The Essential Elements Of High-Converting SaaS Landing Pages

Convincing potential customers that your product is right for them starts with the first impression. If your landing pages don't:

1. Communicate the value of your product in an easily digestible way.
2. Have imagery that conveys your product and its benefits.
3. Include a clear Call-To-Action (CTA).
4. Highlight social proof like reviews or case studies to reinforce trust.

then you've come to the right place. Your website and landing pages are your shopfronts. They leave a lasting impression, which can be a massive positive and potentially a negative.

If you're struggling to increase your conversion rates above 4%, this article is for you. Here, we will discuss the elements that make up remarkable landing pages with examples of each and an exploration of a best in-class landing page from a business called Pento.

The SaaS market is highly competitive, and the success of your business can rely heavily on your ability to convert website visitors into customers. A well-crafted landing page that educates customers about your product and how it can make their lives easier will significantly impact attracting the right customer.

Let's begin with a simple question.

What is a SaaS Landing Page?

Any page on your website can be considered a landing page, however, when we talk about landing pages, we mean a dedicated page that is built for a specific campaign or traffic source. For example, a homepage can be considered a landing page as users land on that page to learn more about your business. However, the information on a homepage tends to be more general in nature. A homepage has to cover a lot of bases, whereas with a landing page, because it is built for a campaign, the information is tailored to that.

For example, Monday, a project management SaaS business that is running a Google Ad campaign targeting the keyword project management software directs this traffic to a specific project management page.

Although some elements of these pages are similar, the content and purpose are very different. The landing page is considerably shorter, focused on one single call-to-action, and the content is tailored to the search keyword to highlight Monday's project management features.

A SaaS landing page should be tailored to the type of campaign you are running, thus enabling greater relevance to the user and providing them with a better experience. This increases the likelihood of a user converting to a free trial, demo and sale.

Fundamentals of a High-Converting SaaS Landing Page

To create a landing page that converts effectively, it's important to incorporate key elements that engage and persuade your visitors. Let's explore the essential components of a high-converting SaaS landing page:

1. Above The Hold (Hero)

The hero is the "above the fold" section of your landing page, visible without scrolling. This is where you need to capture a visitor's attention quickly. If you don't, it's likely they won't scroll any further to learn about your product, even if it fits what they want or need. Typically, this section includes an enticing headline, a compelling subheading, a clear call-to-action (CTA) button and potentially an image of the product. Depending on your CTA, you may also include a form here.

Example:

2. Social Proof, Reviews and/or Awards

Establishing trust and credibility plays a crucial role in convincing a visitor to test or demo your product. Reinforce the value of your product through reviews, testimonials, client logos, awards and case studies. Just to highlight how important this is, 9 in 10 customers read online reviews before making a purchase. Showcasing the positive experiences of your users can have a major impact on a website's conversion rate.

Top tip: Make sure to mention a range of different trust aspects in this content. For example, feedback on features, customer support, and value-added.

Example:

3. Features and Benefits

Addressing your target audience's pain points by highlighting the features and benefits of your SaaS is necessary for communicating the value of your product. A clear value proposition that aligns with your features and benefits will make your product more tangible for the user and show them you have a clear understanding of the problem they're trying to solve.

Use clear, authentic product imagery to show how intuitive the product is and to showcase the range of features.

Top tip: Don't just think of static imagery, use gifs or short videos showing how to use the product.

Example:

4. No Distractions

This can be a bit contentious, and there are a couple of schools of thought. Limiting distractions on your landing page means minimising exit opportunities to maintain the visitors' focus on that one page. The only exit should be to complete a form or a call-to-action for a free trial or similar.

However, often, when a user is looking for a new SaaS product they're comparing many different solutions over many weeks or even months. This can mean a user will interact with your website many times before signing up for a free trial or speaking with your sales team. Limiting distractions can cause a user to become frustrated as they can't learn more about your product other than what's on that single landing page. For example, pricing is often a page users visit to understand if the software is within their budget, and they won't be able to navigate to the pricing page if it's not linked to on the landing page.

There is a time and place for both approaches, and it also depends on how you run your business.

Top tip: We recommend running no distraction landing pages on bottom of the funnel traffic sources, these users tend to be further in their research journey and are looking to make a decision soon. Capturing this high-intent user is very important to your revenue growth.

Example:

Below is an example of a no-distraction landing page from Typeform, it's very simple, it has a single CTA and doesn't link out to any other pages on their website.

