on your SEO landing page can help you bring in more visitors, create more leads, and, ultimately grow your business.

Here's an example of what great content looks like.

On this landing page, you will find captivating and perfectly tailored content. It employs attention-grabbing headlines and images to engage and entice visitors.

To create content that is both engaging and pertinent for your landing page, you can take these steps:

Identify your target audience and their needs, goals, and pain points.

Come up with a unique value proposition that shows how your product or service can address their issues or satisfy their wants.

Write clear and engaging headlines that capture the attention of your visitors and make them want to keep reading.

3. Optimize the Page Structure for SEO

Optimizing the page structure is key to effective SEO for landing pages. It involves following specific guidelines that help search engines crawl, index, and rank your page seamlessly.

This is where on-page SEO comes in. It revolves around enhancing your webpage for both users and search engines.

Most part of this optimization focuses on how you structure and present your content – often called the "page structure."

Think of it as the framework that holds everything together.

Some of the main elements of the page structure that you need to optimize for SEO are:

URL Optimization

Start by creating your page's URL. Make it short, meaningful, and if applicable, incorporate your target keyword.

For instance, if you are optimizing a page dedicated to "best hiking boots," consider a URL like this for better SEO:

Example: www.yourwebsite.com/best-hiking-boots

This enhances user-friendliness and aids search engines in comprehending your page's subject.

Title Tag

The title tag is one of the key on-page SEO elements. It is the headline that appears in search engine results and the browser tab. Ensure your title tag includes your primary keyword and is engaging to users.

Here's an example:

Title Example: "Discover the Best Hiking Boots for Your Outdoor Adventures | Your Website"

Meta Description

The meta description is a short summary displayed below the title tag in search results. Craft an enticing meta description that incorporates your keyword and entices users to click.

Example: "Discover the best hiking boots for all types of terrain. Start your amazing outdoor adventures with the perfect pair today."

Header Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

Organize your content with header tags. Start with the H1 tag, which should include your main keyword and give a clear summary of what your page is about. Then, use H2, H3, and so on for different sections of your content.

This helps readers and search engines understand your page better.

Example:

H1: "The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Boots"
H2: "Choosing the Right Hiking Boots"
H3: "Waterproof vs. Non-waterproof Boots"

Internal Linking

Link relevant pages within your website to provide context and improve user experience.

If you are discussing "hiking essentials" on your page, you could link to a separate page with a detailed list of these essentials.

Example: "For a comprehensive list of hiking essentials, check out our [link]Hiking Gear Checklist[/link]."

Image Alt Tags

Remember to pay attention to your images as well. Include informative alt tags for your images, and if relevant, try to include your keywords.

This practice serves a dual purpose:

It contributes to your SEO efforts by providing context to search engines.
It enhances accessibility for individuals who rely on screen readers and other auxiliary technologies.

Example: < img src="hiking-boots.jpg" alt="Hiking boots for all terrains" >

Content Organization

Ensure your content is neatly arranged with distinct headings, bullet points, and easy-to-follow paragraphs.

This not only helps people understand your content better but also assists search engines in sorting through it.

By following these on-page SEO steps and refining your page's structure, you will enhance your search engine rankings and create a more enjoyable experience for your website visitors.

4. Boost Your Page with Strategic Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your landing page. SEO relies heavily on them to communicate trustworthiness, relevance, and value on your landing page to both search engines and users.

However, not all backlinks are beneficial for SEO. Some backlinks from low-quality or spammy websites can harm your ranking and reputation.

You should therefore focus on the quality rather than the quantity of your backlinks. Only count on those from reputable sources as helpful for SEO.

This way, you will optimize your landing page’s performance and attract more visitors.

To acquire quality backlinks for your landing page, you need to follow these steps:

Create valuable and engaging content that other websites will want to link to. Examples of shareable content include infographics, videos, and noteworthy statistics.

Reach out to other websites in your niche or industry and ask them to link to your landing page if they find it relevant and helpful. You can also offer reciprocal linking.

Use a Keyword Tool to analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles and find potential link-building opportunities. You can compare your site’s backlinks with up to four competing domains

5. Align Your Landing Page with User Intent

User intent is what a person aims to achieve when they search for something online. It shows what they want to find out or do by typing words into a search engine.

To align your landing page with user intent, you need to understand the different types of user intent and how they relate to your landing page offer.

There are four main types of user intent:

Navigational: The user wants to find a specific website or page, such as a brand name, a product name, or a location.

Informational: The user wants to find information about a topic, such as how to do something, what something means, or why something happens.

Transactional: The user wants to buy something, sign up for something, or perform another action involving exchanging value.

Commercial: The user wants to compare different options, products, or services before making a transactional decision.

In order to align your landing page with user intent, you need to match the content and design of your landing page with the type of user intent that corresponds to your target keyword.

For example:

If your target keyword has an informational intent, your page should have helpful information that answers the user's question. Make it easy to read with headings, bullets, images, and videos. You can also offer more helpful resources like guides or webinars through your call to action (CTA).

If your target keyword has a navigational intent, your landing page should show that you are the one they are after. Use your logo, brand name, and domain to confirm your identity. Your call to action (CTA) should prompt users to keep exploring your site or take the next step, such as checking out your products or reaching out to you.

6. Improve Your Page's Loading Speed

Page speed is vital for user experience and SEO. If your page takes over three seconds to load, 53% of mobile users may leave, according to Google. Faster loading improves usability, credibility, and engagement metrics.

These, in turn, indirectly enhance your SEO by signaling quality and relevance and also decreasing bounce rates.

Moreover, it is also a direct ranking factor for Google. Since 2010, Google has used page speed as one of the signals to rank web pages on desktop searches.

In 2018, Google announced the “Speed Update,” making page speed a ranking factor for mobile searches.

It uses various metrics to measure page speed, such as First Contentful Paint (FCP), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and Time to First Byte (TTFB)

These metrics reflect how quickly a page starts loading, becomes visible, and becomes interactive for the user.

How do you boost your landing page’s speed?

Here are some of the most common and effective ways:

Minify CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files: Minification removes unnecessary characters and whitespace from your code files. This reduces the size of your files and makes them load time faster.

Minimize HTTP requests: To speed up your page, decrease the number of page elements, combine files like CSS and JavaScript, and create sprites for multiple images in one.

Optimize your images: Images are often the largest and heaviest elements on a web page and can significantly slow your loading time. To optimize your images, you can compress them to reduce their file size or resize them to fit your page layout.

Also Read: How to Create a High Converting Landing Page (with Examples)