What is a Website Landing Page and Why is it so Gosh Darn Important?

If you’re not into digital marketing or branding innovation don't read this. Really. 

You might be asking yourself: how can a single page be more crucial than an entire website? Well, everything has to do with the features that you need.

I know “landing page” isn’t the most intuitive term in the whole wide world, so let’s get down to brass tacks. In contrast with the average home page or webpage which serves a variety of purposes (navigation, sidebars, blog posts, products) a landing page exists solely to achieve a single, well-defined objective. 

A well-designed landing page is an inside track to targeting prospective customers.  

Powerful landing pages give visitors all the information needed to make a snap decision coupled with a crystal clear call-to-action that leaves no one in doubt as to where to go next.

And it’s not unusual for a website to have multiple landing pages. It is however essential that each of these be precision-engineered to achieve a specific goal. They should be lean, mean, lead-generating machines. Their hallmarks are bold calls-to-actions, great headlines, and striking hero images, with nary a distracting navigation bar in view. They should rapidly establish social proof with reviews, endorsements, testimonials, and product ratings.

Whether it’s A/B testing, heatmaps, deep integrations, dynamic text replacement, or another high-value feature, landing pages are geared towards maximizing conversions. Since these landing pages can be tied to campaigns, improving conversion rates can be very valuable.

You want that, right ... improving conversion rates (just say yes)? This stand-alone page could be the difference between the success and failure of your entire business or idea.

There is a lot of pressure placed on how this landing page (aka splash page) will perform, yet there is a wide variety of landing page styles. Some landing pages only require a form and a bit of social proof (again, as ads driving visitors to the page provides enough context). Other pages require a lot more information, especially for complex products.

Here a few features, yielding great benefits of superb landing pages:

• Beautiful branding with vivid colors which draws users’ attention   
• A compelling message, "above the fold", which encourages scrolling
• Stunning images, animations, and effects
• An auto-play video showcasing actions
• Alternating left and right-aligned features to keep users engaged  
• Simple, structured sections make this page easy to digest
• Above the fold, centered call-to-action  

The best landing pages zero-in on benefits, not the company. They speak to a specific audience. They are focused and free of distractions. They collect specific information about your prospective customers. 

And they provide "thanks". This is not only polite but assures the consumer that they have completed the registration process. Good manners are the glue that holds society together.

Obviously, there are very different plans and solutions for every budget and business need. Mine is simple, compelling, rewarding (really, there's a freebie) and links to my CRM, integrates with a built-in email marketing and sales automation tool, keeping all of my customer data organized in one platform. Oh, and it's low cost. 

For your website's landing page, just use something ... wouldya'? Very soon, it'll be 2021.

#LandingPages #Conversions

Steve King, once a scorched earth turnaround artist, is often a pushy, sassy writer. He’s Brand Innovation + Digital Marketing Leader, and CEO, at Kings Crossing where he helps people take control of their online presence using their data.

Advising, coaching, writing, and sharing on their impact on branding innovation and digital marketing, revolving business models, emerging customer experiences, and ways of purchasing, he’s best known for his “visual map of the data landscape.” Mostly, he dreams in Technicolor.

Personally, he’s a futurist and hopeless romantic. And he’s shamelessly enamored with the whispers, secrets, and history that lie amongst the Florida Keys.

Growing up in Cincinnati, playing baseball at four years old and all the way into his early twenties, even professionally; it was his very own “wonder years”.