Landing Pages Often Underutilized

Once someone clicks on a banner ad, they go to one of two places: a landing page, or the company’s homepage. If they are sent to the homepage of the company, viewers may be unable to find what they had been promised or enticed to see. They have so many options and paths to take; if they have to search hard for it, they will just leave.

Landing pages generate results, including sales and downloads, so companies should take advantage of this. They are perfect for short term campaigns, since the landing page can be customized a lot easier than the homepage can.

So how do you make the most of your landing page?
-Action: The best landing pages are action-oriented, making it clear what action is expected. Make it easy for the visitor to convert as well.
-Specific: Page content should be concise and specific. Remove the navigation bar if possible. Keep the viewer focused on the action you want them to accomplish. Allow viewers to read the most important elements without scrolling down.
-Consistent: Landing pages should be consistent in feel to the homepage, to prevent confusion and reinforce the brand. Additionally, landing pages should always be consistent with the ad in style, subject, and mood. Many banner ads fail because of this disconnect.
-Activity: You need to define you conversion activity clearly before designing the landing page. What do you want people to do when they get there?
-Target: Construct the page based on the specific demographics of your target audience.
-Format- Lead the eye towards the conversion exit, and focus all attention on it. Try not to distract the viewer with sidebars. Make forms easy to complete as well, including allowing viewers to tab from field to field.
-Test: Show your landing page to a small user group and get feedback.

Performing these tasks should lead to a landing page providing the optimal response rate.