5. On-Page Contact Forms (If using)

On-page forms are often not given a second thought, but they're crucial. This is where a user has decided to learn more about your product or arrange a time to speak with the sales team. Consider what information you need from the visitor and reassure them that they're making the right decision.

Remember, not all leads are created equal. Removing fields from your form may increase your on-page conversion rate but that might also bring in more unqualified leads. Requiring a certain level of information upfront can help weed out those unqualified leads and let your sales team focus on customers who are ready to buy.

Example:

The below example is from Veed.io. They make it clear what fields need to be completed, highlight other companies that are using their product, and the form has a number of fields to complete.

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6. Call-To-Action (CTA) Buttons

Instead of an on-page contact us form, many companies opt for a CTA button that leads to a signup form. A call-to-action button should be clear, compelling, and visually distinct. You should also set expectations for the user if it's a free trial, then use text highlighting that in the CTA. If you require credit card information before being able to use your product, make that clear below the CTA.

Use action-oriented language to prompt visitors to take the action you desire. One type of CTA is enough, but you should place this CTA throughout the page so the user doesn't have to find it once they're ready to sign up.

Example:

Uplisting sets expectations on their CTA by communicating to the visitor that they can connect their Airbnb listings in a single click.

7. Product Images, Videos or Gifs

Using imagery from your product in the form of videos, images or gifs makes the software more tangible, and it's a powerful way of showcasing the value and functionality of your SaaS product. Visual assets like this can engage and educate your visitors, allowing them to visualise how your product works and the benefits it offers.

Example:

Synthesia is UK based AI video generation platform that recently hit unicorn status. As you can imagine, they use their product to demonstrate how it works and the value it provides.

8. Live Chat

Offering live chat can be a labour intensive way to optimise landing pages. However, if used correctly, it can enhance your conversion rates and allow you to prequalify leads. Prompt and helpful customer support can significantly increase trust by answering user questions in real time.

Top tip:

Test having your live chat widget ask a question on high-value pages like a pricing page. This can engage the user and prompt them to start a conversation.

Example:

Paddle's live chat widget provides initial options such as "Chat with sales" to route conversations to the right team.

9. User Experience (UX)

Optimising the user experience of your landing page is crucial for keeping visitors engaged and increasing conversion rates. Ensure that your page loads quickly, is mobile-responsive, and has a layout that provides the user with the information they need in an easily digestible manner. A seamless and intuitive user experience enhances the overall perception of your brand and improves the likelihood of conversion.

Example:

Pento, an automated payroll solution, have landing pages that are clean, clear and concise whilst providing all the information you need to make a decision. The landing page Hero section has an interactive demo highlighting elements of the product. We were so impressed with Pento's landing pages that you'll find a full breakdown further on in the article.

10. Tracking

Tracking is a basic necessity of any digital marketing campaign. It's essential that robust tracking mechanisms are in place before going live with your advertising. What to track and measure depends on the campaign type and business needs. At a minimum, every business needs goal tracking for the action you want the user to take. For example, that could be booking a demo or signing up for a free trial.

Measuring these metrics will let you understand the cost per lead, conversion rate of the landing page and more.

Example SaaS Landing Page

We could list 100's of pages here but during our research we came across one of Pento's landing pages and really impressed us. They incorporate every element outlined above and do it in really well thought out manner. The are using the "no distraction" landing page technique but what makes this page great is that they include all the information a potential customer is looking for, even pricing. This gives the user the information they need to make a decision on booking a demo or not.

Key Takeaways and Landing Page Tips

Here are some key tips to keep in mind:

1. Focus on creating a clear value proposition highlighting your SaaS product's benefits.
2. Keep your design clean and simple, with a clear hierarchy of information.
3. Incorporate social proof to build trust and credibility with your visitors.
4. Ensure your landing page is mobile-responsive
5. Optimise the user experience to provide a seamless and intuitive browsing experience.
6. Use call-to-action buttons to guide visitors towards the action that you would like them to take.
7. You can minimise distractions to keep visitors focused on your product.
8. Add interactive elements to the page by using video, images or gifs to demonstrate the value of your SaaS product.
9. Consider adding live chat support to provide immediate assistance and address visitor concerns.
10. Ensure tracking is in place to measure the performance of your landing page and make data-driven improvements.

When first starting out, start simple and improve over time. Take a test-and-learn approach to making improvements to your landing pages.

One final top tip:

You may also want to consider using a tool like Hotjar to understand how users interact with your page. This can be very insightful and help you quickly determine what information is valuable to the user and if there are pitfalls they're falling in too.