Landing pages are often used in marketing campaigns to generate leads, increase sales, and more.
But simply sending users to a landing page doesn’t guarantee results. The page itself needs to clearly communicate the offer and make it easy for visitors to convert.
This guide explains what landing page optimization is, why it matters, and how to do it. You’ll also learn how run effective tests that can increase conversions.
What Is Landing Page Optimization?
Landing page optimization is the process of improving a landing page to increase conversions—like purchases, sign-ups, or form submissions.
Ways to optimize a landing page often focus on improving elements like the headline, hero image, main body copy, call to action (CTA), and overall design. Because making the right changes can persuade more visitors to take your desired action.
Why Is Landing Page Optimization Important?
Optimizing your landing pages is important because it helps you convert more visitors into leads or customers.
By improving your landing pages, you can increase your conversion rates, lower your customer acquisition costs, and even see better ad performance (landing page quality is factored into how Google Ads perform). This can all translate to better business results without increasing your marketing spend.
Well-optimized landing pages also improve the user experience (UX) by clearly communicating your offer and making it easy to take the next step.
Plus, you’ll be able to apply what you learn to other landing pages in the future to further improve performance.
9 Landing Page Optimization Best Practices
Follow these best practices when you build and optimize landing pages:
1. Understand Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience helps you create landing page content that matches their expectations and increases the likelihood of conversion.
Start by reviewing real audience data from competitors in your market with Semrush’s Traffic & Market Toolkit. Use the various dashboards to analyze data like:
- Age and gender distribution
- Geographic breakdown
- Interests and affinity categories
- Audience overlap with other sites
Then, use the insights you uncover to refine your landing page. For example:
- If the audience skews toward a specific age group, adjust tone and examples accordingly
- If most traffic comes from a particular country, localize messaging, pricing, or trust signals
- If the audience shows strong interest in specific topics, highlight benefits, features, or use cases related to those interests
- If there’s significant overlap with certain competitor sites, analyze how those sites structure their value propositions
2. Streamline Conversions
Streamlining conversions (i.e., conversion rate optimization) makes it easier for visitors to complete your desired action and can lead to better results.
Start by identifying the main action you want visitors to take on your landing page, like signing up, downloading a resource, making a purchase, etc. Then, structure the page so that action feels like the natural next step.
For example, look at how Mailchimp presents a clear CTA followed immediately by a simple sign-up form. The process is direct and requires minimal effort.
If a conversion requires multiple steps, guide visitors through the process with clear instructions and visual cues that show them what to do next.
If you’re using a form, reduce the number of fields to only what’s necessary. Fewer required fields generally increases the likelihood that visitors will complete the form.
You should also remove distractions that might cause visitors to leave before converting. Simplifying header navigation, minimizing footer links, and limiting unnecessary links can help keep visitors focused on completing the primary action.
3. Prioritize Above-the-Fold Content
Above the fold refers to the part of your landing page that visitors see without scrolling, and it strongly influences whether visitors stay or leave.
To optimize the content above the fold, start with a clear headline that explains what your offer is and why your audience should care using language that speaks directly to them. You can include a short supporting description directly below the headline to highlight key benefits or features.
Place your CTA near the headline, so it’s easy to see and understand. The CTA should stand out visually and clearly state what will happen when clicked.
And use high-quality, relevant images or videos that support your message and help visitors quickly understand your offer in the above-the-fold section.
Keep the top of your landing page’s layout clean and focused. Too much information or too many visual elements can distract visitors and reduce engagement.
Here’s an example from Podia for inspiration.
Use the Landing Page Builder app to structure your above-the-fold content. The included templates are designed to support clear messaging, visible CTAs, and focused layouts.
4. Align Your Content with Users’ Expectations
Your landing page should match visitors’ expectations based on the messaging and channel that drove them there.
If a visitor arrives from an ad, the landing page should clearly repeat and support the ad’s message and offer. For example, look at this ad promoting coffee subscriptions.
If you click on the above ad promoting a coffee subscription service, you’re taken to a landing page that directly addresses the promise made—offering the first bag for free.
Aligning the landing page message with the ad ensures that visitors find what they expected and increases the likelihood they’ll engage with the content and take the desired action.
