How to Design Landing Pages That Actually Convert

Learn how to design landing pages that turn clicks into customers. Get practical advice on layout, copy, and mobile optimization for your Shopify store.

How to Design Landing Pages That Actually Convert
Do not index
Do not index
A high-converting landing page is designed to do one thing and one thing only: get a visitor to take a specific action. Think of it not as your homepage, but as a specialist brought in for a single, focused mission. It’s built to capture traffic from a specific campaign—like an Instagram ad or a TikTok video—by stripping away all distractions and pointing users toward a single, unmissable call-to-action.

Why Most Landing Pages Fail to Convert

So, you’ve poured your heart into a beautiful page for your new product launch, dropped the link in your bio, and waited for the sales to pour in. But… crickets. What gives?
Nine times out of ten, the problem is that merchants treat their landing page like a mini-homepage. This is the single biggest mistake I see.
Your homepage is a generalist. It has to be. It's the front door for everyone—first-time visitors, loyal customers, even people looking for your press kit. It’s got a navigation bar, links to your blog, your "About Us" story, and a dozen different product categories. Its job is to be a directory.
A landing page, on the other hand, is a master of one. Its entire reason for existing is to persuade a visitor—who just clicked a very specific ad or post—to take one specific action. That action could be anything:
  • Buying a featured product
  • Claiming a special discount
  • Signing up for your email list
  • Downloading a new lookbook
Anything that doesn't directly support that one goal is a leak in your sales funnel. Every extra link is a potential escape route, pulling that traffic you worked so hard to get away from the finish line. If you really want to get this right, a good starting point is this complete guide to high-converting pages.

The Power of a Single Focus

The data doesn't lie: simplicity sells. While the median landing page conversion rate hovers around 6.6%, a deeper look reveals something fascinating. Pages with just a single call-to-action link convert at 13.5%. But as soon as you add five or more links, that rate plummets to 10.5%.
That clarity is absolutely crucial for a link-in-bio page like LinkShop, where a focused design is the difference between a casual browser and a new customer. You can see more stats on this over at amraandelma.com.
This singular focus creates a smooth, frictionless path for the user. When someone clicks your bio link promoting a new t-shirt collection, they should land on a page that is only about that t-shirt collection, with a big, bold button that says "Shop Now." No side trips to your blog, no detours to other product categories.
This is a core strategy you can apply across your entire store, and you can learn more about how to increase sales on Shopify using similar tactics. So, before we even start designing, let's get this principle locked in: one page, one purpose, one path to conversion.

Building a Layout That Guides the Eye

Your landing page layout isn't just a container for your products; it's a roadmap. A good design is always intentional. It carves a visual path that steers your visitor’s eye from the moment they arrive right to your call-to-action, making the decision to buy feel like the most natural next step.
This journey all starts with a strong visual hierarchy.
Simply put, visual hierarchy is about making the most important things on your page demand the most attention. Your headline should be the biggest, boldest text on the screen. That CTA button needs to pop with a contrasting color. The smaller details, like product specs, can take a backseat. This isn't just about making things look pretty—it's about controlling focus.

Crafting a Compelling Hero Section

The hero section is your first impression. It’s the prime real estate "above the fold" that determines whether someone sticks around or bounces. Its only job is to convince them to keep scrolling.
A powerful hero section boils down to three core parts: an irresistible headline, a captivating image, and a crystal-clear call-to-action.
For Shopify merchants, this is your product's time to shine. Forget the generic stock photos. Use high-quality, professional shots that show your product in its best light. If you sell apparel, show it on a model. If it's a home decor piece, place it in a beautifully styled room. You want the visitor to instantly picture that product in their own life. To get this just right, check out our detailed guide on selecting the perfect Shopify banner image size.
Another proven tactic? Use human faces. In fact, data shows that 73% of top pages use them to build an immediate sense of connection and trust. This is especially potent for link-in-bio pages where you're turning social media followers into customers. They already feel connected to you, so lean into it.

Using Whitespace and Directional Cues

A cluttered page is a confusing page. One of the most powerful—and most underused—tools in design is whitespace, or the empty area around your text and images. Giving your elements room to breathe makes your content easier to scan and digest.
Don't try to cram every inch of the page with information. Instead, group related items together, like a product image and its description, and then surround that block with plenty of whitespace. This creates distinct sections that the brain can process without effort.
Directional cues are another great tool. These are subtle visual hints that point users where you want them to go. It could be as obvious as an arrow pointing to your CTA button or as subtle as the gaze of a person in a photo. If a model in your hero image is looking toward the "Shop Now" button, visitors' eyes will naturally follow.

