What is a Landing Page (and Why You Need to Know)

One of the most frequent questions we hear is “What is a landing page and why do I need one when I already have a contact form?” The term “landing page” can create a bit of confusion. Doesn’t any page a visitor “lands” on within your website meet the definition? Not quite. While it’s true that all landing pages can be defined as web pages, not all web pages are landing pages. If that doesn’t clear things up, maybe this will: landing pages exist solely to capture your visitor’s information via a form in order to convert them into customers.

What is a Landing Page?

Think of your site’s landing page as a “one item only” checkout lane, a standalone area that is accessible only from a link you or someone else provides, such as a call to action. Landing pages typically fall into two categories (a third is a direct sales page, such as those used by online stores like Amazon):

• As lead generators that enable you to target future marketing. Also referred to as lead capture pages, this type of landing page lets you gather pertinent information about your visitors. Your sole focus is to get contact and personal info such as email address, name, location, and other demographics you can use down the road to further connect. A lead generator page should give a glimpse of the benefits of converting and can include reciprocal offers, such as eBooks, how-to guides, event registrations, or newsletter sign-ups.

• As short-form introductions to the product or service you hope they purchase prior to sending them farther into the buyer’s journey. Perfect for relationship building, click-through landing pages are a slightly more advanced marketing technique; their purpose being to “warm up” leads and then guide them into a sales funnel directly on your site. They allow you to nurture leads, help increase conversions, and let your visitors learn a bit about your product or service before diving in.

The most effective, high-conversion landing pages make it easy for visitors to your website to quickly see who you are, what you offer, and what you’re asking them to do in return (supply information).

Why Landing Pages Matter

When you optimize your landing page or pages, you increase your opportunities for greater traffic and conversion rates. Great landing pages are about relevance, continuity, reinforcement and, most importantly, value. They are a key component of your complete website design and online marketing presence, and the best ones present your visitors with the details they need to reinforce the belief that you have the solution to their problem or need. They are distinct from “contact us” pages because you are offering something in return for the information your visitors give you.

Whatever you hope to achieve through your website, be it to sell a product or service, or generate leads, your landing page design should be simple and easy to navigate, provide a flawless user experience, and offer a valuable incentive. Do that, and visitors will have little reason not to convert, a win-win situation that improves your bottom line.

If you’re thinking about a website redesign, you’ll need to know where to begin and what to focus on. We’re here to help.