In our previous blog on website home pages, we spoke about how companies want to make the most of their home page as the ‘entry point’ to their website. However, this page often isn’t a potential customer’s first point of contact with a company’s website. Instead, their first visit could be via a landing page.
A landing page is a standalone web page, which is usually created for a specific marketing campaign. To get there, somebody would typically have clicked through via an email or a link in social media, for instance. They are pages which can only be accessed via that particular link and can’t be found by somebody who is simply scrolling through the website.
Landing pages, which are usually only around for a limited period of time, are built around that particular customer’s needs or desires. The marketing team will have already sorted them into potential customers with particular interests or those which have a certain profile. It could be that you decide to target one age group or somebody has clicked through, having indicated an interest in a product or service.
Alternatively, landing pages might be created to tie up with an event. You might have taken a stand at an exhibition and have designed a hand-out to give to visitors; the website address in this case could be directed to a landing page.
In many ways, a landing page is the modern version of a direct marketing letter. It will be targeted and there will be a very specific outcome. Used properly, they should offer higher conversion rates as compared with the regular pages on your website.
Landing pages are an integral part of a business’ marketing campaign. You might develop some email marketing and within that will be a link to a specially-created landing page, meaning you can direct potential customers to what they are looking for quickly. You can track the journey that these customers are making and, in doing that, start to personalise their interaction with your brand.
Because a landing page has a very clear objective, it doesn’t need to be as ‘busy’ as other website pages and typically features a single offer or theme. In fact, it’s sensible to stick to a clean, organised, design, making it as easy as possible for a potential customer to take that next step – whether that’s buying something, signing up to an e-shot or filling out a form. For this reason, keep everything simple and don’t overwhelm visitors to your landing page with information. Also, make sure that everything they need to be converted is above the fold. If they are expected to scroll down to find out more, you might lose them.
The messaging should also be very clear and mirror the messaging which has led somebody to the landing page – whether that was in real life at an exhibition or via social media, for instance. Also, use the same language and key phrases. Website visitors will typically decide whether to stay on your page within eight seconds, so you have to be clear and engaging about your proposition.
You ideally want the person clicking through to the landing page specifically to think that you’ve created that page for them. If they are led to what they are looking for straightaway, without having to trawl through your website searching for it, then not only will they be more likely to convert but they will potentially see you as a more credible business, who understands them.
Businesses typically use a landing page for lead generation, so the details of that potential client are captured. Others might use it in a more direct sales way, with a clear call to action. If you are hoping to collect data from a visitor to a specific landing page, make that process as easy as possible for them and don’t ask too much initially. The more fields you add, the more chance there is that your potential customer will simply click away.
Once you’ve got your landing page created, then testing and tracking results is key. Sometimes it can be something you hadn’t even thought about, such as the background colour on a page, which might prompt more people to convert.
If you want to know more about how landing pages can help to send potential customers in the right direction, then get in touch on tel: 020 3397 3222.