Organizing Products for Easy Shopping

When you’re showing off multiple products, organization is everything. You want to encourage discovery without causing decision paralysis. A clean, grid-based layout is almost always the best way to go.
Here are a few ways you can structure your product display:
  • Uniform Grid: This is a classic for a reason. All product images are the same size, creating a neat, organized look that’s incredibly easy to scan.
  • Featured Product: Make one product visually larger than the others. This is perfect for highlighting a new arrival, a bestseller, or a special offer.
  • Categorized Sections: If you have several types of products, group them under simple subheadings like "New Arrivals" or "Best Sellers."
The goal is to present your products in a way that feels curated and intentional, not like a random garage sale. This structure is what guides the shopping experience and makes it feel effortless.
This simple diagram shows exactly how a focused design removes distractions to drive conversions.
notion image
This visual gets to the heart of what makes a landing page work: a single goal, one CTA, and zero distracting navigation. By removing all the escape routes, you create a direct path to purchase. For your shoppable bio page, this level of focus is non-negotiable. Research has shown that removing navigation menus can boost conversions by up to 100%. Don’t give people too many choices, either—48% of landing pages with multiple offers see their conversion rates drop.

Designing for Your Mobile-First Shopper

Let's be real. When someone clicks the link in your social media bio, they’re not sitting at a desk. They're on their phone, probably scrolling with one thumb while waiting for a coffee. This is the moment of truth. If your landing page isn't built for that exact experience, you're throwing sales away.
This is about more than just making your site "responsive." It’s about adopting a mobile-first mindset. You don't design for a big, beautiful desktop screen and then try to cram it onto a phone. You start with the smallest screen and build up from there.
notion image
This approach forces you to be ruthless. You have to cut the fluff and focus only on what drives a purchase. It’s the secret to a landing page that actually converts.

Prioritize the Thumb Zone

Think about how you hold your phone right now. Your thumb is doing all the heavy lifting, right? But it can only comfortably reach certain spots. That sweet spot is called the thumb zone, and it's where your most important buttons need to live.
Placing your main "Add to Cart" or "Shop Now" CTAs in the center or lower half of the screen makes them ridiculously easy to tap. Forcing someone to awkwardly stretch their thumb to the top corner adds friction. Even a tiny bit of friction is often enough to make them give up and scroll away.
This small detail is a massive part of what makes a page feel intuitive and effortless, which is exactly what you want when a customer is ready to buy.

Make Your Page Load Instantly

On mobile, speed isn't a nice-to-have; it's everything. Mobile shoppers are impatient, and they’re often on spotty Wi-Fi or cellular data. A slow page is a closed page.
It's simple math: every extra second your page takes to load can cost you 7% in conversions. On top of that, properly optimized mobile pages convert a whopping 25.2% more than their clunky, slow-loading counterparts. When most of your traffic is coming from social media, getting your LinkShop page to load in under two seconds isn't just a goal—it's a necessity. You can discover more insights about these landing page stats to see just how much performance impacts the bottom line.
Here’s how to trim the fat and speed things up:
  • Compress Your Images: This is the big one. A massive hero image is the number one killer of load times. Use tools like TinyPNG or Shopify's built-in optimizer to shrink file sizes without turning your photos into pixelated messes.
  • Keep It Simple: Ditch the heavy animations, complex scripts, and auto-playing videos. They might look cool, but they bog down mobile connections and frustrate users.
  • Lazy Load Your Images: This is a clever trick that only loads images as the user scrolls down to them. It makes the initial page load feel lightning-fast.

Improve Readability and Interaction

A small screen is an unforgiving canvas. If your text is too small or your buttons are hard to tap, people will leave.
Start with your fonts. Pick a clean, sans-serif font that stays crisp on a small display. Your body text should be at least 16px—anything smaller forces people to pinch and zoom, which is an instant conversion killer. And don't forget contrast; dark text on a light background is your safest bet for readability.
Next, think about how people will actually use the page. A long list of product specs can quickly turn into an intimidating wall of text on a phone.
Here are a few formatting tricks to keep your content scannable and easy to use:
  1. Use Collapsible Accordions: Tuck away things like sizing charts, materials, or shipping policies into expandable sections. This keeps the main page clean while letting curious shoppers dig for details.
  1. Make Buttons Big and Tappable: Ensure every button and link is large enough to be easily tapped by a thumb without hitting something else by mistake. The recommended target size is at least 44x44 pixels.
  1. Embrace Whitespace: Give your text, images, and buttons room to breathe. Good spacing makes your layout feel calm and organized instead of cramped and overwhelming.
These mobile-focused decisions are what turn a generic page into a high-performance selling tool. For platforms built specifically for social selling like LinkShop, this approach is non-negotiable. If you're curious about how these principles work in practice, you might find our guide on what is Linkpop helpful.

