4 Tips to Make Your Landing Pages Worth Landing On

This may be the question you’ve always wanted to ask—but were too afraid to ask. Or maybe it’s been lurking in the back of your mind as a something-to-look-into-when-I-have-more-time idea.

What is a landing page, anyway?

A landing page is a single web page that people “land on” after clicking a hyperlink in a targeted email, on a social post or on another web page—you can even direct them there via direct mail utilizing a PURL (Personalized URL). Landing pages aren’t tied to your main website’s navigation. They’re separate pages designed with a single, focused purpose in mind.

Think of your nonprofit’s website as the steady, consistent “road map” of information and the landing page is its one-stop roadside attraction.

Landing pages, essentially, convert donors’ intentions into actions, whether you’re trying to get visitors to make a donation, capture email addresses for a newsletter subscription or sign up for next week’s webinar.

4 TIPS TO ENSURE LANDING PAGES LIVE UP TO THEIR PURPOSE

1. Keep your visitor on course.
   Try to stick with a strong graphic with minimal, focused text and one call to action that leads your visitor’s eye to the intended action, whether that’s to the “Donate” button or to “Sign up Today.” White (or empty) space further trains the eye to the intended action. Here’s an example from the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation utilizing a clear call to action, emotional video, focused messaging and effective use of white space: 

2. Keep it Simple
   Your landing page should be a singular focused tool, not a library of information like your organization’s website. You should limit distractions and concentrate the focus on getting the donor to take 1 step (you can push this to 2 if it’s compelling enough)! Check out this example from AMIT to see how they’ve utilized a landing page to engage donors and get them from ‘intent’ to action on a legacy gift. Highlighting the ease, flexibility and FREE tool to guide interested donors to action compels the donor to action.

3. Tell donors the impact of their donation.
   $10 or $10,000—all of us like to feel like we’ve done our part and that our donation made a difference. Find a way to tell your donors that their support has impact, perhaps through a short donor testimonial, no more than a small paragraph or two, or cutlines with photos to place a face and evoke emotion in the moment.Also, people who have an affinity or interest in your group probably have already checked up on your organization. Friends, online searches and watchdog groups like Charity Navigator and GuideStar all shed light on the efficacy of your nonprofit.Why not put good news, especially from reputable, trusted sources, to good use? Attach the good rating to your landing page as a quick visual reminder about how responsible and proactive your organization is. It’ll make an impact. Here’s a great example of both preset donation increments and a clear, compelling donation impact message from CARE:

4. Mobil-ize.
   No longer can we say mobile is the wave of the future. It’s here, now. And how. Sell your story and reason to give through the smartphone, starting with your “why-give” statement. On this Charity: Water mobile page, “Give,” “Change” and “100%” are strong, memorable and influential thought starters, or unique selling propositions. The default $30 donation sets up the donation, subtly indicating that it’s the average-size gift, a do-able amount for most yet still appearing impactful. Then it’s converted in one click, either through a credit card or by PayPal. Quick read, quick click. Mobile-optimized for best results.

How do you format your organization’s landing pages for success? Have you seen other well-designed landing pages? Also, check out another related topic that has many of us wondering, “Is Your Website Really Up-To-Date?”