A “landing page” is any web page someone “lands” on when they arrive at your site, although normally it refers to a page specifically set up to catch people responding to a particular offer or link. The design of the landing page is incredibly important; it can make the difference between a 1% response and a 20% response, and if you’re paying a pound or more to get a visitor, that means a lot of money is involved. Yet few companies spend much money on the page design, or attempt to improve the page by testing alternative ideas.
My first tip for a successful web page is to reflect the offer, both graphically and in words. So if the link you’re using says “Send for our catalogue by clicking here”, then the landing page headline should be “Send for our catalogue here”. That will reassure people that they’re in the right place. If your link is from an advert, the landing page should reflect the colours and styles for the same reason.
Next, don’t ask the visitor for any more information than you need to, and don’t tell them any more than is necessary. If the page looks daunting, they won’t even read what you’ve got to say. They’re already curious enough to have clicked on a link or typed in a URL, so you don’t need to sell it to them all over again, just make it easy for them to complete the task.
Finally, reassure them that you’re trustworthy. People are – rightly – still hesitant to offer their personal details to (or buy from) an organisation they’ve stumbled across online. Make your address prominent, to prove to them that you exist. If you can offer a testimonial from a name which is better known than your own, grab the opportunity.
And if you do get the visitor to take the required action, make sure you give them an immediate acknowledgement.