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Landing pages that convert center more on their structure and the words within them than your image choices. People tend to treat words as informational and images as advertising. You need each because people lose attention quickly. This means building a landing page structure that delivers its message efficiently, so that potential customers and clients begin to trust you and want to see more.

9 tips for building landing pages that convert

1. Your ad copy must match up with your headline in message.

If they disagree – no matter how slightly – very few will click through. For landing pages that convert, a headline's urgency must be reflected in the ad copy, as must its use and specificity. Any bait-and-switch will result in distrust - and that customer will be gone.

2. Start out with a blank page.

Landing pages should be built to convert from the ground up. They shouldn't be built around ads, links, images, or anything else. The headline and ad copy forms the body of your landing page structure. Build off of this foundation. You can adjust it later, but it will be much more flexible and streamlined than trying to build around images or other busy work.

3. Headlines must be unique without being messy or too busy.

You may end up working on your headline as much as the ad copy, but often your first and most straightforward ideas will hold the key to the final headline.

4. Edit ad copy down.

No one wants to read an essay, at least not right away. If there's greater detail, add links judiciously. Too much information can result in indifference, but too little results in confusion. If you lose the thread halfway through, readers will, too. If you don't remember what you meant because your description is too broad, readers can't fill in the gaps. There's a sweet spot in the middle that you have to find.

5. It's good to connect emotionally.

This doesn't mean being personal, unless that fits your brand. It does mean creating calls to action. Calls to action include verbs and simple ideas. Landing pages that convert suggest these options in visible and obvious ways. “Create my account,” or “get my assessment,” are two useful examples.

Landing pages that covert use active verbs. “Get my assessment” suggests active participation and a benefit. “See my assessment” isn't as useful because "seeing" suggests being passive and noncommittal.

6. Don't hide from common worries.

If your product or service comes with a common anxiety, address it early. Don't make it your headline or the theme of your ad copy, but do call it out and briefly address it before you get to the meat of your text.

7. People distrust information collection - and with good reason.

Registration forms should be short and only ask for the information you really need. Long forms will result in very little conversion. If you need to ask for something uncommon, explain very briefly why it's needed.

8. build trust with social proof.

Information that shows other users trust you is invaluable. This means including testimonials, reviews or links to review sites, numbers of shares or subscribers, client logos, certifications and badges – whatever is appropriate to assuring visitors that others trust your brand enough that they should as well.

9. Responsive design is a must.

Being able to see the page on any common device and browser may take an investment, but it's worth it. Failing this will look unprofessional and may even make your landing page inaccessible on a broad range of devices. Always test updates on multiple devices to avoid embarrassment.

A great landing page structure is key to conversion. Build it - and they will come!