Some marketers do an excellent job of laying out information on their landing page so that it tells a story in a way the reader needs to hear it. Not only does that yield awesome conversion rates, it creates an experience for the reader that feels effortless.
Other times, information is presented in a way that feels disjointed or out of order.
Have a look at this example, which invites people to “get started” without really explaining what “travel nursing jobs” are. They only clarify their unique value proposition below the fold: “We put health care professionals on assignment to do the work they love - in the places they fall in love with.”
Before you ask prospects to convert, you need to explain what your offer is.
Heck, before you even begin to talk about yourself, you need to show prospects that you understand their anxieties - and you must address their objections as they spring up, telling them exactly what they need to hear when they need to hear it. This includes omitting unnecessary information that doesn't address an actual question in your prospect's mind.
If that sounds like a tall order, we've got a simple solution:
Information hierarchy: the practice of laying out your information so that it answers all your prospects' questions in a logical order.
And once you get a hang of it, you'll be weaving a tale on your landing page that has your prospects nodding “yaassss.”
A simple but effective information hierarchy for your landing pages
Information hierarchy is so important that it's the first thing I consider when creating any marketing asset, from an ad to a blog post to a website.
But I've also designed many-a-landing-page, and for that I have a go-to hierarchy. In Google Docs, I start by:
- Stating how the offer relieves a specific pain for the reader
- Explaining what the offer will allow that person to do (the benefit)
- Explaining why I am uniquely positioned to provide the offer (why I have the best solution)
- Addressing the most common objections that people often have before they're willing to accept my offer
- Telling people how they can get offer (the call to action)
- Providing social proof from people just like the reader, or from people they know and admire
Only when I have that foundational information in place do I start writing copy and designing the page.
Often, I can dedicate a page section to each one of those topics, keep it in that order and call it a day.
However, depending on the complexity of the offer, the assets I have at my disposal (like a sweet image or explainer video) or the objections I know the audience will hold, I may choose to rearrange the order or use a different format than text.
The above hierarchy is great as a jumping off point, but depending on your unique audience, mileage may vary. So don't forget to test.
Examples of marketers nailing information hierarchy
Want to know what all of this looks like in practice?
Below are a few examples of information hierarchy done right.
Example 1: Logi Analytics
Logi Analytics has managed to pare down the amount of information on the page to include only what's necessary to convince the right audience member to download their ebook.
They've structured it all so that it reads like a pitch that starts with the promise of learning new information and ends with instructions on how to get it:
- A headline promising a book with brand new, never before seen “emerging design trends”
- A hero shot showing a sneak preview of what you'll get
- A description that digs deeper into what the book contains
- A bulleted list that describes the benefits (you'll learn…)
- Social proof, promising that other people trust Logi
- A form headline that reassures you that you can apply the information easily
- A CTA describing how to get the ebook
The only thing I'd recommend is a link to their privacy policy positioned near the email field (ideally opening in a lightbox so the reader doesn't need to navigate away) to satisfy those who need assurance that their information will be handled responsibly.
Example 2: Ten-X
Ten-X clearly understands what their potential clients want: offers on the commercial property they're selling.
Though Ten-X also offers services for brokers, they know that the people who are looking at this page - the people who are selling commercial properties - don't need to know it. So they've hidden broker information and focus instead on catering to only one audience.
Additionally, Ten-x focuses only on the next step for readers, displaying only enough information to sell the reader on why they should get a free consultation.
Their copy reads like a persuasive pitch taking someone from “I need to get offers on my commercial property” to “here's how I can get started.” Here's how they take someone through that thought process step by step:
- A headline that promises clients will get offers. Fast.
- A benefits section that shows why Ten-X is better than the alternatives (These sections actually display more information on click - I'd recommend making that more obvious.)
- A succinct explanation of how the process works
- Social proof, providing confidence that others have found success with Ten-X
- A form header/subhead reassuring prospects that they can start the process for free, with no risk
- A disclaimer at the end with the qualifier “By the way, we have minimum deal sizes.” I love the placement of this information. It's important to qualify the quality of the leads, but they don't want to waste valuable page real estate with it. They bring it up only after the prospect has made their decision. If you have a low-value property, you might be upset about it… but who cares? You can't become a client anyway.
What's the common thread between this example and the one above?
Both companies have considered what the reader needs to know in order for them to make the next important decision - and the next decision only. #1page1goal
Consider information hierarchy before you even open your builder
Marketers who carefully consider information hierarchy before they even open their landing page builder are more likely to design a landing page that's delightful and converts.
To help our customers perfect information hierarchy, we just built out a feature that lets you hide information that only some people may want to see in a lightbox that's triggered by a button click, saving valuable page real estate.
Test it out by clicking the CTA below.
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