There's an art to landing pages but the end goal is the same for all of them: Getting the prospective visitor to take a desired action. Accomplishing this is a matter of patience, thorough testing, and intuiting a visitor's desire.
(Coverage of the ACCM conference continues at WebProNews Videos. Keep an eye on WebProNews for more notes and videos from the event this week.)
A panel of experts spoke about landing pages at the ACCM conference in Orlando. The panel included American Eagle veep Tim Walter, DMinSite sales and marketing team lead Karen Crist, and Budk World Wide VP of Ecommerce Gavin Galtere.
When developing landing pages, Walter said there are two obvious places to start: paid search and email. "Don't only do Google," he said. "If you do you're leaving a lot of dollars on the table."
Email is the cheaper route, and allows more freedom and speed in testing. "Paid search is more difficult because it's not in your face," said Walter. As might be obvious, email puts a marketer's message directly in front of the consumer whereas search requires not only the consumer to actively seek out but to not be blind to advertisements.
As an extension to that, Crist noted that landing pages should not be subtle. She prefers the "buy it now" approach, especially with smaller ticket items for sale that don't require a lot of research.
Knowing the intent of the consumer then, plays a big part in developing a landing page. Galtere echoed this sentiment by admonishing marketers to make sure the landing page matches where the consumer expects to be taken. "I hate to see someone come in and hit the search button immediately. That's making consumers work too hard.
Between the three of them, they delivered a pretty nice set of tips for getting the most out of landing pages. They are as follows:
1. Get top-level buy-in for strategic projects; not all projects produce immediate sales, but have more strategic implications for the business.
2. Create urgency, such as a deadline to increase CTR and conversion
3. Print destination URLs on pages in your catalog
4. Sepertate CSS and data points for ease of use
5. Make sure landing pages deliver on a promise that drove the shopper to the site with consistent products, benefits, offers and branding
6. Split test different paid search landing pages
7. Split test different email landing pages. Don't throw consumers to a category page, but a specifically designed page using the email messaging, creative and extended product offering
8. Track key performance on all pages
9. With landing pages - think like a consumer
10. Test, test, test
11. Have a platform that enables marketing staff to market.
12. Be prepared to make changes fast
13. Optimize landing pages for natural search with readable URLS (no special characters), included on site maps, no Flash, no duplicate content
14. Keep landing pages up longer than you think. If you are working with outside agency to host, require minimum of 3-6 months hosting
15. Look at competitors landing pages. Your customers are likely searching multiple sites for a product. See what they are seeing.
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thanks for your article.
thanks for its article..
thanks for its article.. very helpful.. :)
Clear Action
Nice info!
Giving your visitor a clear action to take on a landing page is critical. Folks will not stay and try to figure out the "next step". Starting the funnel process is very important.
Teach me more
I have spent much time reading and implementing many of the things that you guys say are the best way to building a site. Yet to this very day I cannot remember getting a unique click on my site.
Could use some adivice so please spam me with your suggestions!
I have one domain, hosted by Yahoo Small Business, and they only allow one domain. Unless I win the lottery, finances prevent me from investing in another hosting co. or change any time in the near future. (Please don't write me making that suggestion as it isn't possible right now.)
Anyway, on this one domain, I have several sites and in the process of dividing them ea into their own sub-domain, (actually am torn between doing it or not) as GoogleBot hates sub-domains.
My passion is a an information site about Fibromyalgia and is currently where you are sent when you go to the domain index. I am working on monetizing it, but let's face it, my site visitors are like myself, very ill, most are disabled and aren't there to shop but to get help for this debilitating and greatly misunderstood disease. I am currently writing an ezine to offer but presently offer a site newsletter for opt ins. It is not working. The site is indexed by Google and Yahoo, is third in results for "Fibromyalgia Awareness Bracelet" and is also in DMOZ, DMEGS, various social networks, etc. (Something I am very proud of as the site has only been up since December! I am a constant student of SEO and implement as many stradegies as I am able.) The site also has a forum but despite advertising and a monthly newletter, it is not growing rapidly and getting participation is like pulling teeth.
