Let’s Talk about Landing Pages

First, what is a landing page? A landing page is a specific page about a topic or subject on your website that you want to direct website traffic to for one specific reason.

Why might you need a landing page?

I’m glad you asked. There are many times when you might need one. Here are a few example:

• If you start a pay-per-click campaign, you likely would like to have a conversion optimized landing page for your traffic to land on after they click on your ad.
• You send a newsletter campaign that invites users to view special content available just to them.
• You want a place to showcase white papers, webinar registrations, or podcasts.
• You need a dedicated page to direct social media traffic to capture leads.

Your website usually has a lot of information, and can be hard to sort through at times. The majority of site visitors will land on the homepage, and if you offer multiple services or products, it can be overwhelming. However, if you want to start directing traffic and funneling sales into one specific service or product, then a great landing page may be just what you need.

What does a good landing page have?

Good landing pages are made with the intent to convert. (A conversion is when someone lands on your site and then does the desired action, such as buying what you are selling or contacting you for services.) You lose a conversion when someone sees your page and leaves without doing anything. So we want landing pages that convert.

If you are planning to drive traffic to a landing page (and we can talk about how to do that in another post) then it’s imperative to make sure your landing page is optimized to get that conversion. Your page needs to be:

• Persuasive – why should someone hire you? what do you offer that your competition doesn’t? Are you cheaper? Faster? Better? This is where you sell them.
• High Quality Content – CONTENT IS KING. I feel like I harp on this topic a lot, but content is your best resource. Write good content.
• Call to Action – Do you know what you want people to do? Ask them to do it in clear, certain terms. Do you want them to fill out a form? Put a form right on the page! Do you want them to buy a product? Have an Add to Cart button right there and make it clear and easy to understand.
• Testimonials or Logos – The power of suggestion that other people are doing something can be very useful in converting site visitors into customers. Jump on the bandwagon!
• Make it worth their while – If you’ve driven traffic to your site, then the people who land there already have an interest, even if it’s just a little. Make it worthwhile for them to take the next step. Can you offer something free? Two for one deal? Free shipping? Even a free white paper can work. People like free stuff.

A landing page is the first step in a give and take. You want something, so you need to give something in return. It’s up to you to decide how to make it worthwhile for them.

A few other notes:

1. Be sure your landing page is mobile friendly.
2. Use quality photos, particularly of your actual product and service rather than stock photos if you can.
3. Add a way for them to share your content – and give them a reason to do it. Why should they let anyone else know about their great deal? Maybe if it gets them an even better deal?
4. Don’t overcrowd or overwhelm the page. Keep it minimal and on topic.

Using landing pages to funnel visitors into desirable actions is a great way to use your website to generate business. Just don’t overlook the important components to make it ideal for conversions.