The Must Know on Landing Pages
By Brendan Byrne Friday, June 15, 2018
Before you click away from this article, thinking you don’t want to hear someone else telling you about having to integrate another important component into your website, give this some thought: what if we told you that landing pages are the difference between all the money you spend on Google ads getting you nothing, and the ads allowing you to get leads for half or one-third the amount you spent? Yep, landing pages are the key to your success in online marketing, and the key to success in beating out your competition. Ready to learn more? Read on!
What is a landing page?
A landing page is the first page that a visitor sees when they show up on your website, typically after following an ad or accessing your website via a social media link. You can think of it as the page where they “land” after clicking, and these pages are designed to capture leads and funnel prospective customers into a sale. Landing pages are different than traditional webpages, in that they are typically devised with a purpose and with a strategic marketing campaign behind them, not simply to share content or information about your brand or company. In essence, landing pages are designed to capture a visitor’s information and are targeted to a specific stream of traffic.
Why would I use landing pages?
When you are using the right campaign to capture the right people, who show up on an effective landing page, this online tool is very effective in converting visitors to leads and later to customers. In fact, in order to get customers from an online platform, you need some way to collect their information to offer them services as a customer, and landing pages are one of the best ways to do this.
Consider for example, that you are trying to sell your online consulting service. You use Google AdWords and create ads to run on Facebook and Instagram, and from the ad, interested clients can click to be guided to your website. Here they will be informed about your services and have the opportunity to book a free introductory consultation. When they click from the ad, the first thing they’ll hit is a landing page! From this page, you can ask for them to sign up to your newsletter, gathering information that you can use to contact them, or you can offer your free gift, such as an eBook or a guide. Any of these options will not only offer visitor data to you, essentially creating a lead which you can follow up with to potentially have as a new client, but it will also start the all-important process of building trust, engagement, and relationships between you and your business and the prospective client.
The value goes further than data, trust and improving conversion rates. Landing pages are also crucial in helping to grow your email list, offering you a database of clients who you can continually engage with; they improve brand awareness, encouraging active engagement with your brand and webpage, and they also reduce bounce rates, urging visitors to stay on your website for longer. All of these are of course beneficial to your business and help boost the ultimate goal of getting clients and promoting growth.
How do I create landing pages?
Now that you know what landing pages are, it is time to understand how to create effective landing pages for your business. The first part of this is determining what the purpose of your landing page is – what do you want the ultimate outcome to be once a visitor lands on your page? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, click to get your free eBook, or book for their free consultation? Getting clear on what you want is crucial to knowing if your page ends up being successful.
Once you know what you want, apply a conversion funnel. This is a means of guiding your visitor to take the desired action, whereby strategic elements guide your lead through each step, ultimately ending in them performing the task that you want.
One of most important parts of this conversion is multiple call-to-action opportunities. You cannot assume that just because someone clicks to your landing page, having the box pop for their email will be enough to get them to offer their email. Each step through the landing page should have a call-to-action, or a reminder of the need to do what you are hoping they will. The landing page will offer information as the visitor scrolls through, but the overall purpose of the page should not be lost on the visitor and they should constantly have a reminder of what you are asking for, as well as different opportunities to carry it out. Remember: make it easy for them! If it’s difficult or takes extra effort, you have lost them before you even started.
A clear strategy, with a clear desired outcome and persistence are the keys to a successful outcome from your landing pages. If you are ready to see results online from your business,
contact One Orange Cow today to help in crafting your online marketing campaign and to learn more about creating successful landing pages which bring you the results you need for your business.