How to create an effective landing page14 June 2005
A landing page is an area of your website that visitors are directed to when they click through to your site from an outside source, such as an online advert or a link from another website. It is like a backdoor into your site providing information specifically targeted to these visitors, and is different in style and tone to your homepage, which is the main entrance to your site.
The aim of the page is to get the visitor to do something quickly - if they click through from a pay per click advert you want them to purchase your product, or if they arrive through a link from another website you may want them to sign up to an e-mail newsletter or respond to a survey.
There are lots of ways you can attract and retain the attention of these visitors. The following tips will help you create an effective landing page:
- Target the landing page to a specific offer, or to provide information on other products or areas of your site that visitors may be interested in. Some visitors may not be interested in the initial offer but may want to find out more about other products you provide. This useful article discusses why targeting the page is so important.
- Ensure the landing page is clear and concise. Give the visitor the information promised in the advert or link, but make sure it is easy-to-read and is to the point.
- Make a good first impression. Often the landing page is the first page a visitor will see, therefore it will need to be as well designed as your home page and will need to provide reassurance that it's safe to do business with you.
- Provide a call to action. As with all good advertising campaigns you need to give visitors a reason to buy your product or sign up to your newsletter, and create a sense of urgency to get them to act now.
- Make it easy for visitors to do what you want them to do by providing lots of links to your online shop, subscription page or feedback form.
- Test, test and test again. Get friends and family, or valued customers, to look at the landing page and ask whether they would be inspired to purchase the product or sign up to your newsletter. See this article for an explanation of why you should test your landing page.
For more useful advice about creating an effective landing page, check out Creating Effective Landing Pages .
