What Is a Landing Page?
Let's start with the definition. A landing page is a single webpage that encourages the user to take a specific action. For example, to participate in a lottery, buy a ticket to a seminar, subscribe to something, or download a presentation.
Unlike a regular website, which contains extensive information about your company, the products and services you provide, events you host, your team, etc., a landing page presents only one special offer, promotion, project, product, or service. It is used when you need to focus the user's attention on one specific thing and encourage them to take a certain action.
Such destination pages are made for a narrow target audience. They are an important and often indispensable tool for the advertisement of a business that provides goods and services.
One Offer — One Action
Let's imagine that you have decided to host a workshop and started an advertisement campaign on social networks, which leads to your single webpage.
But how should this site look so that the user gets interested and takes the action you want them to take — purchasing a ticket to the workshop?
1. Structure of a landing page
The order in which you present information to the user and the amount of data are very important. As a rule, the text of the site should be intriguing, short, and to the point.
A landing page creates a quick path for the user to take: come to the site, understand what it is about, and perform an action.
The first piece of information should attract attention and give a general understanding: it's about a useful workshop.
Then the user finds out the key details. The workshop will be conducted by a world-famous expert.
A bit more details. Here, we can add cards of other speakers, feedback from participants of the previous workshop, as well as certificates that participants will receive after they finish their training.
2. Action Button
A landing page leads the user to take a certain action. Without this button, it is no longer a lead capture page — it's just an informative site.
3. Audience
A landing page can be made not only for a specific offer but also for a specific type of user. Its design will depend on its target audience.
Should the destination page look bright and provocative? Or modest and concise? Will there be photographs of real people or illustrations depicting the characters? It's your audience that answers these questions.
Clichés, Stereotypes,
and Wrong Beliefs
The longer a landing page is, the better
A landing page should not be too long or overloaded with information just because "everyone does it". A good landing page should advertise your offer in a short, clear, and interesting way.
There should be additional motivation to take action
Pop-ups and countdown timers only irritate the user and distract them from things that are really important. It is better to attract attention with high-quality, beautiful photos of your product.
You should add information about your company
All your certificates, achievements, the entire history of the company, and other things will not help the user get the gist of your offer and take action. While reading all this information, they will forget what they checked your lead capture page for.
You need a marketing text
A text like this is required in case your product has no value and no use and thus, it's impossible to make an offer. In other cases, you don't need special advertising.
A landing page can be used as an online store
A landing page can be used to sell anything — workshop or museum tickets, jewelry or designer socks, electric scooters or concrete plants. The main thing is that there shouldn't be too many goods.
Otherwise, the variety will force the user to make choices, and they might not purchase the particular product you want to sell them. Launch separate landing pages for every product or a bunch of products. Or launch a proper online store.
A landing page will make people buy your products
It is a common belief that landing pages turn visitors into buyers. But maybe a person who checks your destination page has no money or has planned something for the date on which your event is held. No matter how cool your landing page is, it won't make the user purchase things if they're unable to.
I'm not selling anything right now, so I don't need a landing page
Landing pages can be used not only for sales but also for getting leads. Leads are visitors who are more likely to buy something from you in the future. You can send them emails and ads or offer additional services. A landing page that encourages users to subscribe to the newsletter or download the presentation can be useful, too.
I have the main website, I don't need a landing page
If you have a regular website, you can create landing pages to conduct separate advertising campaigns: present a new service, hold a specific thematic event, a sale, a lottery, etc.
If I don't have the main website, I can't make a landing page
You can and you should! If you have a startup, you don't have to pretend to be a large corporation. You need only a single webpage that advertises your products or services. As your company grows and expands the range of goods, you will make your main site.
Summing Up
1. One audience — One landing page
If you have a mixed audience, create different landing pages for each group of customers.
2. One goal — One landing page
Either buy a product or subscribe to a newsletter. Don't make the user choose: they will start to hesitate and might just leave without purchasing your product.
3. Should my landing page be long or short?
It's not that important. The most important thing is that it should be concise and convincing.
4. Are landing pages useful?
Yes, when you know exactly what you want to sell and who your customers are.
