The answer to “what is a landing page” may seem like it's completely obvious. After all, a landing page is a page that prospects “land” on, so they can download an ebook or some other asset, right?
Well, yes and no.
Yes, a landing page is the page where prospects are directed, so they can take a desired action -- which could mean making a purchase, but in many B2C campaigns and virtually all B2B campaigns, it’s to advance forward on the customer journey and not to engage in a transaction.
But no, a landing page isn’t just a digital destination. In other words, a landing page doesn’t magically become a landing page simply because it’s the place where prospects go. If that were the case, then basically any page would automatically become a landing page.
Rather, legitimate landing pages – despite their brevity and simplicity – are highly functional, strategically developed tools that can make (or break) campaign success. Indeed, we’ve seen MANY landing pages that ironically worked against a business rather than for it, because instead of encouraging prospects to take desired action, it sent them bouncing away in a fit of confusion or irritation.
And so with the above in mind, let’s return to the question that kicked us off – what is a landing page? – and answer it by highlighting 7 rules:
Rule #1: A landing page should have a form to capture prospect information.
The size of this form and what it aims to capture are dependant on several factors, including where prospects are on the customer journey (i.e. generally speaking, the closer they are to the beginning, the shorter and simpler the form). However, a form is a must, and businesses should NEVER give away assets without getting something in return, such as a name and email address.
Rule #2: A landing page must focus on the asset that is being offered.
Prospects who visit a home page typically want to learn information about a business, such as competitive advantages, an overview of solutions/services, marketplace history, and other factors that build trust and inspire confidence.
However, prospects who visit a landing page are specifically interested in the asset that is being offered, such as an ebook, checklist, whitepaper, infographic, on-demand webinar, or something else that is valuable and relevant.
As such, the content on a landing page must be focused on the asset, and contain minimal (if any) information about the business. The exception would be when including such information would make the asset more compelling (e.g. “the ebook you can instantly download was crafted by experts with over 30 years of experience in the office relocation field”).
Rule #3: Landing pages should be as short as possible, but not cryptic.
Prospects on a landing page have just clicked a link (on a website, email, ad, newsletter, etc.) that promises them something they believe will be valuable. As such, landing pages should be short, structured, and make use of bullet points and sub-headings.
However, with this being said, it’s important to ensure that landing pages are nothing more than a headline and a form. Some content is both needed and expected, especially because today’s prospects are very selective and sensitive (and some are even a bit paranoid) about giving out their email address to a business. There has to be enough copy to inform/remind them of why they want to move forward and trade their information for something useful (e.g. an ebook, etc.).
Rule #4: Landing page design makes a huge difference.
Some landing pages have suitable forms and content, but the design is weak or confusing – and this leads to bouncing rather than conversions. To avoid this, landing page design should be aligned with the business’s brand (e.g. colors, font sizes, logo, etc.), and have one or two well-chosen graphic elements, such as the cover of an ebook, a snapshot of a checklist, a callout quote, and so on.
Rule #5: Track landing page analytics.
Last but not least, landing pages tracked for businesses can understand what’s working and what isn’t. These analytics should be used to modify existing landing pages (e.g. make forms shorter, use bigger “download” buttons, etc.), as well as to generate valuable insight into buyer personas, product/service positioning and marketplace trends.
Learn More
To learn more about landing pages, and to get a customized answer to “what is a landing page” that maps directly to your business, marketplace and inbound marketing campaigns, contact the Leap Clixx team today. Your consultation with us is free.
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Topics: Inbound Marketing
