Back to Basics: What Are Landing Pages and How Do They ...

A landing page is a page on your site that is designed to convert visitors into leads. It is different from other pages on your website in that it follows ... Services InboundMarketingServices AnIntelligentInboundapproachistheroadmaptoyourcompany’ssuccess. Overview DiscoverhowSmartBugisabletohelpcompaniesgrowthroughmarketingstrategy,salesenablement,PRandwebdevelopment. InboundMarketing Thecompletesolutiontoincreasingleads,revenue,andbrandauthority. E-CommerceMarketing EmailmarketingandSMSservicesbuiltaroundyoure-commercebusiness. PaidMedia Thetargetedapproachtoreachingyourbuyerpersonasinsearchandsocial. SalesEnablement Closetheloopbetweenyourmarketingandsalesteams—andmoredeals. WebDesign Your24/7salespersonmustbebeautiful,functional,andoptimizedforyourgoals. VideoMarketing Aneffectiveandengagingwaytocapturetheattentionofyourbuyerpersonas. PublicRelations Definingtherightaudienceandmediatobuildbrandrecognitionandgrowyourbusiness. 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ReadCaseStudy Partners TechnologyPartners HubSpot Salesforce Klaviyo ViewAllOurTechnologyPartners Knowledge Knowledge Industries Finance Manufacturing SaaS SeniorCare Education Healthcare Topic ABM MarketingStrategy Reporting&Attribution SalesandMarketingAlignment WebDesign Function Creative DemandGeneration PaidMedia PublicRelations ContentType AudioBooks Assessments Bootcamps E-Books Podcast Templates Webinars Attract,engage,anddelightwiththese: FavoriteRecipesforInboundMarketers ViewAllKnowledgeCenterResources About About WhoWeAre SmartBugCulture Careers MeettheTeam Events Awards News&MediaCoverage We'reHiring! Joinouraward-winningteamofwhip-smartmarketers. ReadOurBlog Let'sTalk BacktoBasics:WhatAreLandingPagesandHowDoTheyWork? Dec17,2019     ByJenniferShore Convertingvisitorsintoleadsisthefirststepincreatingarelationshipbetweenyourcompanyandapotentialcustomer—andeverythingyouneedtoknowaboutwhatlandingpagesareandhowtheyworkisrighthere. WhatIsaLandingPage? Alandingpageisapageonyoursitethatisdesignedtoconvertvisitorsintoleads.Itisdifferentfromotherpagesonyourwebsiteinthatitfollowsbothofthesecriteria: Ithasaformthatallowsyoutocaptureavisitor'sinformationinexchangeforadesiredoffer.  Thesolepurposeofthelandingpageistoconvertvisitorsintoleads(ahomepagewithaformonitdoesnotcountasalandingpagebecauseitservesotherpurposesaswell). Simplyput,alandingpageisanypagethathasaformonitanddoesn'tincludeotherdistractions—here'sanexample: Ifyourememberanythingfromthisarticle,rememberthatanypageonyourwebsitewithnonavigationandaformusedtoconvertvisitorsintoleadsisalandingpage,andeverysiteshouldhavethem. HowDoLandingPagesWork? Apersonseesacalltoactionandendsuponalandingpagewithaform. Thepersonfillsoutaform,whichconvertsthemfromavisitorintoalead. Theinformationfromtheformfieldsisthenstoredinyourleadsdatabase. Youmarkettothecontactorleadbasedonwhatyouknowaboutthem. IfyouuseamarketingautomationtoolsuchasHubSpotorMarketo,you’llbeabletoseewhatoffertheleadconvertedon,whentheyconverted,andwhatotherinteractionsthey’vehadonyoursite.Thisinformationwillallowyoutonurturethisleadinamoretargetedwaybyhelpingyoudecidewhichmarketingactionsaremostappropriatetotake. Anurturedleadismorelikelytobecomeamarketingqualifiedlead(MQL)andmovethroughthemarketingfunnelfaster.Thishelpsshowthereturnoninvestment(ROI)ofyourmarketingeffortsandkeepsyoursalesteamhappy. Weusemoneyeverydaytopayforgoodsandservices,andtheconceptofmonetaryvaluecanbeappliedtothelogisticsbehindalandingpageinthatyou’reexchangingequallyvaluableinformationnomatterwhichsideoftheexchangeyou’reon.Avisitorwillfillouttheformonthelandingpagebecausetheybelievethecontenttheyareaccessingwillbevaluabletothem,and