When you spend lots of time in online advertising, one term that you see everywhere is “landing page.” Now the question is why the landing page is different than other pages. People want to know why these pages are so important. Here we will discuss what is a landing page, when to use it, and different types of landing pages.
Description
In simple words, a page where you land by clicking a link is called a “landing page.” It means a landing page could be anything, such as a blog post, home page, a lead capture page, and a product page, etc.
In online marketing, when we talk about a “landing page,” it specifically means that a page that can receive and convert traffic from a marketing campaign. Some people get confused between the home page and landing page. A home page won’t be considered a landing page if it’s not designed to convert traffic into sales.
When to Use a Landing Page?
When building a website or optimizing an existing website, the 1st page is the homepage. The homepage is designed while keeping the explanatory purpose in mind. A homepage contains links and navigations to other areas of the site.
Moreover, it might contain info about your company and team, and it’s mostly designed for search engine optimization. The home page might contain lots of links, but they won’t give you favour in conversion rates.
On the other hand, a landing page has only one purpose: to convert website visitors into leads. So, the answer to when to use a landing page is when you have a single goal, and that is to generate leads, you need to use a landing page. As you improve your landing page, your conversion rates will increase.
Two factors that set your landing pages apart from everything else are:
- Attention Ratio
- Message Match
Attention Ratio
It is the number of things you can do on your web page versus the number of things you must do to get leads. For example, a homepage might have a ratio of 30:1 or higher; it means these 30 objects divert the attention of a visitor. On the other hand, landing pages will have a 1:1 attention ratio.
Message Match
It means you must show a copy of the ad to your visitor in the first place. For example, when people are not served with what they have expected, they will leave your webpage. Your message must match their expectations. Having a strong message match will ensure that the buyer’s journey flows smoothly from ad to page.
So, when to use a landing page?
Landing pages are perfect for most inbound digital advertising campaigns. In fact, digital marketers are using this successfully to lower cost per acquisition and improving conversion rates. You need to use a landing page when:
- The idea is to run a pay-per-click campaign on Goggle Ads.
- Promotion targeting to subscribers of a weekly newsletter.
- To target the audience of Facebook and Instagram.
- To retarget people who previously visited your site without converting.
You must have a predefined attention ratio and a strong message match to get the desired results.
Types of Landing Pages
Undoubtedly, landing pages generates more leads, but you need to keep one thing in mind that you can’t generate sales by only publishing pages. Make your landing pages relevant. Primary types of landing pages are:
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Splash Page
It’s different from other pages because the users click on an ad and see a splash page, and they see you have a specific goal to fulfill. In splash pages, you can ask about their age, language preferences or make announcements. A typical splash page includes a background image, very little copy, and the message you want to convey.
You can use this page at any stage of the marketing funnel. Splash pages are different from other landing pages because they’re not meant for lead generation. They’re used for announcements and to know how visitors want to view your website.
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Squeeze Page
Such pages are used at the top of the marketing funnel to collect the email addresses of users by the exchange of a free offer. The purpose of this page is to bring visitors into your marketing funnel. It is a type of landing page, but the goal of a squeeze page is to get an email address.
These pages are often simpler, shorter, and contain fewer images. Such pages are designed to capture user attention and include the following elements:
- A minimal copy for providing details about the offer.
- A short form for getting the email addresses of the visitors.
- Call-to-action button for letting visitors know what to expect next.
- Exit or X button so that a visitor can close the page without submitting the information.
- A link to the privacy policy page lets people know how the company will use their personal information.
This practice can help generate new customers.
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Lead Capture Page
These pages are longer than squeeze pages and mostly used throughout the marketing funnel. Due to its importance, marketers use this page in the middle funnel stages. These pages collect leads through a form.
You can design a good lead capture page by maintaining a balance between ask and reward on the page. Ask means the form you’re using, and reward means the offer you’re promoting. Ensure that form doesn’t contain extensive fields. The main idea of using these pages in the middle funnel stages is to know whether the user is interested in your service or product or not. Here is one example from convertkit.com.
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Sales Pages
These pages are most difficult to design, and you can use them at the bottom of the funnel. They must persuade people to buy. It’s the most difficult task to convince someone to pay for your product/service.
Sales pages can be long or short according to the information it requires from the customer, and depending on your service/product. When you have a more expensive product, your page will be long and vice versa. Regardless of the page length, it must contain all the information to force customers to click on the CTA button.
You can create a compelling sales page by adding all the landing page elements, such as complete details about the offer, and optimizing it according to the target audience.
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Thank You Page
It’s the best practice for making repeat customers. You can use this page to redirect people when someone has filed a form or make a purchase. You can list other products or services to engage your existing customers. The purpose of this page is to ensure visitors that they’ve made the right decision by making a purchase or signing up for your page.
10 Best Practices for Creating an Attractive Landing Page
If you know about marketing, the concept of landing pages won’t be new for you. We click on an attractive ad to get more information or leave the page when we don’t get enough information. You need to design a page that can bring new customers and hold existing customers. These practices can help generate more conversions.
- Ensure that your landing page is aligned with the goal of your ad campaign
- Keep your forms simple
- Test your landing page copy and call-to-action
- Keep the design simple and offer easy navigation
- Show proof of satisfied customers
- Ensure that your landing page is mobile responsive
- Ensure that it loads quickly
- Put important information at the top
- Regularly update your landing page
- Don’t forget to add a thank you page
Let’s briefly explain these points.
First of all, your ad campaign must be clearly defined and aligned with the landing page. Don’t use extensive forms because they can take your visitors away from the website you build. A simple but informative landing page can help you achieve the targeted conversions. Moreover, make your landing page responsive and mobile-friendly for a better user experience. Put the main purpose of the ad at the top and keep on updating your landing page from time-to-time. Finally, add a thank you page to make repeat customers.
Conclusion
Marketers are using landing pages for more than a decade. A person with a marketing background already knows the importance of landing pages. You can use any type of landing page according to your goals. You must know when to use it for better results. Different pages will be used according to the funnel stages. Moreover, all the practices mentioned above can help you generate the desired conversions. So spend more time on designing a landing page to generate more leads.