A landing page has one job: get a visitor who arrived from an ad, email or social post to take a single action. That’s different from a home page, which has to serve everyone. Good landing page design strips away everything that doesn’t help with that one action. If you’re paying for clicks, the page they land on often matters as much as the ad itself, because a weak page wastes every click you buy. Here are ten practical tips I use when designing landing pages for small businesses.
1. Match the page to the ad
If your ad says “Same-day boiler repair in Manchester”, the landing page headline should say almost exactly that. When the message changes between the click and the page, people assume they’ve landed in the wrong place and leave. Make one landing page per offer or audience, rather than sending every campaign to your home page.
2. Write a headline that states the benefit
Your headline should tell the visitor what they get, in plain words. Compare “Welcome to Smith Accounting” with “Tax returns for sole traders, done in a week, fixed fee.” The second answers the question every visitor has: is this for me? A short subheading underneath can add the main detail: price, location, or turnaround.
3. Pick one call to action
Decide what the visitor should do — book a call, request a quote, download a guide, buy a product — and make that the only main action on the page. Repeat the same button several times as the page scrolls, but don’t add competing actions. Button text should describe the outcome: “Get my free quote” works better than “Submit”.
4. Remove the navigation menu
Your normal site menu gives visitors a dozen ways to wander off. On a dedicated landing page, remove it, or reduce it to your logo and a phone number. Keep essential links such as your privacy policy in the footer.
Landing page design for the first screen
Tips 5 and 6 are about the part of the page people see before scrolling, especially on a phone.
5. Put the essentials above the fold
Without scrolling, a visitor should see the headline, a one-line explanation, the main button, and a trust signal such as a star rating or a short review. Many ad clicks come from mobile, so check this on a real phone, not just a desktop preview. My post on PPC vs SEO explains why paid traffic needs this kind of focused page more than organic traffic does.
6. Use a relevant image, not decoration
A photo of your actual product, team, or finished work helps more than a generic stock image. If the offer is a service, show the result: a finished kitchen, a clean lawn, a dashboard. Keep image file sizes small so the page loads quickly.
7. Keep forms short
Every extra field makes the form feel like more work. Ask only for what you need to follow up: often just a name, email or phone number, and one question such as “What do you need help with?” You can collect the rest on the call. If you genuinely need more detail, a two-step form (simple first step, details second) usually feels easier than one long form.
8. Add proof close to the decision
People hesitate right before they act. Place trust signals near the form and buttons:
- Short customer reviews with names and locations (real ones, with permission).
- Your Google rating or review count.
- Logos of certifications, associations or well-known clients you’re allowed to mention.
- Simple guarantees, such as “No obligation” or “Reply within one business day”, only if you can deliver them.
9. Answer objections on the page
Think about why someone might not act: price, timing, trust, effort. Then answer those questions on the page. A short FAQ section, a clear “how it works” in three steps, and an honest price or price range all reduce hesitation. My guide to writing website content that converts covers the wording side of this in more depth.
10. Make it fast, then test
A slow landing page loses visitors before they see anything, and on Google Ads, landing page experience is one of the factors in your ad quality. Compress images, avoid heavy sliders and animations, and limit third-party scripts. You can check speed with Google’s free PageSpeed Insights.
Then test, one change at a time. Try a different headline, a shorter form or a different button text, and compare results over a meaningful number of visitors. Small businesses often don’t have enough traffic for formal A/B testing, so a simpler approach works: change one element, run it for a few weeks, and compare the enquiry rate.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending ad traffic to the home page instead of a dedicated page.
- Too many offers or buttons competing for attention.
- Pop-ups that cover the content on mobile.
- No conversion tracking, so you can’t tell which ads produce enquiries.
- Forms that don’t actually deliver messages. Test the form yourself after every change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a separate landing page for each ad campaign?
Ideally, one per offer or audience. If two campaigns promote the same service to the same people, they can share a page. Different services, locations or audiences usually deserve their own.
Can I build landing pages on my existing WordPress site?
Yes. WordPress handles landing pages well, using a page template without the main menu. This keeps everything on your own domain and makes tracking simpler.
How long should a landing page be?
As long as it needs to be to answer the visitor’s questions. A simple, low-cost offer can be short. An expensive service usually needs more explanation, proof and FAQs. Good landing page design keeps it scannable either way.
Need help?
I design and build landing pages as part of my website design service, and I can set up and manage the ads that send traffic to them through my pay-per-click service. You can see examples in my portfolio. Get in touch with details of your offer, and I’ll reply within 24–48 hours.