Designing WordPress Landing Pages That Convert: Why Visuals Matter + X Great Examples

Transforming an ‘ordinary’ WordPress site into a highly effective business growth tool may seem like a lot of work. Yet, what very few business owners understand is that boosting conversions on a WordPress site can be quite simple.

In practice, the key to achieving impressive conversion rates largely rests on identifying and focusing on the parts of your website that matter the most.

Considering that your high-value leads are guaranteed to interact with your landing pages, optimizing these could be a great method to reach your goals. And the process can be relatively uncomplicated. All you need is the right design approach.

So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about designing WordPress landing pages that convert, with a close focus on visuals, why they matter, and how you can use them to boost sales.

What Are the Characteristics of a High-Converting Landing Page?

Before we dive into the specific strategies for boosting conversion rates, let’s take a quick look at the average performance of a landing page.

According to Unbounce, the median landing page conversion rate across all industries is 6.6%. (ranging from 3.8% to 12.3%). 

The most effective channels for driving traffic with a high conversion potential include email and paid social (with Facebook and Instagram reigning supreme). Additionally, although 83% of visits come from mobile devices, desktop still converts 8% better.

Another interesting finding shared by the same resource states that higher complexity — in terms of readability and page reading time — directly harms conversions, showing how essential it is to present web visitors with an enjoyable user experience.

One of the most effective methods to boost UX involves focusing on the visual aspects of web design, more specifically on using visual formats to communicate value.

Below, you’ll find several design tips that will help you utilize visuals to the most of their potential. Let’s get into it.

Why Visuals Matter in Landing Page Conversion-Optimization

Images, Illustrations, and Videos Drive Product Understanding

One of the biggest benefits of enriching your WordPress landing pages with visuals is that these formats are exceptionally effective at boosting product comprehension.

Now, at first glance, you may not see that instant value recognition matters in conversion-rate optimization. But the simple truth is that it genuinely is.

If you look at the why behind consumers’ purchasing decisions, you’ll discover that most people want effective, high-value, and convenient solutions that’ll remove their pain points in a way that’s convenient. 

In fact, Deloitte’s consumer behavior research discovered that value-for-money is a huge conversion factor, with 4 in 10 consumers being described as ‘value seekers’ — people who make cost-conscious choices, are deal-driven, and make convenience sacrifices.

With this in mind, it’s essential that your landing pages have a way of instantly communicating value — that is, that they help visitors understand why your offer should matter to them.

Knowing that people process images 60,000 times faster than words, incorporating visuals into your WordPress landing page could be the design hack you need to boost product understanding.

For example, check out how Joco does it. This brand knows that describing its water flasks (and their unique benefits) takes time due to the unique features. So, it chooses to lead with imagery, with a zoomed-in view of the characteristics that make its Utility line a great choice for consumers after an optimal drinking experience.

Or, you can take a look at Musashi. This brand sells a niche product that everyone needs, yet not everyone understands. So, to help people choose the best option for them, Musashi uses imagery to describe different knife styles, knowing that this is much easier to comprehend than descriptive copy not backed up by real-life photography. 

You’ll note that the close-up product photos don’t just help evaluation. They also reveal the beauty of these knives, transforming them from utilitarian into aspirational products anyone would love to own.

Data Visualization Makes Unique Value Propositions More Tangible

Sometimes, the conversion obstacle stopping web visitors from becoming customers isn’t that they don’t comprehend the value you offer. Instead, it’s that they have no point of reference informing them of why your solution is so great.

In these cases, visuals can be a tremendous help, and not just because they can provide context for your claims. You could even use them in a way that compares the outcomes customers could achieve by using your services/products compared to relying on a different solution.

For example, check out how Somewhere does it on its Hire Executive Assistants landing page. By providing a chart that shows the average salaries for EAs in the US vs. Latin America vs. the Philippines, Somewhere makes it exceptionally simple for prospects to see that using its hiring platform makes sense — especially when it comes to getting more value for their money.

Images Aid Visual Branding, Boosting Familiarity and Elevating Purchase Intent

How do people choose what brands to buy from?

In addition to evaluating offers based on value for money, many consumers also consider brand familiarity when deciding where to buy. What’s interesting is that they don’t necessarily do this consciously.

According to online shopper behavior research, most people will choose a familiar brand name for their first click on SERPs. Additionally, brands with nostalgic value tend to have a slight upper hand, with 73% of UK consumers gravitating towards products that remind them of their childhoods.

Of course, the purpose of building brand familiarity through your landing pages — and your entire digital presence, for that matter — isn’t just about inspiring impulse purchases. It’s also about maximizing brand recognition and recall, which are particularly important, as the buyer’s journey consists of multiple stages that are often interrupted.