Also, provide any additional information visitors need to make a decision. This may include product or service details, pricing, or answers to common questions.
5. Improve Key Page Elements
Certain page elements directly influence landing page performance, including:
CTA Buttons
A clear and well-designed CTA can significantly increase conversions on a landing page.
Best practices for CTA buttons include:
- Making CTAs stand out visually with contrasting colors or larger text
- Using clear, action-oriented language like “Book a demo” or “Start for free”
- Placing your main CTA above the fold and strategically throughout the page—especially on longer pages
- Making sure the buttons are easy to click or tap, particularly on mobile devices
Images, Animations, and Videos
Visual elements on a landing page should support your message and help visitors understand your offer.
To make the most of landing page visuals:
- Use high-quality images that clearly support your message and relate to your product or service
- Ensure media files are optimized to avoid slowing down your page
- Use alt text to improve accessibility and visibility in search results
- Use animations and video to support your message or demonstrate your product
Trust Indicators
Including trust indicators on a landing page builds credibility and reduces hesitation.
Common trust elements include:
- Logos of well-known clients or partners
- Security credentials if you’re collecting sensitive information
- Relevant awards or certifications
- Clear contact information, so visitors can reach you if needed
6. Use SEO and AI Search Best Practices
Use landing page SEO best practices to gain visibility in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers.
Start by optimizing your landing page for relevant search queries. Each landing page should target one primary keyword/prompt and use it in key elements such as the:
- Title tag: The page title that may show in search results
- Meta description: The summary that can appear below your title in search results
- H1 tag: The main heading on your landing page
- URL slug: The last portion of the URL that identifies your landing page
- Body copy: The main landing page content
Clear headings, concise explanations, and structured information also help AI systems interpret your page.
And consider that landing pages are particularly useful for communicating key information about your product, service, or brand that may appear in AI-generated answers. Because landing pages usually focus on a single offer or topic, they make it easier for AI systems to extract clear information about your brand.
To monitor how your brand appears in AI search results, use Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit.
The Perception report shows how AI platforms talk about your brand. Reviewing these summaries can help you identify gaps in messaging and improve the content on your landing pages.
7. Optimize Landing Pages for Mobile Performance
Mobile usability and performance directly affect landing page conversions.
One way to evaluate mobile performance is by using Semrush’s SEO checker, Site Audit.
Set up a project and make sure the crawl includes the section of your site where your landing pages are located when configuring the “Allow/disallow rules.”
When the crawl is complete, go to the “Issues” tab and search “speed.” Because site speed is crucial for a good mobile experience.
If you see the “# pages have slow load speed” issue, click the number to see whether any of your landing pages are affected.
You can improve page speed in a few ways:
- Compress images: Large image files are a common cause of slow load times
- Minimize code: Remove unnecessary spaces, comments, and formatting from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
- Enable browser caching: This stores certain page elements on a visitor’s browser, so returning users don’t need to download them again
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN stores cached versions of your site on servers in different geographic locations to reduce load times
- Reduce plugins and scripts: Third-party tools slow down your site
- Host videos externally: Use platforms like YouTube or Vimeo instead of hosting large video files directly on your pages
You should also review your landing pages for the following mobile best practices:
- Ensure tap targets are large enough and spaced appropriately to prevent accidental clicks
- Use readable font sizes, so visitors don’t need to zoom on smaller screens
- Test pages on mobile devices to confirm that forms, CTAs, and interactive elements work smoothly
8. Run Landing Page Tests
Running landing page tests helps you improve performance by comparing versions to see which one drives better results.
The most common testing methods include:
- A/B testing (also called split testing): Compares two versions of a page by changing one element at a time to see which version performs better
- Multivariate testing: Tests multiple elements at once to measure how different combinations perform together—this is best suited for pages with high traffic volume
To run an A/B test, select a single element you want to test. This could be your headline, CTA button, image placement, visual formats (e.g., video vs. status image), or any other part of your page. Create two versions of your page, changing only the element you’re testing.
Run the test long enough to collect sufficient data, then analyze the results and keep the higher-performing version.
To run a multivariate test, create a variation that changes multiple elements on the same page. And allow the test to run until you have enough data to identify which combination performs best.
