Why are web site landing pages important, and when do I need to create one?
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By Jennifer Manocchio
By definition, a landing page is a web site that a visitor “lands” on when he or she clicks on an online banner advertisement, a search-engine result, an email or a pay-per-click advertisement. The purpose is threefold.
First, the landing page is logical content that is an extension of the ad, email or search-engine result that keeps the visitor engaged. For example, if a person sees a banner ad for a new cookie and clicks it, he or she expects to see a page about that specific cookie and perhaps a coupon that encourages a purchase, not the manufacturer’s home page.
Second, a landing page allows a company or individual to track the results of a specific campaign. This allows you to see how many people clicked through the ad or email and what they did when they arrived at the landing page. Based on the traffic patterns, the landing page can be improved to enhance the results. For example, if visitors are going to the landing page and immediately leaving or are not taking the desired action (e.g. completing a form, purchasing a product, downloading a coupon, etc.), there is a problem that must be addressed.
Finally, you can also create several landing pages for an advertising or email campaign to see which landing page achieves the best results.
Each time you conduct an online banner ad campaign, pay-per-click campaign, organic search engine optimization or email campaign, you should consider if a landing page needs to be created. Sometimes a page on the existing web site might already be relevant, and there is no need to create a new landing page.
For example, if you are promoting a special Valentine’s Day cookie and there is a web page already created that provides information on this special cookie and allows visitors to order it, a landing page might not be a worthwhile investment. However, if this is a seasonal cookie and your web site doesn’t include a specific page about it, a landing page will be necessary. You never want to drive potential customer to a generic page, or even worse, your homepage. You will likely achieve a high bounce rate if consumers have to search for information that should be immediately available.
Ask yourself this question: Will a landing page help explain the content in the advertisement or email better, and does it have the potential to increase conversions? If yes, then create a landing page. If you are already investing in an advertising, search engine optimization or an email campaign, why fall short and risk below average results?
Need to create a landing page or want to learn more about the benefits, please contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.
