Having an effective online presence is crucial for businesses and individuals. One of the most important elements of any online marketing strategy is a”Landing page“(or landing page (in French) well-designed - a standalone web page designed for capture leads or promote a product or service specific.
Building landing pages previously required coding skills or expensive web developers, but with tools like Webflow, this makes creating a beautiful and functional landing page more accessible for more businesses. In this beginner's guide, we'll explore the basics of building landing pages with Webflow.
Understanding Webflow
Webflow is a powerful content management system (CMS) for web design and development that allows users to visually design, build, and launch websites with little code. It offers a user-friendly interface and a visual canvas that makes it easy for beginners to create professional websites without having to know HTML, CSS or Javascript languages. By providing a wide range of pre-designed templates and customizable elements, Webflow also allows users to design their websites from scratch, making it an ideal choice for building landing pages.
Plan Your Landing Page
Before diving into Webflow, it is essential to have a clear plan for your landing page. Figure out its purpose, target audience, and the desired actions you want visitors to take. Consider key elements such as the title, the compelling call to action (CTA), visuals, forms, and social proof.
Do you want visitors to sign up for a newsletter, buy an article, or join a group? Once you know the purpose of the landing page, you should then create a low-fidelity wireframe.
Sketching a low-fidelity wireframe will help you visualize the structure and layout of your landing page, focusing on the functionality and usability of the landing page without the distraction of finite visual elements. From there, planning the content you want to present on your landing page and then creating a high-fidelity wireframe is a strong course of action.
At Agence No Code, we like to create low-fidelity wireframes. We use tools like Figma for this because it allows a collaborative and easy way to plan pages.Matt Connelly, founder of Agence No Code
Landing page design
Once you've created your landing page wireframe, it's time to put it into action. With Webflow's intuitive visual canvas and user-friendly interface, businesses can create and design stunning websites from scratch without the need for extensive coding knowledge. This low-code approach allows users to easily manipulate the layout, add interactive elements, and incorporate custom features that truly reflect their brand identity.
At Agence No Code, we design in Figma, a web-based design application, and then transfer the designs to Webflow. Figma is a great tool and great for projects that require collaboration.
Create Your Landing Page
Once you've decided on the design, it's time to dive into the Webflow editor and start customizing your landing page. Add and customize text, images, buttons, buttons, forms, and other components effortlessly. The editor provides a visual interface where you can edit and arrange items using visual canvas functionality, making the process seamless and intuitive.
If you choose to create your designs in Figma, transferring them to Webflow is a breeze with the plugin Figma to Webflow. The handy plugin converts Figma layers into the HTML and CSS code that Webflow produces when you visually build your website, which means you don't have to recreate each design element one by one when you start building. This plugin streamlines the design process so you can focus your attention on building rather than sorting through a puzzle of elements and code.
With the Webflow editor's powerful style panel, you can fine-tune the look of each element by adjusting colors, fonts, sizes, and other visual properties. The editor also allows you to create responsive designs, ensuring that your landing page looks great on any device, from desktops to smartphones. Plus, you can preview your changes in real time, making it easy to iterate and refine your design until it fits your vision.
Whether you want to experiment with different layouts, add animations, or integrate third-party tools or designs created in Figma, Webflow offers a robust set of features and integrations that give you the freedom to create a truly unique and engaging landing page experience.
Use of the CMS
Now that the static page has been built inside Webflow, you can use the CMS, which will be the source of data that can be replaced in a single element.
This part is often not a priority when creating a landing page. It is more used for creating blog articles or independent product or service pages.
However, you can use it if you have maps presenting your teams or for customer reviews, which would all be found in the same HTML element that would only have to be duplicated with different content (which you included in the collections)
Create a CMS Collection
To start creating a CMS Collection, open the CMS panel and select the “Create New Collection” option in the top right corner. The CMS interface will then allow you to build your Collection.
Now that you've created the collection, you'll need to give it a name. You can enter this name in the “Collection Name” field at the top of the page - make sure it's something clear and specific like, Blogs, Projects, Projects, Customers, etc.
After providing a name for your Collection, singular and plural variants of the name are produced and used on the site. By clicking on the Plural or Singular version under the Collection name box, you can also customize the plural and singular variants of your Collection name.
You then need to add fields to your Collection. These are the places where your data will be held. You can add various types of content fields, including the following:
Simple text - Best for simple or short pieces of text. Main tip - add them to add metadata fields for great SEO!
Rich Text - Used for most major content areas within your landing page including links and integrations
Image - Add images to your landing page to really make each landing page dynamic and unique. Also great for A/B testing using different images
Multi-image - Great for galleries and product showcases
Video link - Integrate YouTube, Vimeo, and other images directly onto the landing page
Link - A simple link field to allow links to other internal or external pages or to a file.