You can run these tests using Semrush’s Landing Page Builder.
9. Track Performance by Traffic Source
Tracking where landing page visitors come from helps you understand which campaigns drive the most valuable traffic and which landing pages need improvement.
One common way to track traffic sources is by using UTM parameters in your campaign URLs. These parameters identify the source, medium, and campaign associated with each visit.
For example:
- Paid search: example.com/landing-page?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale
- Social media: example.com/landing-page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_sale
- Email campaigns: example.com/landing-page?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_sale
Once your campaign URLs include UTM parameters, you can analyze performance in Google Analytics (GA4). Open “Traffic acquisition”under “Acquisition.”
From there, click the drop-down at the top of the table and change it to “Session campaign.” Then, click the “+” sign and select “Session source / medium.”
Review metrics such as engagement rate, event count, and key events to identify which channels drive the best performance. For example, if social traffic has a low key event count, you may need to adjust messaging or provide more context before asking visitors to convert.
Traffic from traditional search and AI search typically won’t include UTM parameters, but these sources can still be identified. Read our AI referral traffic guide for more information.
Examples of Optimized Landing Pages
Figma
Figma’s landing page immediately grabs attention with a clear, benefit-focused headline that speaks to their target audience (UX designers and product teams).
Right below the headline, Figma conveys their value proposition by emphasizing speed, collaboration, and the ability to prioritize UX throughout the product development process.
The landing page’s CTA button is prominent and above the fold, which makes it easy for visitors to take the next step.
As you scroll down Figma’s landing page, you can see key benefits of Figma’s UX design tool. Which are designed to help potential users understand how the tool can solve their problems and improve their workflows.
Figma’s landing page also has an FAQ section to address common questions and concerns, removing potential barriers to conversion.
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey’s landing page for their survey tool opens with a clear headline that tells visitors what they can do with the tool and how it will benefit them. And the copy just below expands on that promise.
SurveyMonkey’s landing page features two prominent calls to action:
- “Sign up free” appeals to those ready to start right away
- “Explore templates” caters to visitors who want to see what SurveyMonkey has available before they start using the tool
Trust indicators—in this case, logos of popular companies that use the tool—reinforce SurveyMonkey’s credibility.
As visitors scroll down, the landing page highlights specific benefits of using SurveyMonkey to help visitors understand different capabilities.
NordVPN
NordVPN’s VPN service landing page opens with a bold headline that positions them as a leader in the market, and the supporting copy highlights benefits like privacy and security.
The landing page copy ensures visitors that NordVPN offers a comprehensive online protection package—not just a simple VPN.
The page displays an offer of “75% off + 3 extra months” near the CTA button to create a sense of urgency for potential customers, which can be a powerful motivator to convert.
As visitors scroll down NordVPN’s landing page, it highlights various features to help prospects understand the full range of benefits.
NordVPN’s landing page also includes user testimonials to add social proof.
At the end of the landing page, there’s an FAQ section to help remove potential barriers to signing up for NordVPN.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference Between a Landing Page and a Homepage?
A landing page is designed to support a single conversion goal and often supports a specific marketing campaign, while a homepage serves as the general entry point to your website that supports broader exploration.
How Often Should You A/B Test Landing Pages?
A/B testing your landing pages should be an ongoing effort, with each test lasting long enough to collect sufficient data before making decisions.
What Is a Good Conversion Rate for a Landing Page?
A good landing page conversion rate varies by industry, traffic source, and offer type.
Measure landing page performance against your own baseline and aim for improvement.
Should Landing Pages Have Navigation Menus?
Landing pages generally perform better when they focus on one primary action and limit unnecessary navigation.
Keep legally required links (privacy policy, terms, etc.), but remove or simplify main site navigation to reduce distractions.
What Tools Do You Need for Landing Page Optimization?
Landing page optimization typically requires tools for tracking performance, running experiments, and identifying technical issues.
For example:
- Site Audit helps identify technical issues that can affect page performance and search visibility
- Landing Page Builder allows you to create and test different landing page variations
- The AI Visibility Toolkit helps you understand how AI systems describe your brand, which can reveal opportunities to improve your landing page messaging
