The Value of Landing Pages

Do people know what to do when they arrive at your site? Landing pages welcome them more effectively than your home page does. They're also better at converting visitors into customers.

What is a landing page?
It's the entry page you see when you click from a pay-per-click ad or email link to a website. Unlike your home page (which has many different functions), a good landing page responds only to the specific search term or link. Successful landing pages lead to higher conversion rates and greater returns on your marketing investment.

Why landing pages work.
Visitors immediately "get" that your landing page is relevant to their search term. They don’t need to navigate to find what they’re looking for. They don’t need to think. They’re ready to move along the conversion process: to submit a form, contact a rep, or make a purchase.

Elements of an effective landing page.
Good landing pages are simple and highly targeted. They don’t contain anything that’s not essential — including the general site navigation. Copy should emphasize the benefits of your product or service and persuade prospects to take the next step. If you’re asking the visitor to submit a form, it’s a good idea to summarize your privacy policy. You should also offer a toll-free number for people who prefer to call.

How landing pages work.
One of our clients, TravelStore, California's largest travel agency, runs a major pay-per-click campaign. We designed a template that’s easily modified to create a landing page for each destination. So when a prospective client searches Google for "Costa Rica Travel" for example, they click on TravelStore’s ad to arrive at a relevant landing page. The landing page offers three clearly defined options: Search their Costa Rica vacation deals, contact the travel expert, or call the toll-free number.

Measure the results.
Web analytical tools help you measure the effectiveness of your landing pages. Google has a free conversion tool for its Adwords customers. You can learn how to improve your conversion rate by comparing two different landing pages using their free website optimizer.

See a sample landing page.
More web marketing tips.

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