Phone/Email - Add contact fields
Number - A great way to add a sort order to your CMS items
Date/Time - Used for many reasons, such as the date of a blog, or even events
Switch - The most versatile field and is a great way to enable dynamic or custom action such as activating or deactivating page sections
Color - Allows you to customize parts of the page, from text colors to background colors
Option - Can be used in a variety of ways, from allowing the population of different pieces of content to showing different variations of a page section
File - upload files up to 4MB such as PDFs and more
Reference and Multi-reference - These fields are essential for advanced landing pages. You can reference another CMS collection to draw data from that collection. The most common use is to pull an author from another CMS collection to a piece of content, but there are unlimited use cases for these fields and allow you to boost landing pages in Webflow.
Once the CMS is built, you should create at least one CMS element, or a version of this page within the CMS Collection you created. That way, it will allow for a more realistic build when you link the data in the next steps.
Once you've added a CMS item, go back to your page and copy all of the items on that page into the Collection template page.
Tip: Wrap all page elements inside a 'page-wrapper' div with a “main” tag to make it easy to copy and paste the entire page into another page.
On your collection template page, with the design added, you now need to link the data inside the CMS Collection to the elements on the page...
Linking Data Within a CMS Collection
One of the powerful features of CMS Collections is the ability to incorporate dynamic content into your Collection pages. By connecting elements within your design to Collection fields, you can create a versatile and scalable Webflow site. This guide will help you through the process of adding and linking content within a CMS Collection.
Step 1: Design the Collection Page
You can approach the design of a Collection page just like any other static page (pages made of 'fixed code') on your website. However, the true potential of Collection pages is realized when you want to introduce dynamic content into your design.
Step 2: Add Static and Dynamic Elements
When you drop items onto a Collection page, they are initially static. To make them dynamic, you need to connect them to a field in the Collection. This allows items to draw data from items in the Collection. Essentially, the Collection page serves as a template for all items in the Collection.
Step 3: Connect Items to Collection Fields
To link different elements of your design to Collection fields, follow these steps:
- Select the item on the Collection page that you want to connect.
- Click the settings icon associated with the item. Alternatively, you can access the Item Settings Panel using the “D” shortcut.
- In the settings panel, locate the option labeled “Get Collection Content” and enable it.
- A dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to choose the specific collection field from which you want to retrieve content.
Once an item is connected to a field, this association extends to all pages within the Collection. This ensures that the item dynamically displays the content of the corresponding field for each item in the Collection.
By linking data within a CMS Collection, you unlock the potential to create rich and adaptable websites. This allows you to effortlessly incorporate dynamic content into your designs, providing a personalized and engaging user experience.
Conditional visibility
Conditional visibility in web design refers to the ability to dynamically show or hide elements based on specific conditions or criteria. In Webflow, this allows designers and developers to create unique and custom designs for Collection items or to adjust section layouts based on various factors. By taking advantage of conditional visibility, websites can offer a more responsive and interactive user experience.
Using conditional visibility also allows your marketing team to quickly create pages that are different and adapt to the current page's use case.
How it can be used
Whether it's changing section layouts, hiding sections, or drawing data from other Collections, conditional visibility opens up a world of possibilities for improving user engagement and providing relevant information.
A common application of conditional visibility is to show or hide items within a Collection list. For example, if a certain condition is met, such as a specific tag associated with an item, an item such as a button or icon may be displayed or hidden accordingly. This feature allows designers to control the visibility of elements based on the content and context of the website.
Tags are another element that can be shown or hidden dynamically using conditional visibility. By establishing conditions based on specific criteria, such as product availability, designers can show or hide labels accordingly. For example, an e-commerce website might show a “sold out” label when a product is unavailable, or show a “new” label for recently added items.
In the context of Collection pages, conditional visibility can be used to show or hide entire sections. This allows designers to customize the layout and layout of Collection pages based on specific conditions. For example, an e-commerce website may show a “related products” section only if the current item belongs to a specific category or has related items available.
Optimization for Conversion
When building landing pages with Webflow, it is crucial to keep the conversion in mind. Design your landing page to encourage visitors to take the action they want, whether it's making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or filling out a form. Strategically place your CTA in a prominent location, using contrasting colors and compelling copywriting (sales text) to make it stand out. You can design your CTA button in Figma and transfer the design to Webflow. Agence No Code can help with this process with our Figma service at Webflow.
