Creating a Shopify landing page: What most guides don't tell you

Are you ready to transform your Shopify store's landing page into a conversion powerhouse? In today’s digital marketplace, the first impression can either open the door to a flourishing customer relationship or close it tight. This comprehensive guide walks you through creating a high-converting Shopify landing page, step by step.

From defining your landing page goals to optimizing for SEO, and everything in between, we cover the essentials of design, app selection, compelling copywriting, and the critical role of A/B testing. Plus, we'll dive into common pitfalls to avoid and understand how a well-crafted landing page fits into your overall eCommerce strategy. Let's dive in.

Step-by-step guide to creating a high-converting Shopify landing page

Step 1: Define your landing page goals

The momentum behind any successful Shopify landing page begins with clear and precise goals. It's not about putting up a pretty page and hoping for the best. This isn’t an abstract art project. It's a specific and methodical process that is directly tied to your business objectives.

Landing page goals could be as varied as the businesses they represent. You might want to generate leads, sell a product, or increase registrations for your webinar. For instance, the goal of a landing page for a dropshipping business may be to cause immediate purchases, while an online coaching service might aim to collect contact information for future communications.

Knowing your landing page’s purpose sharpens your focus and creates a clear path to success.

Step 2: Choose the right Shopify landing page app

Choosing the right landing page app is the game changer in increasing conversions. The Shopify ecosystem is abundant with apps that could take your landing page from zero to hero. However, it's crucial to know their strengths and weaknesses to align with your business needs.

While considering apps, think about the ease of use, features, value for money, and, more importantly, how well it integrates with Shopify.

Check out this guide on what to consider when choosing a Shopify page builder to learn more.

Step 3: Design your landing page

An elegantly designed landing page is part art, part science. While it has to be visually appealing, it should communicate your brand ethos and nudge your audience toward the goal.

A cluttered page dissuades potential customers, whereas a clean and delightful design swiftly navigates them through the buyer's journey. Consistency with your brand colors, fonts, and tone is also crucial as it encapsulates your brand personality, boosting trust and credibility with your potential customers.

Step 4: Optimize for SEO

This can't be stressed enough: SEO is vital. It's the heart pumping organic traffic to your landing page. SEO is not about tricking the search engine but enhancing your site to be more accessible and designed for an extraordinary user experience.

Integrating keywords into your content, optimizing meta titles and descriptions, and employing a responsive design are some of the essential practices. 

Making your Shopify landing page more compliant with SEO rules means making it more friendly to both search engines and users. Thus, it's a long-term investment that, unlike paid advertising, doesn't stop the moment you halt the funds.

How to increase conversion rates on your Shopify landing pages

1. Use high-quality images and videos

Living in an era of visual storytelling, the power of high-quality images and videos cannot be understated. Engaging visuals captivate visitor attention, effectively convey your brand message, and often play an influential role in shoppers' purchase decision process.

Visuals also add an aesthetic appeal to your landing page, enhancing its overall look and feel. Poor, low-quality images can instantly impact the perceived value of your products negatively.

It's a known fact that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. Incorporating relevant, high-quality visuals on your Shopify landing page makes it infinitely more digestible and engaging, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions.

2. Write compelling copy

Compelling copy provides a powerful and persuasive way to convince your visitors to take action. Be it subscribing to your newsletter, downloading an e-book, or making a purchase – precise, clear, and enticing copy can compel your visitors into becoming customers.

As a starting point, ensure your headline is catchy, your subheadings are informative, and your body text clearly articulates your value proposition. Devoid of jargon and focused on empathizing with the customer's needs, craft your copy to answer the classic consumer question: "What's in it for me?"

When your copy resonates with your visitors on a personal level, it drives them to take desired actions more often, thereby enhancing conversion rates.

3. Implement A/B testing for your landing pages

A/B testing, also known as split testing, allows you to compare two versions of your Shopify landing page to find out which one performs better.

