What You Need to Know About Landing Pages

by | Aug 5, 2016

It takes under two-tenths of a second for visitors to form their first opinion after landing on your website and under three for their eyes to reinforce that opinion. So first impressions really do matter – especially when it comes to landing pages.
A landing page is the first thing a prospect sees after clicking on a CTA – designed to drive prospects to that page – in a search result, on a social platform, from an online ad or from a page on your website. Landing pages are all about conversion; encouraging the visitor to take a well-defined next step in your prospect engagement process. To maximize your landing page’s performance, there are certain rules you need to follow.
We’ve created this guide outlining what you really need to know about landing pages:

What is a Landing Page Used For?

Landing pages serve to “convert” prospects by having them take specific actions, and can be divided into two categories.
Landing pages serve to “convert” prospects by having them take specific actions, and can be divided into two categories.

1.       Capture and Warm Up Leads

The purpose of this type of landing page is to capture visitors’ contact information so you can keep in touch, nurturing them to the point of conversion down the road.
You’ll often ask for an email in exchange for:

  • Subscribing for a newsletter.
  • Accessing resources like reports, e-books, or guides.
  • Signing up for upcoming webinars or events.

2.       Convert Prospects into Buyers

These landing pages warm prospects up to make them feel comfortable about progressing to the next level of the purchase funnel.
Often this means leading them towards a “shopping cart,” though this will vary depending on your industry.

What Does a Landing Page Need to Include?

User-Friendly Layout

Your landing page needs to effectively move prospects towards the “next step.” Therefore, the layout must be designed to have maximum impact while being very simple and devoid of any distractions.
A haphazard layout will adversely impact conversion.

Clarity

Make sure that the purpose of each landing page is specific and clear. After clicking on a CTA, visitors want to know that they’re in the right place and will be able to satisfy their needs – whether they’re looking for a service, product, or information. Each landing page should be individually crafted to address the needs of its associated campaign.
Core Opt In

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

You need to begin by telling prospects why they’re on your page. What are you offering, and why does it matter to them?
The landing page must have:

  • An attention grabbing heading and sub-heading. The first should evoke an emotional response, and the second should re-inforce it.
  • Content that confirms value. Further emphasizing that taking a next step will be beneficial.

Remember, more words don’t mean more success. You need to keep your content clear and concise, incentivizing conversion by conveying your offer’s value.

The “Hero Shot”

A hero shot – whether it’s of the product you’re marketing or a related image – quickly attracts attention and tells visitors what your landing page is about.
Remember to keep images simple and relevant. A flurry of pictures will overwhelm and confuse visitors, prompting them to leave before taking the next step on your landing page.

The Benefits

An effective landing page doesn’t just tell prospects what something is. It also tells them why they need it. The key here is to focus on benefits rather than features.

  • Features describe what something is. A feature-based statement could be, for example, “Our new lawnmower is more powerful than its competitors!”
  • Benefits tackle the problem you’re solving. A benefits-based statement would sound like, “Our new lawnmower cuts your mowing time by 47%!”

The Opt-In

The opt-in must be compelling to the target audience – something they deem of value and worth pursuing. It could be a promotion on a product, signing up for a newsletter, gaining access to a demonstration, or receiving a white paper or report.
Think about the opt-in as the tipping point between someone bouncing off of your website and converting. It needs to encourage prospects to continue with the buying process.
Landing pages are a key piece of your online marketing arsenal. When done right, they can increase the number of prospects that are willing to engage in a value-based based dialogue. This in turn increases your conversion rate, which leads directly to revenue growth. This is why landing pages are an essential part of an online marketing infrastructure.

Core Online Marketing is an outsourced online marketing agency with expertise in online advertising, lead generation, social media strategy, SEO, content marketing, and much more! Contact us or sign up for our free online marketing seminar.

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Ben Molfetta
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