If you’re looking to make a great first impression, landing pages are one of the most effective marketing channels to do just that. A landing page also provides other benefits to marketers in reaching their goals, including precise targeting and higher conversion rates.
So, what is a landing page? Continue reading as we look at landing pages and how you can use them to your advantage.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a web page that can be visited by clicking on a banner ad, paid search engine result, link in an email, or other online marketing source. The page you “land” on is specifically designed to entice visitors to do a specific action and convert them into leads or customers.
Most of us have probably landed on a landing page. For instance, have you ever clicked on an ad that takes you to a page asking you to “subscribe” or “buy now?” This is an example of a landing page.
A landing page differs from a regular webpage in that it is geared to a specific audience. It has a clear call-to-action (CTA) to achieve a specified goal, usually lead generation or conversion. In addition, other web pages contain more links, allow visitors to explore different areas of the site, and have a broader target audience.
Types of Landing Pages
To further answer our pressing question, “What is a landing page?” It is helpful to examine the different types of landing pages. Let’s look at some helpful examples!
Lead Generation page
A lead generation landing page focuses on capturing user data, providing marketers with critical information about the target demographic, and boosting targeting capabilities. This information may include the user’s name, age, occupation, email address, and other details. A lead generation page is one that includes a form and asks users to provide their contact information in return for a reward, such as a discount coupon or a free trial.
Click-Through page
A click-through landing page directs visitors to a page to complete the desired action. For instance, a landing page with CTA buttons, such as “Get Started,” leads users to create an account, “Schedule a consultation,” directs them to a scheduling page, or “Purchase now” brings visitors to the checkout page. Click-through pages also typically include other information about the products or services to persuade users to engage with the ads.
Thank You Landing page
As the name implies, a thank you landing page is displayed after a customer has taken action, such as making a transaction. The objective of a thank you page is to preserve or build future relationships with users by delivering more offers. For example, once the user has completed a sale, a thank you page is displayed, which includes a discount code for their next purchase.
Unsubscribe Landing page
Although you want consumers to avoid this, express your appreciation by attempting to keep them one last time with a more enticing offer to change their decision. For example, when a customer asks to cancel a paid subscription, give additional incentives to persuade them to stay, such as offering a discount the next time they engage with your business.
Splash Landing page
A splash landing page, often known as a splash screen, is displayed to visitors before they arrive at the main content of the website to capture their attention. Splash pages are typically built with minimal text and do not require a lot of information. The idea is to make an introduction rather than a conversion—for example, a page asking users for their language preferences before entering the main site.
Squeeze Landing page
A squeeze landing page, similar to lead generation, is designed to collect information from users. However, unlike lead generation, a squeeze landing page only asks for a bit of information, hence the name ‘squeeze.’ Design-wise, squeeze landing pages are more straightforward. One example is a page that asks users for their email addresses in exchange for a great offer.
Coming Soon page
A coming soon website can help marketers raise excitement among potential buyers about the arrival of a product or service. This usually includes information (a sneak preview) about what’s to come, which piques their interest and makes them want to return to see what happens. It is critical to have a ‘notify me’ button to inform visitors when the product is finally available so that they can return and land on your product page.
Product page
If you have a specific product you want to promote, you have a product landing page as an option. Here, all the essential information about the product is revealed, such as what the product is, its features, its benefits, etc. A product landing page should be informative but also include rich media to entice users to take time and read the information.
Long-form Sales page
Unlike most landing pages, a long-form web page is detailed and aims to convince users to make a purchase. The page includes all the important information about the product or service, persuasive copywriting, convincing testimonials, and videos to entice visitors and turn them into purchasers.
What is a Landing Page? The Benefits
One of the most important objectives of any business is to increase conversion rates. A landing page offers a variety of effective approaches to focus on accomplishing the goal. Unlike regular web pages, which display a variety of information throughout, a landing page can focus on one function and avoid other distractions. Users are more likely to engage and take the required action when the message is personalized to their individual audience and interests.