Here's how it works: Version A of your landing page (the control) is shown to one-half of your audience, and Version B (the variant) to the other half. By observing and comparing the engagement and conversion rates, you can determine which version is more effective.

Not confined to minor tweaks like button colors or typefaces, A/B testing can also assist in evaluating major landing page elements, such as headlines, product images, pricing structures, copy length, and more. With systematic A/B testing, you can make data-backed decisions, eliminate the guesswork, and take the path to higher conversion rates.

Remember, no change is insignificant when it comes to improving the performance of your Shopify landing page.

By combining stunning images, compelling copy, and the power of A/B testing, success in increasing your conversion rates is all but assured.

Common mistakes to avoid when creating a Shopify landing page

Every Shopify landing page carries the potential for high conversion rates. However, common mistakes can cripple effectiveness. Let’s learn how to sidestep these pitfalls for optimal landing page performance.

1. Ignoring the importance of aesthetics

When it comes to a Shopify landing page, aesthetics are paramount. A poorly designed landing page can deter potential customers, losing customer attraction and emotional engagement. Ensuring a visually appealing, professional, and consistent design can drastically improve your bounce rate and time spent on the page. Choose colors that align with your brand. Keep the layout clean, and avoid cluttering it with too many elements. Good aesthetics create a favorable first impression and make your landing page more memorable.

2. Lack of a clear call to action (CTA)

Without a clear CTA, even the most aesthetically pleasing landing page may fail to convert. CTAs guide visitors to perform a specific action – be it making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource. A hidden or confusing CTA can result in lost conversions. The CTA button must be visible and compelling. Use actionable language like ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Download Free Guide’. Choose contrasting colors for your CTA button that make it stand out from the rest of the page.

3. Forgetting mobile optimization

With an increasing number of consumers browsing and shopping on their mobile devices, having a landing page that is not optimized for mobile can be a big drawback. Effortlessly navigating a mobile-friendly landing page results in a superior user experience leading to higher conversion rates. Don’t lose out on potential customers by not accommodating their browsing preferences.

4. Too much jargon

While using industry-related terminology might sound professional, it can be off-putting if your audience doesn't understand it. Keep your language simple, clear, and customer-focused. Remember, the main aim is to inform your audience about your offerings and persuade them to take action, not to show off your industry knowledge.

5. Ignoring page loading speed

You might be wondering - does page speed matter? Well, in the fast-paced digital world, customers are not patient enough to wait for a slow-loading page. A page that takes too long to load can lead to increased bounce rates and decreased conversions. Optimizing your page loading speed should be a top priority to provide a smooth user experience. Compress images and leverage browser caching to reduce load times.

With these pitfalls in mind, you're well-equipped to create a Shopify landing page that draws in potential customers, provides them with an enjoyable browsing experience, and successfully persuades them to take the desired action. Enjoy the improvements in performance and conversion that come with avoiding these common mistakes.

For more pitfalls - read this guide on how DTC brands can avoid 5 common conversion killers on their landing pages.

Understanding the role of a landing page in your Shopify store

Landing pages are an important segment of your ecommerce strategy. After all, they connect your marketing efforts with your Shopify store and facilitate the customer purchase journey. 

Conceptualizing a landing page within your eCommerce strategy

The term "landing page" might conjure images of astronaut footprints on the moon. But in ecommerce, a landing page serves a very earthly purpose. It's where potential customers ‘land’ after clicking a marketing ad or promotional email. Hence, it's the first impression your Shopify store gives to its visitors.

The structure of a marketplace like Shopify does provide a generic homepage for your store. However, relying on this alone can lead to less-than-optimal conversions. Why? First off, it isn't personalized. A landing page, on the other hand, is highly targeted and designed to meet the unique needs of customers arriving from specific marketing initiatives.

