“What’s a landing page & why do I need it?”

Dec 19, 2016

"What's a landing page & why do I need it?"If you’re just starting to dive in to the world of CTAs, landing pages, lead acquisition and the like, stop what you’re doing for a moment and read up on the basics of landing pages with us right now. Landing pages are crucial for lead generation, so it’s important to understand what they are and how to use them. Today, we’re talking about what landing pages are, why your site needs them and how to  use them to turn ordinary visitors to your site into leads. If you’re wondering questions like “what’s a landing page & why do I need it?” grab a cup of hot cocoa and a Christmas cookie (Christmas = 6 days away, after all!) and settle yourself in for a great conversation. 

“What’s a landing page & why do I need it?”

 
 

What are Landing Pages?

Landing pages are the pages a visitor to your company’s website lands on after clicking on a call-to-action. They usually clicked because the CTA showcased an offer that your company is willing to provide to your visitors in exchange for information from them, information like name, email address, job title, etc.

That’s the basic definition. The more practical definition: Landing pages are the paths to leads. You will generate more leads when you utilize landing pages. In fact, according to HubSpot, companies with 30+ landing pages generate 7x more leads than those with fewer than 10.

Why does your site need Landing Pages?

We kind of answered this part in the last paragraph. If you are interested in getting more leads for your company, you need landing pages. (And who isn’t interested in getting more leads?) Think of landing pages as your business assets. They’re a necessary part of the lead conversion process, turning visitors to your site into leads.

How do Landing Pages work?

Like I mentioned previously, landing pages operate through an exchange: You offer a desirable product to the visitor, and they give you their contact information in return. There are three major items to note in order to make landing pages work for you:

  • You need to offer something of value to your audience. Make sure it’s actually valuable to them.
  • Your site visitors are at different stages in the “journey to buy,” somewhere between just starting to research and making a decision. You need specific offers for buyers in all of those different stages.
  • You need to make your form’s length (where you ask for their contact information) mirror the value of the offer.

Let’s explain that last point a little bit more. When I say “mirror the value of the offer,” I mean that if the offer is not really worth all that much (be honest about assessing its value), you shouldn’t ask for a lot of information from your site visitors. A simple name and email address is probably enough. On the other hand, if the perceived value of the offer is high, you can feel comfortable requesting your lead to fill out a host of information – name, phone, email, employer, title at work, and so on.

Best Practices for Powerful Landing Pages

Here’s a handful of “best practices” for you to follow as you begin creating your first landing pages.

  • Write clear, action-oriented headers.
  • Explain the offer and the value it provides.
  • Include an engaging, relevant image.
  • Place content above the fold – your site visitors shouldn’t have to scroll down on the page to see your content.
  • Do not include menu navigation or links. Don’t give them an easy way to click off of your landing page.

You’ve probably got a few additional questions for me as this point. Go ahead and reach out to us! Give us a call at 262.303.4238 or contact us here. We’ve crafted a lot of landing pages, and we’re eager to share our insight.