When you run a digital campaign for your brand and want results – a landing page is a MUST.
So what is a landing page on a website? In the digital world, every campaign has ONE specific goal- you need your visitors to come to ONE page that will help you convert them to leads.
A landing page is this page- and this plays a crucial part in optimizing your conversions.
In digital marketing, a landing page plays a vital role in the user’s journey. If your ads are what generate their interest in what you are offering- your landing page is the one that convinces them to take the desired action that you want them to.
If you want to run good campaigns, you must know how to make a good landing page.
Creating an effective landing page is not easy; because several factors go into it. It has to be well-designed, have the right content, be SEO-sensitive, and have a clear connection with the ads you design.
It is best to hire an experienced digital marketing agency like BrandLoom for creating good landing pages (and great digital ads). We can create and run effective ad campaigns for your brand which will help you multiply your conversions and generate good ROI.
A landing page is a dedicated, stand-alone page on your website where your visitors come from external sources- like clicking on an ad or a link on social media.
A landing page is specific to ONE objective; and usually, when a company runs a digital campaign, they create a separate landing page that corresponds to that campaign.
Think of it like this- your ads are like advertising, that displays specials of the day outside a shop.
If you have an eye-catching one, customers will come to your shop.
When there is a good salesperson in that shop; who can engage them, guide them through your offerings and prompt them to buy something- your endeavor has paid off.
The landing page here is this star salesperson.
Difference between a Landing Page and Website
What makes a landing page different is that it is focused on ONE goal. A general web page, however, may have different goals.
For example, if a company is running a campaign for recruitment- the landing page for the same will have:
- Job openings
- Qualifications
- Multiple options to submit the resume/apply for the job
- List out what benefits an employee has
- Details about salary, interviews, etc.
This page will contain the necessary buttons for the desired action at frequent intervals- to ensure that the visitor does not wander away.
On the other hand, a generic web page will have a number of links to other pages within the website, because the aim here is to encourage the visitor to explore the website.
This is because a person who has visited a generic web page may not have decided on what he wants.
When you visit a new website while browsing the net- you may not want to buy something right away.
You may be surfing through a travel website looking at what’s the cost of a 3 day stay in a 5-star hotel in New York, or you may be looking at how to reach New York.
But when you are looking for booking a round trip to New York and back, you can click on a Google ad that promises “cheapest airfare for New York”.
In this case, you WANT to book that trip- and you expect that the page that the ad directs you to should have an option for booking your flight.
Why should you have a dedicated landing page?
As explained above- a landing page is FOCUSED on a single purpose- to make the visitor take an action that the brand owner desires.
It can be making a purchase, getting them to download something, registering/signing up for something, or leaving their contact information with the website.
Check out Lyft’s home page and this landing page for the “Become a driver” campaign.
This focus is what makes a dedicated landing page a must for any campaign.
Remember- a visitor comes to your website because he is looking for something.
To maximize chances of conversion; you should make sure that the visitor does not get distracted from his goal.
So- the page they come to should have all the necessary information he wants; and also include CTA buttons so that he can take an action without having to move off the page.
The company running a digital campaign should always try to create a dedicated landing page that corresponds to the campaign.
They can do this by creating a new page, or re-designing and optimizing an existing page according to their campaign objectives.
Types of landing pages
There can be two types of landing pages, based on the marketer’s intent.
1. Landing pages for lead generation
The aim of such pages is to collect data about the visitor.
These are characterized by a form that the visitors are asked to fill in.
The common information they collect is the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the visitors.
In some specific cases, they may also ask for age, location, and job description.
With the information they collect from these pages, the marketers can then contact the visitors and give them the information or service they came looking for, and nurture their interests.
Also, by looking at the data they collect, companies can gain valuable insights into their customers’ behavior.
You can know your audience better and know more about what they want from you.
The data that lead generation pages give you can help you craft-focused ads and fine-tune your marketing strategy.
For example, if a university sees that 90% of the people who filled in their form are interested in engineering courses- they can advertise for the same more aggressively.
2. Click through Landing Pages
Click through pages want the visitors to take the desired action- and have prominent CTA buttons placed at frequent intervals.
When a visitor clicks these buttons- they are taken to another page that will enable them to take the action you desire.
For example, you are running a campaign for selling a silverware set.
The landing page will feature the pictures and details of the set and contain a button “Order Now” at regular intervals.
On clicking this button, the visitor will go to the checkout page where he can make the purchase.
Click-through pages are popular with eCommerce websites, or websites that sell something online.
They may be items like apparel, groceries, homeware, or furniture- or even things like subscriptions.
