Landing pages: Why a homepage isn’t enough for marketing online

Let’s get this out of the way: a homepage is not the same as a landing page. And while your homepage CAN be your landing page, in most cases, it probably shouldn’t be. Confused yet? This might help.

Photo credit: Tim Beach

• What is a landing page?

A landing page is a single page on your website (or mobile website) that customers “land” on when they click on a link. The links might be from paid Google ads, organic search results or links to your landing page from other websites or blogs (such as a Chamber website or shopping site).

In the case of printed material, such as a brochure, your customer might be sent to a landing page by typing in a specific web page’s html address – rather than your company's general website html address. For example, a homebuilder with a brochure about how to finance the construction of a dream home may want to use a landing page like:

http://www.taylormorrison.com/Finance

Rather than simply http://www.taylormorrison.com.

(The latter link would simply take readers to the company's homepage, which will then require them to search for the finance page.)

In most cases, a homepage is not effective (or efficient, if you consider how often you’d have to change it!) for pay-per-click (PPC) traffic. Your homepage should be geared to share general information and search engine optimization, while a landing page (or multiple landing pages) is all about generating sales or at least capturing leads.

• What should a landing page have on it?

1. A headline similar to the ad that got people to click on the link. If your pay per click ad was about “Cheap tooth whitening” then your landing page should be about the $199 special you’re running on tooth whitening, not about how you do veneers and crowns at your dental practice.

2. A way to track where your customers came from (so you know your online marketing/advertising return on investment)

3. A way to track what your customers do once they get to your landing page. Do they sign up for your newsletter? Buy something? Opt in for your SMS promo codes? Leave your site within 20 seconds? Learn what ads get your customers to convert and which disappoint them once they get to your landing page.

4. Specials, discounts or highlighted items that you couldn’t (or wouldn’t) necessarily put on your (more stagnant) homepage

5. A call to action. “Download whitepaper!” or “Contact me today to take a tour of this house before someone else buys it!”

6.  Hours of operation. If you have 24-hour customer service, indicate it. Ditto with seasonal hours.

7. Trust-building indicators (e.g. secure payments, member FDIC, the BBB logo, etc.)

8. Contact information. Local number, toll-free number, email address and live chat (with a customer service rep), if you offer it. Also, list a street address if you have a bricks-and-mortar store or corporate office. It lends credibility and inspires trust, and sometimes people just want to know where they can mail a check or money order!

9. Uniform branding. Make your colors, logo, images or graphics match that of your company to assure customers that the page they’ve landed on is actually yours.

10. Relevant images (e.g. before and after tooth whitening) and copy (especially the benefits of your product or service). You might want to include testimonials, the photo of a similar product (e.g. if you’re selling black boots, include a photo of similar brown boots in the sidebar), or quotes from the media (“Voted ‘Best Realtor’ by Real Estate Broker Today Magazine”).

Perhaps most importantly, make sure your landing page loads quickly. No matter how great your offer, your bailout rate will go through the roof if your customers have to wait forever for your site to load. Remember, it’s only a landing page if your customer can actually land on it. Otherwise, it’s just a touch-and-go.

Need help with landing pages?

EasyChair Media can help you develop successful landing pages to increase your conversion rates and ROI. 

Call 303-883-4275 or email us to find out how easy and effective marketing can be.