Writing Headlines and CTAs That Drive Action

You can have the most gorgeous, mobile-friendly design in the world, but it’ll fall completely flat if your words don’t connect. The copy—from your main headline down to the text on the smallest button—is what truly does the heavy lifting. It's the engine that powers your entire conversion machine.
Great copy isn't about being clever; it’s about being crystal clear. It has one job: to instantly answer your visitor's most pressing question: "What's in it for me?"
If a potential customer can’t figure that out in three seconds, they’re gone. This is where a killer, benefit-driven headline becomes your best friend.

Crafting Headlines That Hook

It’s easy to get this wrong. A feature describes what your product is. A benefit describes what your product does for the customer. People don’t just buy a skincare product; they buy the feeling of clear skin and a boost of confidence. They don't buy a link-in-bio tool; they buy more sales from their social media efforts.
Your headline is your one shot to communicate that value. It needs to be the biggest, boldest text on the page, hitting them with a powerful benefit right out of the gate.
Let's imagine you're a Shopify store selling sustainable coffee beans:
  • Feature-Based (Weak): "Artisan Roasted Organic Coffee Beans"
  • Benefit-Driven (Strong): "Your Perfect Morning Brew, Guilt-Free"
The first one is descriptive, sure, but the second one sells an experience. It taps into the customer’s desire for a great morning ritual and aligns with their values around sustainability. That’s the kind of connection that actually gets people to buy.

Writing Calls to Action That Get Clicked

Your Call to Action (CTA) is easily the most important piece of copy on the entire page. It’s the final instruction you give your visitor. So why do so many stores settle for a boring, generic button like "Submit" or "Learn More"?
A powerful CTA is specific, action-oriented, and often hints at the value they’re about to receive. It tells the user exactly what will happen when they click and, more importantly, makes them want to click it.
Think from the user's perspective. They’re about to do something. Your button text should reflect their intent and excitement. Here’s how you can transform your CTAs from bland to compelling:
  • Instead of "Buy Now," try "Add to My Bag" or "Claim My Exclusive Tee."
  • Instead of "Sign Up," use "Get My 15% Off Code."
  • Instead of "Download," say "Send Me the Free Guide."
See how the stronger examples often use first-person language ("My," "Me")? This simple tweak makes the action feel more personal and gives the user a sense of control, which can dramatically lower their hesitation. This is especially crucial when you launch a digital product and need to convince someone to take that first step.

The Power of Microcopy and Social Proof

Beyond the big headlines and buttons, don’t forget the small but mighty pieces of text called microcopy. This is the unsung hero that reassures users at critical moments, like right below a CTA button or next to a credit card field.
A few simple words can make a world of difference:
  • "✓ Free shipping on all orders"
  • "Hassle-free 30-day returns"
  • "🔒 Your payment is 100% secure"
This text works to quiet those last-minute anxieties about shipping costs, return policies, or security. It removes friction and builds trust right when your customer needs it most.
Finally, let other people do the selling for you with social proof. A short, punchy customer testimonial placed near your CTA can be the final nudge someone needs. It’s an unbiased, third-party endorsement that feels far more authentic than anything you could write yourself.
Try to pick quotes that are specific and highlight a key benefit. A testimonial like, "This is the softest hoodie I've ever owned!" is far more effective than a generic "Great product!" It validates the purchase decision and makes clicking that "Add to Cart" button feel like a genuinely smart choice.

Don't Guess, Test: Using Data to Perfect Your Page

Think your landing page design is done once you hit publish? Think again. The initial design is just your best guess—your starting line. The real magic happens when you let your customers tell you what works.
Making data-backed improvements is the secret weapon behind the most successful Shopify brands. It’s how you turn a decent page into a powerhouse that consistently drives sales. Launching a page without tracking its performance is like driving blind; you need to see what’s working and what’s getting ignored.
notion image
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by analytics, but you only need to watch a few key numbers to see the full picture.

Key Metrics That Actually Matter

Let’s cut through the noise. Forget vanity metrics like total page views and focus on the data that reveals how people behave on your page. These are the numbers that will guide every design tweak you make.
Here are the essentials for any Shopify merchant:
  • Conversion Rate: This is your north star. It’s the percentage of visitors who actually do the thing you want them to do (like buy a product). If this number is low, something in your design or copy is missing the mark.
  • Bounce Rate: This tells you how many people land on your page and leave immediately without clicking anything. A high bounce rate is a huge red flag. It often points to a weak headline, a confusing hero image, or slow load times.
  • Time on Page: How long are people sticking around? If they bounce in a few seconds, you didn't grab their attention. But if they stay for a while and still don't convert, they might be confused or can't find a clear next step.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR) on CTA: This one is critical. It measures how many people see your main call-to-action and actually click it. A low CTR means your button's color, placement, or text needs an immediate overhaul.

