Crafting a unique and eye-catching landing page comes down to a science. There is a formula to creating SaaS web design that draws site visitors in and has them wanting more. These strategies are the core tenets of design and will lead to successful SaaS websites.
But what are these unspoken guidelines? It’s hard to say what is right and what is wrong in design when creativity is prioritized. However, there are certain rules to the structure of landing pages, how to write website copy that is persuasive, and what design trends should not be ignored.
In this article, we will dive into the nuances of SaaS web design, especially the landing page. We’ll cover design elements, copywriting, and more to teach you how to create productive and effective SaaS web pages.
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What is a Landing Page?
Landing pages, also known as home pages, are a site visitor’s first impression. In the roadmap that is the internet, the landing page is where you want your viewers to land on your website. These pages are carefully pieced together to make a good impression. After all, you want to put your best foot forward to keep web traffic.
The primary goal of a landing page is to retain a visitor who has come to visit your site. Whether they are to fill out a lead form or click to another page, this is a landing page win. But there are other goals that landing pages have as well.
These goals include telling a potential client what the goal of your brand or business is, what you have to offer, and establishing why they should trust you as an authority in your field. These pieces of information are delivered through design, images, or copywriting.
The bottom line is that your landing page should aim to retain website traffic and generate conversions into sales.
What Design Elements Do Landing Pages Need?
Now that you know what a landing page is and what the goal of having one is, let’s get into the specific elements that make up a SaaS landing page. Each of these elements is important individually and when used together can result in beautiful web pages that are marketing-focused and optimized.
Headline
SaaS landing pages need a headline that describes the product, service, brand, or business. This headline should draw the reader in and jump out at you in size. The point of this headline is to avoid people clicking away. In this way, your headline is your very first impression on a landing page.
Images and Illustrations
Visuals are essential to establishing brand identity. Whether these are professionally taken images of your products or simple design illustrations, allowing visual stimulus to speak for your brand is important. They break up space from the text and allow site visitors to get a feel for your brand without having to read.
Website Copy
Having clear, concise, and convincing copy on your landing page will help in your goal for conversion. Website copy is commonly overlooked in design, but when you think of your landing page as a sales pitch you can see why it is so important. These pages are all about marketing your brand and business.
Responsiveness
Most website users are on mobile devices now. In this way, if your website is not optimized for mobile and tablet users, you can end up losing clients who can’t properly view your landing pages. This element is essential to conversion success.
How to Design a SaaS Landing Page
Landing pages are designed with a formula in mind, like we mentioned before. There are proven design elements that apply when creating a landing page. These elements include the headline, imagery, and website copy.
These elements can be designed with creativity in mind. In fact, if you Google the term “landing page” there are thousands of options for design that come up. In this way, while you want to include the necessary elements you can also get creative with design.
Design with Brand Identity in Mind
Your landing page must reflect your brand identity in order to accurately sell your brand. At UI Rocket, we like to consider a company’s website as their visual front door. It is a snapshot of your brand that has a focus on sales.
In this way, you should include design elements that speak to your brand through imagery, font, and color. If your brand is geared toward people who are interested in tech, there are design elements that have been proven to be successful in this genre.
On the other hand, if your brand identity is vintage and rustic, the design choices that you would make should be much different. These choices are imperative to creating not only a good first impression, but an accurate first impression.
Make Sure People Don’t Click Away
Another thing to consider when designing a SaaS landing page is that you only have a set amount of time to gain interest. People tend to click away from web pages that they dislike in mere seconds. To accomplish your goals, you need to stand out to viewers.
The most important information should be eye-level and eye catching. When a visitor first opens your website they should get all the information that they need to have before scrolling down. This is the first hurdle.
Because of this, you don’t want your landing page to be too busy. If someone has difficulty reading your text due to other design elements or simply too much text, they are more likely to click away from your website.
This aspect of your landing page is best covered by good copywriting.
How to Write Copy for SaaS Landing Pages
Writing website copy is a skill that involves both wordsmithing and marketing knowledge. Not any writer can write marketing-focused content. However, with some research on the industry and understanding of the key pieces of web copy, anyone can learn how to write copy. Let’s discuss some of these key elements that are relevant to landing pages.
Keep it Brief
As we mentioned in the section above, brevity is important for landing pages. The content should be written in short form in order to be easily digestible. Otherwise, people are not going to spend the time to read what you have to offer.
Writing in short paragraphs (1-2 sentences) and even bulleted lists can help tell people what your brand is all about without taking up too much of their precious time.
However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t still have to write from a sales angle. Balance is needed in website copy between brevity and marketing.
Entice Your Reader
Your website visitor should be told the nice things about your brand right away. What do you do? What do you focus on? Are you a small or local business? These factors can help people to make decisions for or against you. If done properly, visitors will likely choose to stick around.
In this way, you must do some sales pitching. For example, if you are a shoe brand you are not just a shoe brand. There is more to the character of your brand that you can share with your website visitors.
Call-to-Action
Finally, a good landing page should have a call-to-action. In sales, people want to be told what they should do next. Whether that is to purchase a product, get in contact with you, or download a free eBook, your call-to-action should inspire your site visitor to take the next step and form a connection with you.
These are the conversions that you are looking for from your website. A good call-to-action will direct your readers to continue to interact with you. These should be in the form of buttons on your web page and be concise. You don’t want to oversell your call-to-action, but you do want to draw attention to it.
How Can SaaS Web Design Agencies Help?
Do you have an idea for a landing page for your brand or business? It can be helpful to run your design ideas by the professionals. SaaS web design agencies, such as UI Rocket, specialize in crafting top-notch SaaS websites. In this way, they are landing page experts.
You can also turn to the experts in the field if you are wanting to build a new landing page from scratch. These agencies are well-acquainted with the industry standards and marketing strategies that can be implemented to create successful, functional, and eye-catching landing pages.
Conclusion
To conclude, you should put considerable effort into designing your landing pages. After all, they are your first impression on the internet. If you find that you need help or want an expert to step in, a SaaS web design agency can easily assist you with your design and creation.
If you are interested in partnering with a design agency for your next project, please feel free to reach out to us at UI Rocket here! We would love to help you put your best foot forward online with our experience and expertise in SaaS website design.