Yes, it really, really does. Why? Because a landing page is part of the process of making your website user-friendly. It helps to steer your visitors towards a particular action, such as buying your latest e-book, or signing up for your latest service, promotion, or package.
Your site is much like your home. When visitors come over, they won’t simply walk in and help themselves to your best bottle of wine and snacks (unless they’re really good friends). You have to invite them in, coax them to the patio, bring out the drinks and snacks and offer it to them – often repeatedly…
Guess what? Your site is your home, too, and the same rules apply. Visitors (usually) have very good manners, and you need to coax them with your hospitability. Sometimes you even have to cajole them, using your free e-books, webinars, audios, coupons, and other treats (in the current absence of virtual wine and snacks) to get them to do what you want them to do.
Your Home Page is the Front Porch
Firstly, a home page is NOT a landing page and if you’re using it as such, you’re losing out on valuable leads. Your homepage serves a more general purpose, such as explaining what your business does and to link to other pages that expand on that.
The homepage is more like a front porch. There may be a pretty door with a friendly welcome sign, but everyone know that not “everyone” is really that welcome. You don’t want anyone who passes by to enter, right?
That’s why, when you use your homepage as a landing page, visitors will stop to look, even admire, before clicking away. Chances are they will never return.
Your Landing Page is the Entertainment Room
Consider your landing page an open door with a beautiful view into the entertainment room. It should hold promise of plenty enjoyment, it should be specific, inviting, and it should tell visitors exactly what they are doing there.
This stand-alone page is reached when visitors click on an advert or link, and it speaks directly to the visitor, rather than in the general way that a homepage does.
It also needs the tools required to capture lead data and generate sales opportunities – in other words, plenty of calls-to-action.
But it’s more than that…
A fantastic landing page can capture and hold your visitors’ attention from “hello” to “click here” at the end of the lead form. Conversion is key to your online presence – without it, you’re wasting your time.
To achieve that, you need to appeal to your audience’s demographic. That brings us to the nuts and bolts of your landing page, and the reason why most people don’t know where to start and end up not bothering with landing pages at all.
How to Create a Killer Landing Page
1. Devise a Strategy
We’ve discussed website strategies before, but a landing page strategy is more specific. It hits the very heart of the actions you want your visitors to take. Ask yourself “What do I want visitors to do when they visit my site?” Answers might include:
- view my latest products
- sign up for my newsletter
- take advantage of my special offer
- download report
- etc.
Be clear on your strategy before you even start working on the wording of your adverts or designing your landing page.
2. Get to the Point
Internet users are busy (and lazy) so don’t bore them with endless blocks of text. If you want them to respond, you need to make it easy for them to read what you have to say and even easier to respond.
Answer their questions thoroughly, in as few words as possible. (Yep, I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s a simple fact of life in the modern business owner’s life, where we’re dealing with empowered consumers.) Clutter adds confusion, so hide the navigation bars and anything else that might distract.
3. Add Value
Make your offer compelling and clearly demonstrate why this specific demographic needs what you have to offer.
4. Include Sharing
Be sure to add social media buttons to allow your target audience to share the information with their peers. Remember, “birds of a feather” and all…
Finally, remember:
- You can have plenty landing pages for various target audiences.
- Landing pages should be easy to understand.
- Opt-in forms should be minimalistic.
If you’re starting a PPC campaign, or using offline advertising media, or if you want to target a specific demographic, you most definitely need a landing page. It offers a great opportunity for improving your marketing outcomes, driving sales, and building a list that will prove valuable for your future email marketing campaigns.
Do you use landing pages? I’d love to hear how it’s working for you, so please feel free to share your tips in comments below. If you need help creating landing pages, please get in touch!