amarketerwillgladlygivethepieceofcontenttothesitevisitorbecausetheycanusethevaluableinformationthevisitorprovidesontheforminfuturemarketingefforts.It’sawin-winsituation. TheConversionProcess Althoughthelandingpageisthemaincomponentoftheconversionprocess,therearemultipleassetsthatworktogethertomakeyourconversionsuccessful. CallstoAction(CTAs):ACTAisanimageorlineoftextthatpromptsyourvisitorstocompleteaspecificaction.Onlandingpages,CTAstellthevisitorwheretheyshouldclicktoaccesstheoffer.CTAscanbefoundonpagesofyourwebsitewherethecontentcorrelateswithyourofferaswellasonrelevantblogpoststhatsupportthecontentwithinyouroffer.ThemoretheCTAresonateswiththelandingpageandotherpagesitisbeingpromotedon,themorelikelyitisthatavisitorwill convert.  LandingPage:Thelandingpageitselfishometotheformthatavisitorfillsoutinordertoaccesstheoffer.Asmentionedpreviously,itsonlypurposeistoexplainthebenefitsofagivenofferandencouragevisitorstoconvertintoleads.Oncetheformissubmitted,avisitorshouldberedirectedtoa“thankyou”page. ThankYouPage:Althoughanin-linethankyoumessageisavailableinmosttools,itisrecommendedthatyousupplyyournewleadwithadedicatedthankyoupage.Thankyoupagesincludea“downloadnow”buttonthatnewleadscanclicktogetthedownloadyouofferedonthelandingpage.Inadditiontohostingtheoffer,thankyoupagesareanexcellentwaytocontinuetheconversionprocessandmovetheleaddownthemarketingfunnel.Secondaryoffers(casestudies,consultations,webinars,andmore)shouldbeshownviaanotherformorspecificCTAsonthethankyoupagetoencourage theleadwheretogonext. WhatYouNeedBeforeCreatingaLandingPage Beforeyoucandiveintobuildingthelandingpage,youneedtomakesureyou’vedoneallofthebackgroundresearchneededtoputittogethereffectively. Todoso,besuretocoverthefollowingbeforeyougettoworkonthelandingpageitself. TheBuyerPersona(s) Buyerpersonasaresemi-fictionalrepresentationsofyouridealcustomers.Theycanbebasedonmarketresearchandcurrentcustomerdata.Whendonewell,theycangiveyouclearinsightintoyourcustomers’behaviorsandhowtheythink,whichwillallowyoutodevelopthemostvaluablecontentyoucanforthem. Whenyoucreateyourlandingpage,itisimportanttotargetit tojustoneofyourpersonas(ifyouhavemorethanone).Ifyoutrytotailorthecontentonyourlandingpagetomultiplepersonas,itwillinevitablynotresonatewithallofthemandwilldecreasetheoddsofconversion.Whenyoutarget onepersona,youreffortswillbemuchmorefocusedandwillincreaseyouroddsofconversion.Itisbettertobenicheandfocusedthantoattempttoappealtothemassesinthissituation. TheOffer Anofferissomethingcreatedtoprovidevaluetoanorganization'swebsitevisitors,asidefromtheproductsorservicestheorganizationsells.Theoffercouldbeafreee-book,webinar,tipsheet,comparisonguide,oranythingelsethatisdownloadableandinformativeabouttheindustryyouarein.ItshouldgohandinhandwithaparticularpainpointyourbuyerpersonaisexperiencingaswellastheirstageoftheBuyer’sJourney(explainedbelow). TheBuyer’sJourney TheBuyer’sJourneyistheresearchprocessapotentialbuyergoesthroughleadinguptoapurchase.Itcanbebrokenintothreedifferentstages:theawarenessstage,theconsiderationstage,andthedecisionstage.Differenttypesofcontentshouldbecreatedforeachspecificstageofthejourneytohelppeoplemovefromonestagetoanother.Detailsofeacharebrokendownbelow: AwarenessStage:Avisitorintheawarenessstagehasexpressedsymptomsofapotentialproblemoropportunitybutcan’tquitenamewhatthatproblemis.Apersoninthisstageisdoingalotofresearchtounderstandtheirsymptomsanddefinewhatiscausingthem.Piecesofcontenttocreateandtargetpeopleinthisstageincludee-books,whitepapers,andguides. ConsiderationStage:Intheconsiderationstage,aprospecthasclearlydefinedtheirproblemoropportunity,andnowtheywanttounderstandwhattheycandotosolve