Imagine casting a huge net in the ocean - you would catch a variety of fish. Now, suppose you knew a place where a particular type of fish frequently gathers - wouldn't using a specific bait in that location result in a better catch of this specific fish type? That's precisely the concept of targeted landing pages. By reaching out to the right audience, landing pages bolster customer conversion rates.

Bridging marketing with your store through a landing page

A strategic landing page paves the way to your Shopify store from various marketing platforms. Consider social media ads, Pay-per-click (PPC) ads, or email newsletters. Most marketing channels generate traffic, but the journey from traffic to conversion is crucial. That's where landing pages prove pivotal.

Landing pages serve as your store's welcoming committee, introducing your brand's unique selling proposition and ushering customers further into your Shopify site. Unlike a broad homepage, landing pages are niche-oriented corners of your website. They provide focused content that mirrors what the customer clicked on and enhances their interest, guiding them deeper into your ecommerce platform.

Picture the landing page as a bridge. It takes visitors from general promotional content to the nitty-gritty of your offering, thus reducing the risk of them wandering off elsewhere. By being laser-focused, landing pages lead customers directly to what intrigued them in the first place, potentiating seamless conversions.

Facilitating the customer journey towards conversion

Don't underestimate the role of your Shopify landing page in streamlining the buyer journey. Think back to when you were cramming for tests. You'd likely create a study guide – outlining crucial points and avoiding superfluous information. That’s how an effective landing page works. It outlines what the customer needs to know to decide on a purchase and eliminates irrelevant distractions.

Your Shopify landing page not only instigates the initial customer interest but also nurtures it. It answers potential questions, dispels doubts, highlights product benefits, and re-emphasizes promotional offers – everything needed to seal the decision-making process. Ideally, it leads customers gently but persuasively to the 'checkout' button.

When comprehended thoroughly, the landing page isn't merely a gateway to your Shopify store – it forms an integral cog in the ecommerce machine. Its strategic design and targeted approach can significantly enhance customer conversion rate and overall sales. Therefore, understanding its role is vital.

Successful Shopify landing page examples

Do you need some inspiration for crafting your Shopify landing page? 

Let's dissect some successful examples for key element insights that really strike a chord with their audience.

Anatomy of a high conversion Shopify landing page

Visual aesthetics and clean design

A visually appealing site attracts visitors' interest, but a clean design keeps their focus. This starts with an attractive and engaging header.

Consider the key elements in the above-the-fold anatomy of LONG-WKND's page:

• Visual of the product in action

• Cohesive design and copy

• A soothing background video

All of these elements are tightly interwoven with the narrative to engage visitors. The background video, in particular, helps to create a "vibe" for shoppers, helping them to picture a situation in which they would need/use the product that's being advertised.

Here's a quick guide on how to add a background video to your Shopify store with a no-code page builder:

Persuasive copy

Compelling copy convinces the visitors about the worth of the product. Look at Ekster's landing page.

Their persuasive yet concise copy fires up the imagination, and along with a strong, clear call to action, they compel visitors to take action.

Trust indicators

Trust indicators, like reviews or testimonials, help to remove any apprehensions that a potential customer might have.

Wyde Footwear brings this to life by incorporating customer testimonials on their homepage creating an aura of trustworthiness around their products.

Numerous product review apps, like Judge.me, integrate directly with page builders, making it easy to add trust indicators across your Shopify store!

Conclusion: Making your Shopify landing pages count

Using these insights, you can optimize your Shopify landing page to meet user expectations and business goals effectively.

By defining clear goals, selecting the right tools, and designing with your audience in mind, you can significantly enhance your store's conversion rates. Remember, the journey doesn't stop with design. Optimizing for SEO, leveraging high-quality visuals, crafting compelling copy, and continuously testing is crucial to staying ahead. Avoid common pitfalls and keep your focus on providing a seamless user experience. With the insights and strategies outlined in this guide, you're now well-equipped to create Shopify landing pages that not only capture attention but convert visitors into loyal customers.

Remember, your landing page is the first impression shoppers have of your brand - make it count.