Additionally, to build trust and credibility, consider incorporating testimonials, reviews, and social proof on your landing page. Highlight positive feedback from happy customers to show that your product or service is reliable and trustworthy. Webflow gives you the flexibility to effortlessly integrate these elements into your design, allowing you to create a persuasive, conversion-focused landing page that delivers results.
Responsive Mobile
When using Webflow to create landing pages, it is important to consider thoughtful website navigation to offer the better user experience (UX) possible. This is especially crucial on mobile devices, where space is limited and buttons and menus need to be compressed without sacrificing usability. Because of the challenges of touch operation and thumb positioning, it is critical to make buttons and links large and distinct, ensuring that users can easily find and type them without having to zoom in.
To optimize mobile navigation on your Webflow landing pages, several strategies can be used. First, design finger-friendly buttons that are easily recognizable and accessible, allowing users to navigate without frustration.
tip : WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance states that buttons should be at least 44 x 44 pixels in order to be accessible on mobile devices.
Additionally, highlight the menu bar and important CTA buttons that direct users to the information they're looking for. By drawing attention to these key elements, users can easily navigate through your landing page. Finally, consider adding a prominent search bar, which is especially useful on smartphones when visitors want to quickly find specific information, like a particular e-commerce item. This feature enhances user convenience and speeds up the process of finding information.
Webflow allows you to implement these mobile navigation techniques with ease, allowing you to create landing pages that provide an intuitive and engaging experience for users on a variety of devices.
Forms and Analytics Integration
Webflow offers built-in form elements that allow you to collect user data, such as email addresses or other relevant information. Integrate your preferred email marketing platform or CRM to seamlessly capture and manage leads. Additionally, set up analytics tools like Google Analytics to track visitor behavior, conversions, and other important metrics.
A/B Testing
A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a powerful marketing strategy that compares two slightly different versions of a web page to determine which one produces the highest conversion rate. Landing pages serve as an excellent platform for conducting these tests, allowing you to refine your calls to action (CTA) and other elements for optimal performance.
When building your landing page, you may ask yourself various questions: How big should the CTA button be? Would a different title lead to better conversions? Can a countdown timer on the page increase or decrease signup rates? Relying solely on intuition or web design best practices will only get you up to a certain point. If you want to find out the truth and what really works, you need to use A/B testing.
It's important to understand that A/B testing is not a one-time effort; it's an ongoing process involving incremental changes to your page to refine your campaign for maximum conversions. Each test builds on the insights obtained from previous tests. Even a negative result is valuable because it provides valuable insights into what's not working, guiding you in designing your next test.
By using A/B testing on landing pages, you can systematically assess different variations of elements such as CTAs, titles, layouts, and more. This data-based approach allows you to make informed decisions, optimizing your landing page for higher conversion rates. With tools like Google Optimize, you can easily set up and run A/B tests, gaining valuable insights into your audience's preferences and behaviors.
Publishing and Optimization
Before launching your landing page, it is crucial to undertake a thorough review and testing process to ensure its quality and performance. Take the time to thoroughly review each item, checking for errors, inconsistencies, or broken relationships.
Test the responsiveness of your landing page across devices and screen sizes to ensure a seamless experience for all users and pay close attention to the functionality of any form or interactive element, ensuring that they work as expected and accurately capture user input. By doing these checks, you can ensure a seamless user experience and maximize the chances of reaching your conversion goals.
Once you are confident in the quality of your landing page, Webflow offers convenient hosting options for publishing your creation. You can use a custom domain to maintain consistency with your brand, or use a Webflow subdomain. This flexibility allows you to choose the hosting option that best suits your needs and aligns with your overall marketing strategy.
After publishing, it is essential to continuously monitor the performance of your landing page. Track key metrics like conversion rates, bounce rates, and engagement metrics to get insights into how effective it is. Analyze this data regularly and make optimizations based on the data to improve the performance and success of your landing page.
With Webflow's intuitive publishing and hosting features, you can confidently launch and optimize your landing pages, ensuring they provide a seamless user experience and achieve the results you want for your business.
Conclusion
Building landing pages with Webflow gives website designers and developers of all levels the ability to create visually impressive, high-converting web experiences without requiring coding expertise. With its intuitive visual canvas and a wide range of customizable templates, Webflow offers a user-friendly platform for designing and launching effective landing pages.
By following the steps in this beginner's guide, you can create landing pages that engage your audience, drive conversions, and support your online marketing efforts. Remember to plan your landing page strategically, optimize for conversion, ensure mobile responsiveness, and integrate the necessary forms and analytics.
With practice and experimentation, you'll be able to refine your landing pages and achieve the results you want. Start exploring the world of landing page design with Webflow and unlock new possibilities for your online success.
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