it.TypesofcontentyoushouldcreateforpeopleinthisstageoftheBuyer’sJourneyincludecomparisonwhitepapers,webinars,andvideos. DecisionStage(alsoknowastheIntentStage):Inthisstageofthefunnel,theprospectknowstheirsolutionstrategyandapproach.Atthispoint,theyaredoingvendorcomparisonsandaretryingtonarrowdownthelistofvendorstoaselectfewbeforemakingtheirfinalchoice.Providingthemwithcasestudies,demos,andproductinformationatthisstagewouldbeawisedecision. BuildingaGreatLandingPage Onceyouhavethebackgroundresearchinplace,it’stimetoputthelandingpagetogether.However,thereisaspecialrecipe(puttogetherandperfectedbyinboundmarketersallovertheworld)thatyoushouldfollowtoincreaseyouroddsofconversiononthelandingpage. LandingPageBestPractices CreateaCompellingHeadline:Youneedtodevelopaheadlinethatwillcapturethevisitor’sattentionimmediatelyandmakethemwanttoreadon.Itisthefirstthingthey’llseewhentheygettoyourlandingpage,andyoudon’twantittobethe last. EfficientlyConveytheValueofYourOffer:Conveyingthevalueofanofferconciselyandeffectivelyiscrucialtothedevelopmentofyourlandingpage.Everheardoftheblinktest?Theblinktestbasicallystatesthatyouneedtoconveyyourmessageandvaluebeforeyourvisitorhastimetoblink—whichmeansyouhaveabout 3-5seconds.Ifyoudon’tdothissuccessfully,yourisklosingthatconversion;ittypicallyonlytakesone"blink"forsomeonetodecideiftheywanttostayonyourlandingpageornot.  IncludeBulletPoints:Forwhateverreason,wehumansliketomixthingsup,andwehaveshortattentionspansforthingslikelandingpages.Tokeepyourreaderengaged,avoidwritinglengthyparagraphsonyourlandingpage.Instead,writeabriefsummaryoftheoffer,andbelowthesummary,listoutbulletpointsofwhatthevisitorcanexpecttoreadbydownloadingthematerial.Presentingthisinformationasbulletpoints willkeepthereaderengagedwhilealsogivingthemapreviewofwhat’stocome,whichcanenticethemtoconvert. BuildtheForm:Whenyoucreatetheformforyourlandingpage,bemindfulofthenumberofformfieldsyouareincluding.ThenumberofformfieldsyouhaveshouldcorrelatewiththestageoftheBuyer’sJourney.Typically,foranawarenesspiece,youwanttokeeptheformsbriefandgetbasicinformationsuchasnameandemailaddress.Thefurtherdownthefunnelyourcontentis,themorefieldsyoushouldconsideringaddingasleadsaregettingclosertobuying.Oncethey’reatthedecisionstage,you’llwanttogetmoreinformationfromthemtohelpthesalespersonunderstandthecontactbettersotheyarebetterabletoclosethesale. RemoveSiteNavigation:Whenbuildingyourlandingpage,youwanttoremoveanyopportunityforyourvisitortoleavethepage.Byremovingsitenavigationfromyourlandingpage,youallowyourvisitortosolelyfocusonthecontentathand,ratherthanbecomingdistractedbyotherenticinglinksonyoursite. InsertImages:Whodoesn’tloveagoodimage?Besuretoincludearelevantandengagingimageonyourlandingpagetodrawthevisitor in.Peoplearemorelikelytostayonapageifacaptivatingimageispresent. AddSocialSharingIcons:Althoughyoushouldremoveallnavigationfromthelandingpage,itisimportanttoincludesocialsharingiconssothatpeoplecansharethelandingpagewithothersacrosstheirsocialplatforms.Whenyoudothis,however,besurethatwhenyouclickontheiconitopensinanewtaborwindow.Youdon’twanttoredirectpeopleawayfromthepage,butyouwanttogivethemaclearoptiontopromoteit. ProvideTestimonialsWhenRelevant:Thesedays,peoplearealwayslookingatreviewsofproductsandservicesbeforemakingapurchase,andthiscanapplytolandingpagesaswell.Butdon’tincludeatestimonialthatonlyvaguelytiesintoyouroffer.Makesureitdirectlycorrelatestowhatyou’repromoting.Ifitdoesn’t,it’sbesttoleaveitoff.Thesameadvicegoesforplacingawardsandaccoladesonyourpage. MakeSureYourInstructionsonNextStepsAreClear:Aformonalandingpagetypicallyimpliesthatyoushouldfillitout,butbesuretoincludecopythatsuggeststhisonyourlandingpageaswell(typicallyneartheendofyourcopy).Thiscouldbesomethingassimpleas,“Toaccessthee-book,pleasefillouttheformtotheright.”It’ssimple,butitgivesyourvisitorclearinstructionsonnextsteps,whichwillmakethemmorelikelytoconvert. HelpfulHints Belowaresomepointerstoconsiderthatcanmakeallthedifferenceforyourlandingpage: Proofread:Wewishthiswasagiven,butunfortunately,that’snotalwaysthecase.Youneedtolookcrediblewhensomebodyvisitsyourlandingpage.Ifyoumixuptheirandthere,itlookssloppyandcandeterpeoplefromconverting.Triple-checkeverythingonyourlandingpage.Ifyouknowyou’rebadatediting,asksomeoneelsetodoit.It’simportant. AimtoKeepYourCopyAbovetheFold:Althoughthisisn’taset-in-stonerule,thelongerthecopyonthelandingpageis,thelesslikelyyou’llbeabletokeepsomebody’sattention.Aimtobeconcisewithyourmessageandkeepeverythingabovethefold. TestYourLandingPage:Again,you’dthinkthisisagiven,right?It’snot.Onceyou’vedevelopedaCTAthatlinkstoyourlandingpageandathankyoupagethatthelandingpageredirectsto,testthefullprocess.ClickontheCTA,fillouttheform,anddownloadtheofferonthethankyoupage.Makesureallstepsareinplacefromauser'sperspective,andconfirmyourcontactinfohasbeenstoredinthedatabasetoensureeverythingisfunctionalfromabehind-the-scenesperspective. PromotionalTips Yourjobisn’toveroncethelandingpageiscomplete.Infact,ithasjustbegun.Youneedtogetpeopletoviewyourlandingpage—otherwise,whatwasthepointofcreatingit?Belowaretoprecommendationstopromoteyourlandingpage. CTAs:Aspreviouslymentioned,CTAsareagreatwaytopromotelandingpagecontent.Remember,theCTAneedstoresonatewiththecontentitlivesonandwiththelandingpage.Themorecohesivetheseassetsare,themorelikelypeoplewillbetoconvert.PuttheCTAsonsitepageswithalotofvisitsthatarerelevanttotheofferandin blogpoststhatsupporttheoffer. Email:Emailisagreatwaytopromoteyourlandingpage.Sendapromoemailtoatargetedlistasopposedtoanentireemaildatabase.Themoretargetedthelistisinrelationtoyourlandingpage,thehighertheoddsarethatpeoplewillconvert.Don’tfeellikeyouneedtoreinventthewheelwiththis;alotofthelandingpagecontentcanberepurposedintoemails. SocialMedia:Asyou’reprobablyaware,socialisagreattoolforspreadingthewordaboutyourcontent.However,wordtothewise:Don’tpromoteoneveryplatformbecausethat’swhatyouthinkyou’resupposedtodo.Selectthefewplatformswhereyouknowyourpersonasareandpromoteheavilyonthoseplatforms.Don’tpromoteonaFacebookpagejustbecauseeverybodyelseisdoingit—thinkaboutwhetheryourpersonasareavidFacebookusers.Ifnot,youshouldprobablylookelsewhere. AnalyzingtheResults Onceyourcampaignisupandrunningandtrafficisbeingdriventothepage,itisimportanttonotjustsitback,relax,andenjoytheshow.Checkinontheresultsofyourlandingpagesfrequently,butnotexcessively.Youwanttopayattentiontotrendsandsignificanteventsthatoccuroveraperiodoftimeratherthanday-to-daytrafficandconversion,whichcanrangegreatlyanddoesn’tgiveyoualotofusableandactionabledata. Hereareotherthingstokeepinmindwhenanalyzingyourlandingpage. Askyourself,“Doesmyoffercontinuetoperformwellmonthovermonth?”Ifnot,whatchanged? Ifyouhavealotofdifferentofferswithlandingpages,comparethemagainstoneanotherandseeifyoucanfigureoutapatternastowhysomeareperformingbetterthanothers. Ifyouhaveonelandingpagethatisperformingextremelywell,re-promotethatcontentandseeifyoucangetanincreaseincontactsfromthat. Whenyoumakechangestoyourlandingpages(e.g.,copy,images,formfields),besuretochangeonethingatatimeandtestforawhile.Thatwayyoucanidentifywhatspecificallyisaffectingperformanceandsinglethatout.Ifyouchangemultiplethingsatonetime,youwon’tknowwhichchangeorchangesaffectedthelandingpageandwon'tbeabletoapplythatknowledgetowardfuturelandingpages. ThispostwasoriginallypublishedinAugust2015andhassincebeenupdated. Learnaboutweboptimizationwith: TheKeystoWebsiteUXandUsability MarketingStrategy LandingPages WebsiteDesign UserExperience Abouttheauthor JenniferShore wasformerlytheDirectorofMarketingandaSeattle-basedwriterwhohasreceivednumerousawardsforherwork.InherroleatSmartBug,sheisresponsibleforthedevelopment,execution,andoptimizationofthehigh-growthleadfunnel,nurturing,andcustomeracquisition.ReadmorearticlesbyJenniferShore. 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