Key takeaways
- Match the headline to what the visitor searched for or clicked on.
- Show proof early, ask for one action, and keep forms short.
- A page that loads slowly or isn't tracked can't be improved.
We've built landing pages for everything from emergency plumbing to accounting. The industries change, but the pages that get the call almost always follow the same five rules. Use them as a checklist for your own page.
Rule 1: The headline matches the search
A visitor decides in seconds whether they're in the right place. If they searched "emergency plumber Perth" or clicked an ad about same-day repairs, your headline should say exactly that, not "Welcome to Smith Plumbing".
Try this: write down the search term or ad that brings most of your traffic. If your headline doesn't echo it, rewrite it until it does. If you have several different ads, give each its own page.
Rule 2: Proof sits above the fold
Before visitors trust your offer, they want evidence you're real and good at what you do. Put that evidence where they see it without scrolling: your Google rating, number of reviews, licences, years in business or a guarantee.
Try this: look at your page on a phone. Without scrolling, can you see at least one reason to trust you? If not, move your strongest proof up.
Rule 3: One clear action
Every extra choice is a chance for the visitor to choose nothing. Decide the one thing you want them to do (call, book, send a WhatsApp message or fill in a form) and make that the main button. Repeat the same button as the page goes on, so it's always within reach.
Try this: count the different buttons and links on your page. Remove anything that doesn't lead to your main action, including the full site menu.
Rule 4: The form is short
Each extra field on a form is another reason to quit halfway. For a first enquiry, you usually need three things: name, phone or email, and a short message. Everything else can wait for the follow-up call.
Try this: for each field on your form, ask "would I refuse to call this person back without it?" If the answer is no, delete it.
Rule 5: It's fast and tracked
Most landing page visitors arrive on a phone, often on mobile data. Google's own guidance treats a main content load time of 2.5 seconds or less as good. Slower than that and visitors start leaving before they've read your headline.
And if you're not tracking calls, form submissions and WhatsApp clicks, you can't tell whether the page works, which ads bring enquiries, or whether a change made things better or worse.
Try this: test your page with Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool, and check that every call, form and WhatsApp click shows up as a conversion in Google Analytics.
The checklist
- Headline matches the search or ad
- At least one piece of proof visible without scrolling
- One main action, repeated down the page
- Form of three fields or fewer
- Main content loads in 2.5 seconds or less on mobile
- Calls, forms and WhatsApp clicks tracked as conversions