Now, if you want to design a good landing page that aids conversions- what should you put in it? Let’s find out.
Elements of a good landing page
1. Eye-catching Visuals
It goes without saying that when people are on the internet- they want to SEE things.
You can always create more impact with visuals than written text.
Powerful images and videos can engage the visitors better, and elicit a strong emotional response from them.
You can persuade them to take an action by using eye-catching visuals that are placed prominently on the page.
2. Attractive headlines
Headlines are the most noticeable parts of any page.
Strong headlines will capture the visitor’s attention, and prompt them to keep reading.
Use interesting facts, including statistics, and use action-oriented headlines to get a positive response from your visitors.
3. Prominent CTAs
Check out Winc’s page to see how to feature CTAs prominently at regular intervals.
The idea is to not make the visitor work too much- and to make him take the desired action as fast as we can.
CTAs make it easy for visitors to do something, and they give the readers a subconscious push to take an action.
You should have CTAs that are eye-catching, and place them at regular intervals on the page so that the visitor doesn’t have to scroll to find out where he is supposed to click.
4. Persuasive descriptions that focus on benefits or value
Your landing page should spell out crisply what the visitor will get from you. Talk about what benefit they will get from you- and highlight that.
5. Long-tail keywords
Your visitor is here with a certain goal in mind. Make it easier for them to find you. Long-tail keywords help you create content that is more focused and increases your chances of conversion.
6. Testimonials from customers
Testimonials improve your credibility and prompt your visitors to take positive action.
7. Social media buttons to share the page
Make it easy for visitors to share your page on social media. The social media buttons should be prominently placed and highlighted so that the visitor has to do minimal work.
Good Landing Pages- Some examples
Landing page benefits
- A landing page helps you get better leads. If you design a good lead generation landing page- you will see that more visitors will fill in your form and leave their information with you.
- Good landing pages help you get more sales or conversions. Your landing page acts like a platter. If you can give the visitor all the information he is interested in- and make it look great, he is more likely to buy it.
- Landing pages can help you improve your credibility. With proper demos, videos and testimonials- a landing page can show the world that you are reputable service provider; and that the visitor can trust you.
- Landing pages can show visitors that you KNOW them and WANT TO SERVE them. A well-designed landing page shows that you know of your audience’s interests; and that they are in control of their journey with you. They are more likely to make a purchase if they feel that you are giving them everything they can ask for.
- A landing page can enforce your brand identity very strongly. By keeping your messaging strong, and reinforcing your brand’s personality, values and tone of voice- a good landing page can create a powerful impression on the visitors. A strong brand identity not only increases your brand’s recall with your visitors- but may also prompt them to recommend you to their acquaintances.
- A good landing page may better your chances at remarketing. If your landing page is memorable- your visitors are more likely to respond positively to your remarketing efforts.
Dos and Don’ts of Landing Pages
1. Position your offer or lead generation form right at the top.
This will draw the visitor’s attention, will make it easier for him to take the desired action, and make your offering instantly understandable.
2. Have the relevant information right on top.
The visitor should immediately understand what you are offering, and what they are supposed to do next to achieve their goals.
3. Connect your landing page with your ad.
If your ad and landing page are not in sync- the viewer will get confused and put off and abandon your page. Also, Google will downgrade your ads- which will affect your reach.
4. Have prominent CTAs on each landing page.
Get eye-catching CTA buttons that pop- and place them at frequent intervals on your landing page.
5. Have positive reviews and testimonials on your landing page.
They add to your credibility, and people are more likely to make a purchase if they spot positive reviews about the object of their interest.
6. Make your landing page fast.
Don’t add complex elements to your page that take too much time to load. A visitor is on your page because he wants to do something QUICKLY. If you make him wait, he will abandon you.
7. Don’t make the visitors move away from your page.
Keep your page focused and keep distractions to a minimum. Nurture the visitor’s interest and ensure that he can take his desired action FAST. If your page makes him fall down a rabbit hole by encouraging exploration- he will lose his focus and you will lose a customer.
8. Keep the design simple.
Do not cram in too many elements, features or colors. If your landing page looks overwhelming- you will not engage your visitor. Similarly- do not feature big chunks of text on your page. Your landing page content should flow logically in a way that guides the user to make a decision- so segment the content with good headlines.
9. Have the necessary information laid out.
Good content will give your visitor all the information they need to make their decision- and help you get traffic. Add FAQs that answer your visitor’s questions so that they don’t have to move away from your page to clear their doubts.
10. Make landing pages mobile-friendly.
We all know that more people now surf the web through their mobile phones. Landing pages must be optimized for mobile so that you can increase your reach.
[“source=brandloom”]