Attatched to the FM site is a shopping page offering FM awareness items and an exclusinve FM areness bracelet. I also have affiliate links for various programs including BIDZ, which is my highest converter. (An effort to monetize the site to help pay for expenses, since I had no income.) This page also include a link to a NASCAR affiliate website I am developing, which if I finally decide to, will be a sub-domain and stand on it's own, once finished.
Another site is a "Personalized Letter From Santa", site which was my first effort and does real well at Christmas. Like the FM site, it is an effort of love first and foremost; however; now that it is taking off, I will also be revamping it and improving it prior to the season.
Also in the works is another site, (which is basically an expansion from a page in the FM site), showing people who are disabled how to supplement their disability income with web-based oppportunities. It is going to be an "internet marketing" site and is still in development.
So, my question is, how would I best utilize landing pages, given the structure of my domain and the sites it includes? I've been in IM for 7 years part time but became disabled an unable to work as of Oct.07'. Have had no income since and after being approved for SSDI in only 4 months for FM, my first SSDI benefit was deposited yesterday! Now that I can devote efforts full time I would like to figure out the best direction to take this domain and the sites within it.
My problem is that I am not sure how I could utilize a landing page...if I need one so that visitors can choose which site they would like to visit from or if I just need one for each site in the main root.
I'm not writing this to spam or gain advertising link....this is a genuine request for help and suggestions. I am setting up a blog that you can send your comments to and it will be linked to the "im site" once completed so your comments may help you down the road. Take a look at the sites , (keeping in mind that they are all developing every day and that I have had to use free methods of advertising this entire time, ) and let me know what you think. I would appreciate any help Ya'll wish to offer.
I've listed the blog as my address where you can leave your suggestions. Come on now, how often do you get an invitation to spam someone or are asked for your opinion? Here's your chance to take advantage of it!
Much Thanks!
How to ...?
Could you please give more info about the point "8. Track key performance on all pages"
Thanks
No PPC
Split testing is very important. I ONLY use PPC to test keywords (24 hours) and rely on Google for the rest of the traffic. Long tail keywords and a blog work well for me instead of an email list.
Your Lander Is Your ONLY Chance You Have
Out of all the mails I get from you guy's and others I'm happy that finally someone mentioned this issue.
Your Landing page is the ONLY thing a visitor will see before he buys some or leave without to do anything at all.
Pay very much attention to this, and don't be shy to CHANGE and adjust your site if the results are not as expected.
You should split test all till it's perfect, this I do with all my sites, as well with this site here about Internet Marketing resources.
So be aware and make a simple test yourself in respect to your landing page. Read it loud and think about if YOU would buy some based on what you read.
G.
Proofreading
Email vs Paid Search
Well collected synopsis, thanks Jason. I'm sure my clients will benefit from the article. I think it's interesting that you make the point about Email being more quickly testable than Paid Search - people seem to forget that.
Google has an excellent ROI
Google has an excellent ROI and that's a fact!
Thank You
Thanks so much for your help. It has help my site alot.
Thank you!
I have always paid to have a website complete and ready to go for me. I have decided to go it alone and these are great tips. It is a chore to figure out where to begin and I notice there are many website/webpage building "novice's" out there these days! (besides me!)
Everyday is a learning process!
Thanks for sharing and helping!
Dorothy Minichiello
Various PPC systems
"When developing landing pages, Walter said there are two obvious places to start: paid search and email. "Don't only do Google," he said. "If you do you're leaving a lot of dollars on the table." "
I don't agree with that. Google gives (in most cases) the best ROI and unless you need more visitors than Google manages to give you, there is no need to use other systems as well. Throw part of your budget in another basket and on that money you get a lower ROI. That can not be the goal and is in fact leaving a lot of dollars on the table.
Of course it is always good to test to make sure that you do get the highest ROI.
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