A landing page also offers better targeting. As we’ve seen thus far, the main objective of a landing page is to target a certain goal. Landing pages are developed with a certain audience and interests in mind, which improves targeting efficiency.
Because landing pages are specially designed for a specific purpose, monitoring success, such as measuring how different CTAs perform, is easier. The flexibility allows you to experiment with different versions, for example utilizing an A/B testing, to see which ones work better. The variety of options available on landing pages helps in better campaign tracking and optimization.
What is a Landing Page? The Components
Now that we’ve answered the question: “What is a landing page?”, and shared their various forms and benefits, how do we create one? Below are the main components of a landing page:
1. Headline
The headline should be the first thing the eye captures when arriving on your landing page. Therefore, it should be appealing. However, keep it concise and use powerful words and exciting offers that’ll get readers’ attention and convince them to take action. Moreover, the headline should include the main value proposition of your ad and showcase the uniqueness of your product or service.
2. Call-To-Action (CTA)
Call-to-action (CTA) words prompt readers to take immediate action, such as “purchase now,” learn more,” or “download now.” This CTA is usually presented in a button, where visitors click and are directed to another web page to help them complete the action. CTA should be concise, compelling, and easily noticeable by readers. In other words, CTA buttons should be evident in sight, convey urgency, and encourage action.
3. Visually-Appealing Design
Just like other content, a landing page needs to be visually appealing. Visuals are vital in capturing attention and influencing readers’ emotions. The design of the landing page should be relevant to the core message of the ad and resonate with the target audience. What type of visuals to use depends on the type of product or service, but some effective visuals are videos, images, infographics, charts, and graphs.
4. Lead Capture Form
One of the primary goals of a landing page is to convert users to leads, and there’s no better way to achieve this than by creating a lead capture form on your landing page. Because the nature of the lead capture form is to collect information about the users, such as email addresses or phone numbers, you want to design it in a straightforward way that visitors can fill in easily and quickly. You don’t want a complicated form that can discourage users from filling in the info.
Use simple words, and remember to include attractive offers for users in exchange for their information. Similarly crucial, include your privacy policy and clarify that the information they provide will be protected.
5. Trust Elements/Social Proof
Trust elements or social proof are used to build credibility, trust, and confidence among users. These can include testimonials, past customer comments, certifications, and awards, showing what your product or company has achieved. Don’t hesitate to show these off on your landing pages. If your landing page is about scheduling a service, you can showcase past testimonials or certifications from related industries.
What is a Landing Page? Corkboard Concepts’ Approach
At Corkboard Concepts, our approach to designing landing pages is focused on our clients and their needs. Our process starts by understanding our client’s brand, objectives, concerns, and overall strategy. During all the steps from strategic planning to designing landing pages, we keep communication open–we convey what our team thinks of the project and strategy, and we ensure that designs are tailored to the client’s needs so that it’s not only effective for achieving the goals but also relevant and consistent with our clients’ broader marketing strategy. Corkboard Concepts also integrates a data-centric approach, where data collecting and tracking are used to help monitor and improve performance.
End Note
To recap, what is a landing page? A landing page is a simple web page with concise and appealing messages geared towards achieving a specific goal. Unlike other web pages, where users are presented with a lot of information and navigation options, resulting in distraction and potentially losing interest, a landing page is more subtle and straightforward and designed to guide visitors to take a single action.
With the many types of landing pages, there are many different creative ways to achieve your marketing goals. However, it is essential to remember to keep your landing pages concise, putting your main message front and center. Moreover, include visuals to keep your audience captivated and use persuasive words and offers to keep your audience engaged.
Reach out to Corkboard Concepts if you need help answering the question “What is a landing page?” and creating your landing page. From coming up with ideas to creating, delivering, and tracking performance, our team is more than capable of doing so!
