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Effective Landing Pages For
Your Web-Site
By: Barry Harrison
Do visitors know what to do when they arrive at your
website?
Landing pages welcome visitors more effectively than your
home
page because they are relevant to the specific Search term
used.
They're better at converting visitors into customers.
What is a landing page?
It's the entry page that you see when you click from a
pay-per-click
ad (or email link) to a website. Unlike your home page which
has to
accomplish many different goals, a good landing page responds
only
to the specific search term or link. Successful landing pages
lead
to higher conversion rates and greater returns on your
marketing
investment.
Why landing pages work.
Visitors immediately "get" that the content of a landing
page
is relevant to their search term. They don't need to navigate
to
find what they're looking for. They don't need to think.
They're ready to move along the conversion process: to submit
a
form, contact a rep, or make a purchase.
Elements of an effective landing page.
Good landing pages are simple and highly targeted. They
don't
contain anything that's not essential¯ including the
general
site navigation. Compelling copy should emphasize the benefits
of
your product or service and persuade your prospects to take the
next
step. If you're asking the visitor to submit a form, it's
a
good idea to summarize your privacy policy. You should also
offer a
toll-free number for people who prefer to call.
How landing pages work.
One of our clients, TravelStore, a leading California-based
travel
agency, started a pay-per-click campaign last year. We designed
a
template that's easily modified to create a landing page for
each
destination. So when a prospective client searches Google
for "Australia Travel" for example, they click on
TravelStore's ad to arrive at a relevant landing page.
The landing page offers just three options: fill out a
vacation
request form, contact a travel expert, or call the toll-free
number.
Since we began the campaign in October 2003 the conversion rate
is
over 38%.
Measure the results.
Web analytical tools help you measure the effectiveness of
your
landing pages. Google has a free conversion tool for its
Adwords
customers. You can learn how to improve your conversion rate
by
comparing two different landing pages. But change only one
element
at a time so you know what the impact is.
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Barry Harrison is the author of "REDiTIPS"
eMarketing Newsletter and a partner in Resolve Digital,
Web Strategies for the Real World.
Engaging Web design
Effective Internet Marketing
Essential Content Management Tools
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