How is a Landing Page Different from a Home Page?

Unlike your home page, as discussed in my last post, a landing page is a destination and it has a specific function:

• People have come to this page in response to strategic optimization or a very specific advertising message.
• This page is intended to take your prospects through the entire sales process.  It needs a powerful call to action based on the trigger that generated the visitors.
• You may have several landing pages on one website – each serving as a destination for different ads; or your site may also consist of just the one landing page.
• Although your landing page may be part of a bigger site, with all the usual supporting pages, it should also be able to function effectively as a stand-alone page.

Based on that it follows that a landing page requires a different copy treatment from other types of web page.

Headline: Your headline must reflect the message that brought visitors to this page.  You could repeat some of the wording or phrasing or continue the thought process, but either way it is important that your visitor is able to make an instant connection.

The Sales Process: Your message must be clear and concise, leading your reader logically and compellingly through a persuasive sales process; right from mild interest through to conviction and a desire to respond.  And it is very important that the message throughout relates closely to the ad that generated your visitors in the first place.

Write Enough: Landing pages tend to be longer than other web pages because they are more likely to be stand-alone pages.  Don’t be afraid to give as much information as you need to get your reader to the point of action.

Engage: As with any marketing copy you must be sure to engage your prospect – focus on benefits; get to the core of the emotional factors behind the purchase decision; write in your prospect’s language and tone of voice.  Above all, frame your sales message from the point of view of the end result your prospect is looking for, rather than from your own perspective.

Be Readable: A long, information-rich sales page could get boring really fast.  It is important to make sure your landing page draws your reader in visually and encourages them to keep reading through. Make sure your layout has lots of white space; benefits and selling points highlighted in sub-heads and bullet points; short paragraphs.

Call to Action: Your landing page should have a very clear objective and throughout the copy you should give your reader reasons to respond right now, and buttons or phone numbers that make it easy to do so.

Summarize: If your landing page is somewhat lengthy, be aware that your visitors will check out the information above the fold (visible on the screen without scrolling down) first, and then they will almost certainly scroll down to the end of the page to find out what the bottom line is.  Make sure that your primary benefits are repeated there, and that the call to action is strong and persuasive.

Test: There are no guarantees – and if someone tells you they know what will work then they are either lying or they’re about to get incredibly rich.  Testing is easy and inexpensive and will give you some valuable insight into what triggers your prospects will respond best to.

One Last Landing Page Tip

It’s inexpensive and simple to take out a series of pay-per-click ads, each linking to a different landing page on your website, and each with a unique variable.  It then becomes a simple matter to monitor which ads are generating most traffic, and which pages are converting best in order to test your messaging.  Who knows, you might be surprised at what your prospective clients will respond to.

Want to know the 7 essential pillars of a successful website?  Download the Web Marketing Check-up for free, right now and see how effective your website is at connecting and converting.

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