Introduction
Landing pages are a must-have for any business looking to drive conversions and acquire users online. Unlike your main website pages, landing pages have a singular focus - to get visitors to take one specific action, like signing up for a free trial or purchasing a product.
Creating custom landing pages from scratch can be difficult and time-consuming without coding expertise. That's where leveraging WordPress and landing page plugins comes in handy! Solutions like Unicorn Platform make it easy for startups and SaaS businesses to design beautiful, mobile-friendly landing pages through an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and pre-made templates - no coding required!
In this comprehensive tutorial, you'll learn how startups and SaaS companies can quickly build high-converting landing pages within WordPress using plugins like Unicorn Platform, Leadpages and Thrive Architect. We'll cover:
- Choosing the optimal template for your business needs
- Customizing the design with your brand colors/style
- Crafting compelling headlines and content that convert
- Adding calls-to-action, forms, and other conversion elements
- Ensuring full mobile responsiveness
- Optimizing page speed for higher conversions
With the right WordPress plugin, you can create stunning landing pages tailored to your startup or SaaS business - no coding expertise needed. Let's dive in!
Choosing a Landing Page Template in WordPress
Starting with a professionally designed template is the best way to create a high-converting landing page. WordPress page builder plugins like Unicorn Platform, Leadpages, and Thrive Architect provide dozens of customizable templates for different industries and niches.
Here are some key things to look for when picking a landing page template:
- Responsive design: Ensure the template looks great on all devices. Mobile optimization is a must!
- Clean, simple layout: Avoid templates that look cluttered. Less is more!
- Clear call-to-action: There should be an obvious CTA button/form for users to click.
Ideally, choose a template that fits your brand style and industry. For example, Unicorn Platform offers modern, minimalist templates designed specifically for startups, SaaS and tech companies. Their Startup Landing Page and SaaS Landing Page templates are great options tailored to that audience.
Inserting a Template into Your WordPress Site
Adding a landing page template only takes a few clicks in WordPress:
- Install and activate your chosen page builder plugin (Unicorn Platform, Leadpages, Thrive Architect, etc).
- In your WordPress dashboard, click to add a new page. Select one of the pre-made template options from your page builder plugin.
- The template will appear as a new page on your site, ready to be customized!
When selecting a template, be sure to:
- Analyze the layout and test responsiveness on mobile
- Pick a design that matches your brand style
- Consider customizing vs using a premade template
Using a template gives you a significant head start in creating a polished, professional landing page.
Customizing the Template Design
Most landing page plugins allow you to easily customize the template design without coding:
- Change colors, fonts, images
- Edit icons, shapes, and layout
- Modify sections and elements by dragging and dropping
In Unicorn Platform, for example, you can customize almost every aspect of the template design through their intuitive editor. Simply select a section or element, tweak the styling options in the left sidebar, and hit save.
When modifying the template design:
- Adjust colors/fonts to match brand
- Don't overhaul the design completely
- Use plugins like Custom CSS Pro for finer tweaks
With some simple tweaks, you can adapt the template to perfectly match your startup or SaaS website design - no developer needed!
Optimizing Landing Page Content
You've chosen the optimal template - now it's time to optimize the content for conversions!
Compelling copy and visuals are crucial for turning landing page visitors into leads and customers. Here are some tips:
- Focus on benefits in headlines and text
- Include social proof like testimonials
- Use high-quality relevant images
- Add content blocks for ease of editing
- A/B test different content variations
Tools like Unicorn Platform make it simple to add and customize landing page content without any coding required. Their AI writing assistant can even help you craft more compelling headlines and body copy tailored to your offering.
Headlines and Subheaders
Your headline and subheaders should immediately capture attention. Follow these best practices:
- Highlight customer benefits
- Use power words like "Discover" "Guaranteed"
- Craft subheaders that intrigue readers
- Analyze headlines with CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
For example, Unicorn Platform's templates use compelling headers like "Build Beautiful Landing Pages in Minutes".
Body Content
Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and lists to concisely explain your offering. Make sure to:
- Focus on benefits and use specific examples
- Improve readability with Hemingway App
- Add content blocks in Unicorn Platform
The body content should briefly yet effectively persuade visitors to convert.
Visuals
Relevant high-quality photos and graphics are vital. When choosing images:
- Select ones that reinforce your message
- Create custom graphics with Canva
- Easily swap images/icons in Unicorn Platform
Unicorn Platform's massive image library and icon sets help you quickly find polished visuals for landing pages.
Adding Forms, CTAs and Other Conversion Elements
Now that your landing page copy and design are complete, it's time to drive conversions with forms, calls-to-action (CTAs) and other elements.
Here are some tips:
- Include lead capture and email opt-in forms
- Add clickable CTA buttons and text links
- Use popups or chat boxes to further engage visitors
- A/B test different CTA variations
With Unicorn Platform, you can seamlessly integrate all of these conversion tools just by dragging and dropping - no extra plugins needed!
Lead Capture and Email Opt-in Forms
Collecting leads and emails is a primary goal for landing pages. Use popular WordPress form plugins like WPForms and Formidable Forms to add high-converting forms quickly.
For higher conversions:
- Keep lead gen forms short and minimal
- Easily add forms in Unicorn Platform
- Test different form fields and designs
Well-designed lead capture forms are crucial for generating new business from your landing pages.
Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Your CTAs should compel visitors to click. Some tips:
- Make primary CTA buttons prominent
- Use action words like "Sign Up Now"
- Test CTA colors, sizes and styles
- Add clickable text links as secondary CTAs
Unicorn Platform's templates make it easy to customize your CTA buttons and links to match your brand and boost conversions.
Other Conversion Elements
Also consider adding:
- Exit intent popups
- Chat boxes
- Countdown timers
- Social media follow buttons
Unicorn Platform allows integrating all of these elements into your landing pages seamlessly - no extra plugins required!
The right mix of conversion tools will turn your landing page visitors into valued leads and customers.
Optimizing for Mobile and Speed
With most traffic now coming from mobile, having a responsive design and fast page speed is essential.
Here are some tips:
- Preview on mobile devices
- Check speed with Google PageSpeed Insights
- Optimize images and enable caching
- Use CDNs and minification
Unicorn Platform is designed mobile-first, so templates are fully responsive. Their global CDN and code optimization features also enhance page speed.
Ensuring Mobile Responsiveness
Test your landing pages on all devices, and fix any mobile issues like:
- Small tap targets
- Blocky or off-screen content
- Pinch/zoom required
Tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test help spot problems. Unicorn Platform guarantees full responsiveness.
Improving Page Speed
Faster landing pages deliver higher conversions. Use Unicorn Platform's built-in minification and global CDN to:
- Compress images
- Minify CSS/JS
- Enable caching
- Reduce server response time
With their speed optimizations, your landing pages will load lightning fast on all devices.
Conclusion
In summary, creating custom landing pages in WordPress is easy with intuitive drag-and-drop platforms like Unicorn Platform. Pre-made templates, design flexibility, built-in conversion tools, and speed optimization allow you to build high-converting landing pages tailored to your startup or SaaS business - with no coding expertise required.
Focus on choosing the right template, optimizing content for conversions, ensuring mobile responsiveness, and improving page speed. With the strategies outlined in this guide, you can quickly build landing pages that capture more leads and help scale your business.
Ready to get started creating landing pages that convert? Sign up for a free trial of Unicorn Platform and build your first landing page in under an hour!
