A landing page is not a homepage. It is a page where a user is required to fulfill certain action which is known as Call To Action—CTA.
A website consists of many pages – home page, about page, gallery page, project page, contact page etc. But you won't see a 'landing page' neither in the menu nor anywhere else in the website. So what exactly is this Landing Page! What makes it different from other pages? Why is it so important?
In the most simple term, a landing page is a page where you land after clicking on a certain link. The link takes you to a particular standalone page which requires you to perform some sort of action. This action is known as Call-To-Action (CTA). Thus, a landing page can be any page on the website.
However, as simple as this definition is, when we talk about 'landing pages' in online marketing, we usually mean a page that is specifically designed to receive and convert traffic from an online marketing campaign. Using this alternate definition, a home page wouldn’t qualify as a 'landing page'—it is not designed to convert traffic from a specific marketing campaign.
Call-To-Action
So how exactly to land on a landing page and what kind of action it demands from the user. A landing page is a standalone web page that a person 'lands' on after clicking through from an email, ad, textual link on the webpage, or other digital location.
Once they are on your landing page, users are encouraged to take an action, such as joining your list or buying your products. If the user takes the specific desired action, then your landing page has succeeded in getting them to convert.
Here are few things you might want users to do on your landing page:
Make a purchase
Install your app
Become a lead by submitting a form
Call you
Reach out to you via chat
Subscribe to a newsletter or email list
Register for an event
Download e-book
All of these conversion actions pull off the same basic goal. They encourage users towards becoming a paying customer. And, ultimately, that’s the goal of any landing page. In return, they also make it easy for the potential buyers to shortlist their choice.
By and large, landing pages generally encourage their users to take only one such action. Why?
It is because of what researchers call the "paradox of choice." In simple terms, it means that the more options you give to the user, the harder it is for them to make a decision and act.
Suppose you are offering a free e-book. But on your landing page, you also invite your users to visit your blog and buy a product and check out your social media channels. With each ask, the chances of your users downloading your new e-book grow slimmer because you have directed their attention away from your primary objective.
On the extreme end, too many choices can overwhelm your users, causing them to stall and take no action at all! This is why it’s critical to focus on a single call-to-action (CTA) rather than 3 or 4. The more the clutter, less the business.
Benefit of Landing Page
Landing pages are different in look and feel from the rest of the pages in your site for the sole reason—they focus on specific, short-term goals so that you can get the results you want. Evidently, landing pages are essential to your marketing strategy. And the more optimized landing pages you have, the better.
Below are few benefits, but not limited to, of having a landing page:
Landing pages directly support your business goals
It increase conversions
It generate data and insights
It improve paid search campaigns
It can grow your email list
It increase credibility
It improve brand awareness
Leaves a good first impression
They are direct and to the point
Landing Page Best Practices
Create a Compelling Headline: You need to develop a headline that will capture the visitor’s attention immediately and make them want to read on. It is the first thing they’ll see when they get to your landing page, and you don’t want it to be the last.
Provide your contact info: Giving your leads the option to reach out to you with questions or concerns will put them at ease, even the ones who won’t actually do so. Why? Providing your contact info is a sign of legitimacy, telling customers that you’re there to help should they need it.
Include Bullet Points: To keep your reader engaged, avoid writing lengthy paragraphs on your landing page. Instead, write a brief summary of the offer, and below the summary, list out bullet points of what the visitor can expect to read by downloading the material. Presenting this information as bullet points will keep the reader engaged while also giving them a preview of what’s to come, which can entice them to convert.
Build the Form: When you create the form for your landing page, be mindful of the number of form fields you are including. The number of form fields you have should correlate with the stage of the Buyer’s Journey. Typically, for an awareness piece, you want to keep the forms brief and get basic information such as name and email address. The further down the funnel your content is, the more fields you should considering adding as leads are getting closer to buying. Once they’re at the decision stage, you’ll want to get more information from them to help the salesperson understand the contact better so they are better able to close the sale.
Insert Images: Be sure to include a relevant and appealing image on your landing page to draw the visitor in.
Add Social Sharing Icons: It is important to include social sharing icons so that people can share the landing page with others across their social platforms. When you do this, however, be sure that when you click on the icon it opens in a new tab or window. You don’t want to redirect people away from the page, but you want to give them a clear option to promote it.
Provide Testimonials When Relevant: These days, people are always looking at reviews of products and services before making a purchase, and this can apply to landing pages as well. Make sure it directly correlates to what you’re promoting. If it doesn’t, it’s best to leave it off. The same advice goes for placing awards and accolades on your page.
Test several variations of your pages: Different headlines, visuals, calls to action, and more can produce different results. Conduct A/B tests to experiment with variations of your landing pages and see which ones perform the best. This can help you optimize your landing pages for the most success.
Conclusion
Thus, simply directing visitors to your homepage or any other page on your website doesn’t make those pages landing pages. A landing page is a standalone web page, disconnected from a website’s navigation, created for the sole purpose of convincing a visitor to act (to sign up, buy, download, etc.).
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