How to Optimize Your SaaS Landing Page for Conversions
While developing a great SaaS product is crucial for your brand’s success, that’s only one of the factors that will help you unlock your business’s potential. You also need a great online presence with a great SaaS landing page at the heart of it all.With a good SaaS landing page, you stand a good chance of converting your casual visitors into loyal customers.However, this is not an easy action to encourage in this industry compared to others like eCommerce since you are selling intangible products. In fact, research shows that SaaS landing pages have one of the lowest average conversion rates at 9.5%.Therefore, to ensure your SaaS business not only stands out but also beats these odds by making a remarkable high-converting landing page, there are a few steps you need to follow.In this article, we’ll discuss five of these key steps. Let’s dive right in!
1. Define value proposition right away
As we’ve mentioned above, SaaS products are harder to sell. That, coupled with the fact that people’s attention span has lowered significantly means your page visitors won't stick around long enough to figure out what you're offering.Hence, it’s pertinent that your value proposition is crystal clear right from the start. A value proposition shows your website visitors why your product is the right solution for their needs. It also details how the product can deliver that kind of service.Your value proposition should answer the following questions concisely:
What problem does your SaaS product solve?
How do specific features of your product solve this problem?
What benefits will the user gain?
But how exactly do you define value proposition right away on your SaaS landing page? The easiest way is ensuring your hero section–the portion of a landing page that people see first when they land on it–has a compelling headline and descriptive subheading.Remember that the standard headline guidelines that apply to everything from eCommerce to manufacturing web design also apply to your SaaS landing page. A great headline will be short and sweet. So keep it below 10 words and use action-oriented verbs like “discover,” “learn,” “pinpoint,” or “get”.Also, ensure you mention the main pain point your target audience is experiencing. This will make them more willing to learn about the solution. The AdEspresso below is a great example of a compelling landing page headline.
AdEspresso’s main headline is clear and direct: "Pinpoint Your Ideal Client." This headline gives prospects an immediate idea of what the marketing software can do, which warms them up for conversion.For your descriptive sub-heading, ensure it provides a bit more context and highlights secondary benefits. In the example above they do this by expounding on the headline, showing exactly how the software can help users pinpoint their ideal clients.Certain landing page designs will also have an allowance for your software’s benefits in the hero section, which you can list clearly and concisely. For instance, notice how AdEspresso highlights its key product benefits and advantages in an easily digestible format – "create," "manage," "analyze," "collaborate," and "learn.". They also supplement this by using easy-to-interpret icons.You can also incorporate visual elements like images, graphics, or videos that represent your solution. This will support your copy, making it even easier for your website visitors to understand your value proposition. Check out how Hootsuite did this in the landing page example below.
You most likely already have a value proposition. However, the main challenge is making your big idea resonate with your target audience. So make sure you've done your market research well and have a clear-cut buyer persona before defining your unique value proposition.
2. Remove all distractions
Once a visitor lands on your page, you want them to focus on one thing: taking your desired action. Whether that action is signing up for a free trial, subscribing to your newsletter, or making a purchase, which is why you must avoid having any distractions on your landing page.What are considered distractions on a landing page? These are any additional elements on your landing page that don’t add any value or do anything to grab your visitors’ attention.Make your design simple, like the example below:
Such designs are clean and uncluttered, making them appealing and helping you avoid overwhelming readers. Complement them with a good web host that ensures your pages load quickly and you shouldn’t have high bounce rates.Reassess also if any design elements like moving graphics or distracting font are taking away from the page's readability. In addition, ensure you include white spaces. These help your page design look neater while guiding your readers' attention toward your CTA. We’ll discussCTAs further in the next section.You can also remove the main website navigation menu, as Moz did in the example below.
You don’t want your landing page visitors leaving the page without taking your desired action, and one surefire way to ensure this is keeping them on your landing page. This includes not sending them to another web page when they click on your CTA button.We all know them, and they’ve probably gotten on our nerves at least once while visiting some website: pop-ups.While they might just save a possible lead from abandoning a page, they can also frustrate your visitors, leading them to exit your landing page without taking any action. So, if you must use pop-ups, make them exit-intent. These appear when a visitor is about to leave, giving them one more chance to convert.
3. Choose a single CTA
To maximize conversions, stick to a single, compelling primary CTA. Too many CTAs can confuse your target audience. They won't be sure what action to take, and you risk them taking no action at all.For instance, you can’t ask your page readers to sign up for a free trial, buy a product, and get a demo all on one landing page. You will need to stick to one primary CTA.If you’re going for a minimalist design you can stick to just a single primary CTA, which you must place prominently. This often means above the fold, where your visitors can see it as soon as they land on your landing page.However, you can also choose to use your primary CTA multiple times on your page, as TrustPulse did in the example below.
Your visitors won’t click your CTA unless it’s compelling enough. So, use color contract and bold text to ensure your CTA button stands out from the rest of the copy on your landing page.Also, use action-oriented phrases like "Sign Up Now" or "Get Started" that clearly state what the user should do. Such CTA texts easily encourage action from readers.
4. Include social proof
Social proof is a powerful tool for boosting conversions on your SaaS landing page. When potential customers see that previous users had a positive customer experience, they are more likely to trust your brand and take action.There are various ways you can implement social proof on your SaaS landing page for higher conversion rates. First, you can use customer reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers. You can also include Instagram feed on website to showcase real-time user-generated content, such as customers sharing their experiences with your SaaS product.
Include a direct quote, their real photos, names, or even company or brand logo in your testimonials to boost your testimonial’s trustworthiness and authenticity.Also, ensure the reviews or testimonials you feature on your landing page are relevant to the features or product benefits you’re focusing on in your marketing campaign. This will boost their effectiveness.If you have a substantial user base, mention the number of users already using your SaaS, as shown in the OptinMoster example above. You can also include the results they’ve enjoyed from using your SaaS product. For instance, in the CD Baby example below, they show how many streams the user has received.
Additionally, include trust seals like industry awards, certifications, or even partnerships, as shown above, that showcase your credibility.
5. Add a FAQs section
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section addresses potential concerns or queries that might be preventing visitors from converting. By proactively addressing any lingering doubts the prospective customer may have, you remove any barriers to customer trust and conversion.However, to avoid over-crowding your landing page and to optimize it for mobile devices, stick to a maximum of 6-8 questions. Also, use the drop-down accordion style, as shown in the example of the Zero to SaaS course below.
Finally, keep answers brief, use simple language, and avoid jargon for easier comprehension.
In Closing
Unoptimized sales pages result in missed conversions and higher bounce rates. You'd consequently be spending more on your traffic ads than you should. Therefore, it’s important for you to take the necessary steps to optimize your SaaS landing page for conversion.We’ve discussed some of these key steps in-depth above. They include defining your value proposition right away, removing all distractions, choosing a single CTA, including social proof, and adding a FAQs section.With the tips in this guide, you can create a high-converting page that will lower bounce rates. Keep in mind that optimizing your SaaS landing page for conversions is an ongoing process.So, continuously test and refine your landing page design. All the best!