So, by using visual branding to maximize memorability and recall, you don’t just improve your target audience’s chances of recognizing your brand once they’re ready to purchase. A great visual branding strategy — with carefully-selected homepage and landing page imagery — could also help your business stand out from competitors thanks to a striking first impression.

By incorporating engaging branded visuals into your online presence — like Milkjar did with its recognizable typography and logo — you can accomplish all of these goals and make your landing pages more successful at driving conversions (whether immediately or in the future).

Use Visuals to Boost Page Readability

The landing page conversion rate research cited above clearly shows that the higher the readability score of a page, the higher its conversion potential.

And, if you think about how people interact with digital content, that’s not much of a surprise.

For the most part, today’s consumers have very little patience for online content. Instead, almost 80% of people skim pages rather than reading word-for-word. And surveys even show that consumers prefer to learn about products by watching videos.

So, knowing that adding visual (and multimedia) formats to your landing pages makes for an effective method to boost readability, elevate your prospects’ willingness to hear your value propositions, and drive conversions, this design strategy should really be a no-brainer for implementing on your WordPress site.

The easiest method to accomplish this is by interspersing copy with visuals, like they did on the Root Science homepage below. It’s one of the most commonly applied tactics out there. And, seeing how good it looks, that’s no surprise.

You can explore additional visual strategies for boosting readability — even if they don’t technically use product photos or illustrations.

For instance, RE Cost Seg understands that, in its niche, product comprehension is everything. However, as it offers a complex service that’s really difficult to understand (or even describe), this brand relies on visual formatting techniques to boost readability. By creating a comparison table on its Services landing page, this brand uses bold formatting, checkmarks, and exes to specify the exact services included in each of its tiers, making it much easier for prospects to understand what’s included in each and decide which is right for their needs.

Highlight Social Proof with Imagery or UGC

Brand trust is a crucial factor in people’s buying journeys. And one of the best ways to build it is to incorporate powerful social proof into your website’s design.

Data suggests that 98% of consumers consider reviews to be “an essential resource when making purchasing decisions.” Even more, simply showcasing reviews on your website could lift conversions by 19.8%, showing just how effective this content type is at inspiring sales.

But let’s face it. Traditional social proof — in the form of ratings and reviews — isn’t all that exciting or engaging. Instead, today’s shoppers want something more eye-catching.

One method to upgrade the social proof on your WordPress landing pages is to highlight it with imagery. Something as elementary as showing client logos instead of listing brands that use your services — which is what DialMyCalls does on its Emergency Notification Software landing page — is an effective way to call attention to the credibility of your business.

Alternatively, if you’re trying to prioritize authenticity, you could also consider showcasing user-generated content throughout your website. Though it’s not a common design strategy for WordPress, it’s entirely doable and worth considering — especially if you want your solutions to stand out. Just check out how well the tactic works for Our Place, transforming run-of-the-mill customer feedback into engaging web content guaranteed to elevate visitors’ purchase intent.

Build Emotional Connections with Your Prospects

Finally, if you’re looking for tactics that’ll help you design landing pages that convert, don’t forget about the power of emotions in driving purchase decisions.

Yes, consumers spend a lot of time evaluating and comparing different solutions to find ones that best align with their needs. But at the end of the day, they’re highly likely to follow their hearts when it comes to clicking that ‘Buy’ button.

Ultimately, building emotional connections with your prospects doesn’t just earn you their trust and business. It’s also a core strategy for driving loyalty, which is the key to long-term business success.

So, if you’re looking for tactics to optimize your landing pages for higher conversion rates, why not do it with imagery that drives emotional connections with web visitors?

You can do this by reflecting on your brand’s mission and values, which is what Tentree does on its homepage.

Alternatively, you can do something similar to Montvel and use aspirational imagery to generate excitement and awe about your offer. This brand does a splendid job of utilizing emotional marketing throughout its website, transforming its products into the key to its target audience’s desired lifestyle. Just look at how Montvel zooms in on different product features, showing them in their full splendor. The accompanying copy frames them in a way that drives desirability. Plus, the high-quality visuals showcase the workmanship that goes into each item, justifying the premium price.

Final Thoughts

Designing WordPress landing pages that convert doesn’t have to be a complicated task. Yes, advanced features and a unique design can help you engage your audience and get them invested in your offer. But in most cases, simple does the trick, and you can drive incredibly high conversions by focusing on high-impact design techniques with a proven ROI.

Including visuals on your website — particularly on pages where consumers are likely to have their first interaction with your brand, such as your homepage and landing pages connected to PPC campaigns — is something that’s super easy to do with WordPress. And, considering the effects, it’s more than worth your effort.

So, consider the tactics outlined in this article. And think about whether any of them could benefit your business or your audience. Chances are, they’re going to lift your conversions. And even if their impact is minimal, they’ll still have a positive effect on your brand’s reputation, showing your professionalism, competence, and credibility.