A Simple Guide to A/B Testing

Once your metrics point to a problem, it's time to test a solution. This is where A/B testing (also called split testing) comes in. The idea is simple: you create two versions of your page (an 'A' and a 'B'), but you only change one single thing.
You show Version A to half your visitors and Version B to the other half. The one that performs better wins. That's it. This cycle of testing and improving is how you make real, measurable progress. If you're looking for tools to get started, our guide to the best Shopify apps has some great options.
To get started, focus on changes that can have the biggest impact. Don't sweat the small stuff like the font size in your footer. Zero in on the elements that greet your visitor the moment they land on the page.
Here are a few simple yet powerful A/B testing ideas perfect for a link-in-bio page.
Element to Test
Variable A (Control)
Variable B (Test)
Metric to Watch
Headline
"Shop Our New Spring Collection"
"Effortless Styles for Sunny Days"
Bounce Rate
Hero Image
Product-only flat lay shot
Lifestyle photo with a model
Time on Page
CTA Button Color
Blue (matches brand colors)
Orange (high-contrast)
CTR on CTA
CTA Text
"Shop Now"
"Claim My Look"
Conversion Rate
By testing one thing at a time, you can be certain that your changes are directly responsible for the results. This methodical approach removes the guesswork and shows you exactly how to build a landing page that not only looks great but sells even better.

Answering Your Top Landing Page Questions

Building a landing page that actually converts can feel like a bit of a dark art. You're trying to blend eye-catching design with persuasive psychology, and it’s completely normal to have a few questions. Let's clear up some of the most common ones I hear from Shopify merchants. Getting these details right is what separates a page that falls flat from one that consistently makes you money.
The biggest question usually boils down to how much stuff you should put on the page. The answer almost always comes back to that single-goal principle: every single word and image should be pushing your visitor toward that one specific action.

How Many Products Should I Actually Put on a Landing Page?

This is a big one, especially for those link-in-bio pages where you're tempted to show off everything. While there’s no universal "right" number, the best answer is almost always "fewer than you think." Your goal is to eliminate friction and guide a decision, not to present your entire catalog.
For a super-focused campaign—like launching a new flagship product—the answer is simple: one. Let that single item be the star of the show. Dedicate the whole page to its story, its benefits, and a crystal-clear call to action. This gives the product a sense of importance and makes the customer's choice incredibly easy.
What if you're promoting a small, curated collection, like a new bundle or a few related apparel designs? In that case, you can group them. A good rule of thumb is to stick to 3-5 tightly related items. This offers a little choice without triggering that dreaded "decision paralysis." Push past that number, and your focused landing page starts to feel like a generic, cluttered category page, completely undermining its purpose.

What’s the Ideal Length for a Landing Page?

The perfect length is all about the "ask." How much convincing does someone need before they're ready to click your button? The two biggest factors here are the complexity of your product and its price.
Think about it like this:
  • Low-Commitment Offer: If you're just trying to get someone to download a free guide or grab a 15% off coupon, keep it short and punchy. All you really need is a killer hero section with a great headline, a sentence or two of copy, and the sign-up form. The ask is small, so you don't need a ton of persuasion.
  • High-Commitment Offer: Now, if you're selling a premium jacket for $150, you’ve got more work to do. Your visitor will naturally have more questions and hesitations. A longer page becomes necessary to build trust. This is where you bring in detailed benefits, customer reviews, technical specs, and maybe even an FAQ section to overcome every potential objection.
The rule is straightforward: your page needs to be long enough to answer every key question and squash every major doubt your customer has—but not a single word longer.

How Long Should My Hero Video Be?

A video in your hero section can be a game-changer, but its power is directly tied to its length. We all know attention spans are short, especially for people clicking over from a fast-scrolling social media feed. You've got seconds, not minutes.
For a background video that autoplays on a silent loop, think short and sweet. A 5-10 second clip is perfect. It’s just enough time to show your product in motion or set a specific mood without bogging down your page’s load time.
If you’re using a main video that someone has to intentionally click to play, aim for under 60 seconds. That's the sweet spot for quickly explaining a core benefit or demonstrating how a product works. Go much longer, and you'll see a steep drop-off in how many people actually watch it to the end.
Ready to stop guessing and start building shoppable pages that are actually designed to convert from day one? With LinkShop, you can create stunning, mobile-first landing pages directly from your Shopify store in minutes. It's the perfect tool to turn your social media bio into your best salesperson.
Create your high-converting LinkShop page today!

7 day free trial

Create your LinkShop today!

Get started