TUTORIAL: How to create a landing page in HubSpot
A landing page is a type of website page on which you have a form to generate leads. Landing pages are centrally important tools in your Inbound Marketing toolkit, as they are the means by which you will collect new leads on your site, as well as the pages you will use to reconvert your existing leads. Whether you’re building a landing page for a new lead or an existing contact or customer, the end goal is the same -- to capture your lead’s interest in something you have to offer, and then use this opportunity to nurture them further down the sales funnel towards the next sale.
This tutorial section is broken down into the three elements of creating an effective landing page:
- I. How to create a landing page - the page site visitors land on after clicking a call-to-action
- II. How to create a form - how your site visitors will become leads
- III. How to configure the form actions - what happens after a user becomes a lead
I. How to Create a Landing Page
There are four main things a good landing page tells a viewer within 5 seconds:
- What exactly is being offered - should answer the question "what's in it for me?"
- The benefits of the offer - should explain the viewer can't live without it
- Why the viewer needs the offer NOW - should create a sense of urgency
- How the user can get the offer - the page should make it easy for the lead to convert
1. Go to the Landing Page Manager
Go to the Landing Page manager, which you can find under Create > Landing Pages.
2. Create a New Landing Page
Click the Create New Landing Page button.This will launch a Landing Page Wizard, which will walk you through the creation of a new landing page.
3. Choose a Layout for your Landing Page
The first step in the Landing Page Wizard asks you to choose a layout for your landing page. You can always change this later. For this example, choose the 2nd option.
4. Write a Headline for your Landing Page
Your landing page header should clearly explain what the offer is. It should start with an action-oriented verb like "learn" or "download." When you've written the headline in the text field, click "Next."
5. Write the Content of your Landing Page
Your landing page content should be short and sweet, while describing exactly what the offer is, what the benefits are, and create a sense of urgency.- Begin with a brief paragraph explaining the offer.
- Next, write three (3) to five (5) bullet points that explain what the offer includes or the benefits of receiving this offer. Using bullet points makes it easy for a visitor to quickly scan the benefits and make the decision to fill out the form.
- Close with another sentence or two that acts as a final call to action, creating a sense of urgency and reiterating that the visitor can receive the offer by filling out the form on the page.
6. Write the Sidebar Header
If you've chosen a three-column layout (which we did for this tutorial), the wizard will ask you to write a column headline. Write a headline that reiterates what the offer is, and then click "Next."
7. Add an Image Relevant to the Offer
Including a relevant, interesting image on the landing page will help your visitors visualize what the offer is. For example, you can use an image of the cover of an eBook or Whitepaper, the first slide of a webinar presentation, or a screenshot of free-trial software. Once you've added an image, click "Next."
8. Select a Form or "Create a New Form"
The wizard will then prompt you to select from one of your forms to add to this landing page, or create a new form. Leave "Create New Form" selected and click "Finish."
9. Check Out your New Landing Page!
Upon clicking finish, you'll see a prompt to create tracking URLs. You'll learn more about tracking URLs later, so just click "No, I'll do this later" for now. Now it's time to edit your new form!
II. How to Create a Form
1. Edit the New Form
Click the "Edit Form" button that you see above the form module.
2. Edit the Form Title
The default form title is "Contact Us," but you should change this to be relevant to the action the visitor is taking by filling out the form. For example, if they'll be downloading something, say "Download Now." If they'll be registering for a webinar, say "Register Now." To edit the form title, just click on the title to edit, and then click away to save.
3. Edit a Field Label or Properties
To edit any of the existing form fields, just click on that field, and the Field Properties will appear on the right. There, you can edit the form field label.
4. Make the Email Field Required
It is recommended that you make your email field required to ensure that you capture leads' email addresses so you can send them lead nurturing emails later. To make any field required, click on that field, and the in the Field Properties box on the right, check off "Required?"
5. Delete Any Unecessary Fields
The "Message" field comes default on any new form. If it is not a necessary field in your sales process, then delete this field to keep your form as short as possible. To delete any form field, click on that field and click the "delete" button.
6. Add Any Necessary Fields
On a landing page, you typically want to keep a form as short as possible so there are fewer steps required for your visitors to become leads. However, if there is information that is required for your sales team to be able to contact your leads, such as a phone number, then you should add those fields. To add a field, just click on the "Add Field" tab and click on the field you would like to add.
7. Change the "Submit" Button Text
Just like you made your form title relevant to the offer, you can also make the Submit button relevant to the offer. For example, you can say "Download Now" or "Get it Now." To edit the Submit button, click "Change Submit Button," then enter the new text and click "Done."
8. Save your Form
When you've finished customizing your new form, scroll to the top of the page and click "Save Changes." Now it's time to configure the form actions so that your new leads can actually receive the offer they submitted their contact information for!
III. How to Configure Form Actions
1. Go to Configure Form Actions
At the top of the Edit Form screen, click "Configure Form Actions."
2. Create a Temporary Thank You Message
For now, go ahead and create a Thank You message. But you will definitely want to replace this with a Thank You page, as is best practice. So what's the difference?- Thank You Message - a message that replaces the form on the landing page after the user clicks "Submit"
- Thank You Page - a new page the user gets redirected to after clicking "Submit" which returns the site navigation (which should be hidden on landing pages to remove distracting links) and allows space for CTAs
You'll be able to copy/paste your Thank You message on the new Thank You page you'll create later, so don't worry about wasting time. This Thank You message ensures that your leads actually receive the offer you've promised them.
3. Provide the Promised Offer
If you've promised an informational offer, attach the document to your thank you message. To do this, highlight the text that you want people to click to download the offer, and then click the attachment icon in the toolbar.
Click here if you need more help learning how to attach a document.
4. Configure the Auto Response Email
In addition to showing new leads a Thank You message or Thank You page, you can also send them an auto-response email. You can find this text field further down the Configure Form Actions page.
5. Save your Form Actions
When you've finished configuring your Thank You message/page and auto-response email, scroll to the top of the page and click "Save and Continue."
Congratulations! You've just completed your first landing page and form! Next, you'll learn how to create a Call to Action to drive your website visitors to the landing page you just completed.
Next: How to create a Call to Action (CTA) using HubSpot
Want a customized Landing Page design? Contact a HubSpot Service Marketplace Provider to create one for you or use the Unbounce app in the App Marketplace.
