Key difference and elements of conversion optimized landing page than website homepage

1. Introduction:

Landing pages are an important part of any online marketing strategy. If you use or have heard of funnels, landing pages are typically the starting point of a conversion funnel. By using them effectively, you can increase the number of qualified leads and ROI of sales significantly. In this article, we will take a look at the most impactful use of landing pages for small and medium business owners. 

There are two primary categories of Landing pages to be considered: 

1. Click-through landing page targets to encourage visitors to click on to another page. This page is often used in ecommerce because it makes it less likely that visitors will buy from the first landing page. In the hope that they will encourage them to click and purchase, it is common for the page to provide product information.
2. Lead generation landing page is used to collect leads via a form. These pages typically offer a deal and require visitors to provide their email address and other data to complete non-financial transactions. This type of page can also be called a \”squeeze page\”.

Landing pages zero in on one chosen conversion goal, giving you more control over where traffic flows, and ultimately, where your marketing efforts and ad dollars go. Before building landing pages, you must be clear of the conversion goal you have in mind and optimize the landing page for that: 

1. Are you trying to gather leads?
2. Are you selling a product?
3. Are you asking people to register for a webinar?

1. Use Landing pages to collect leads: One of the most effective uses of landing pages is to use them as a tool to collect leads. You can do this by creating a form on your landing page that asks for contact information from visitors. This will allow you to build a database of potential customers who are interested in your product or service.

A very popular way of generating leads through landing pages is through lead magnets. Creating a lead magnet that gives away a freebie to get visitors’ contact information. Offering a free consultation to potential customers who want to know more about your services. Getting visitors to sign up for an e-newsletter.

Typically you have an opt-in form on your landing page, people who sign up for your list will be added to it. This means that if you want to send them messages in the future, you’ll be able to do so.

2. Use landing pages to build your list: The best thing about landing pages is that they allow you to collect email addresses from visitors. If you have a list of people who are interested in what you do, then landing pages will give you an opportunity to add them to your list. Landing pages also allow you to target specific groups of people, which will make it easier to communicate with them. Landing pages also give you the chance to collect contact details for your audience so you can send them relevant content.

Bonus: Create an email sequence for each stage of your sales funnel An email sequence is similar to a series of emails that are sent to potential customers. An email sequence is useful because it allows you to send a series of messages to customers in order to build trust and develop relationships with your customers. Email sequences can also be used to inform your customers about changes to your products or services. For example, if you are launching a new product, you can send an email sequence that includes information about the new product.

3. Use landing pages to increase sales: You can use landing pages to promote your products or services, which will increase sales. You can also use landing pages to sell your products. For example, you can create a landing page for a specific product or service and include a call-to-action that encourages visitors to buy it. You have to design the landing page in a distraction free way and remove too many choices from your landing page to help ensure sales conversion. 

4. Miscellaneous objectives: You can also consider using landing pages to collect feedback on your website, drive traffic, for contests or giveaways. I would not recommend costly PPC campaign for this unless you are targeting your feedback collection for a large product launch. Landing pages are a great way to get more traffic to your website and boost your online presence. I would recommend organic link building, SEO and content maagement in social media/quora to drive traffic to landing pages targeted to create awareness. Video CTAs are very popuplar these days. We have a separate tutorial on hosting videos. You can have a landing page that redirects people to a specific page on your website, or you can link the two together. This is called a “conversion funnel.”

1. Use a call-to-action button on your landing page Call-to-action buttons are the most important part of any landing page. They give people a clear idea of what they need to do next on your site. If you don’t have a call-to-action button on your landing page, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. Call-to-action buttons work well in the following situations: When people are signing up for a newsletter or requesting more information about your products and services When someone is visiting a blog or another web page and wants to get more information When people are signing up for a contest or event When people are making a purchase

2. Make it easy for people to share your content You should always make it easy for people to share your content on social media. You can do this by including social sharing buttons on your website.

2. The benefits of using landing pages:

There are many benefits of using landing pages, including:

Increased conversion rates: Landing pages are specifically designed to generate conversions, which means that you are more likely to get people to sign up or buy something when you use them.

 Improved ROI: Landing pages help you to focus your marketing efforts on a specific goal, which means that you can achieve a higher ROI than if you were to scatter your resources.·

Increased brand awareness: When people visit your landing page, they will see your branding and logo. This will help to increase your brand awareness and recognition.

Landing pages are an extremely effective way to increase the number of qualified leads a business receives. When designed and implemented correctly, landing pages can improve conversion rates, ROI, brand awareness, and more.

3. Difference of landing page and home page

Websites don\’t convert paid traffic. They serve a completely different purpose. they basically cater to everyone: new and returning visitors, those that came in via organic search or branded terms, etc. without any specific focus on visitors with qualified buying intent

Landing pages are very focused on the key call to action. They tend to avoid the paradox of choice by offering too many choices.  general information and encourage visitors to explore. Howwver exploration in homepage means a lot of distractions, also known as conversion leaks. Unlike Home Pages which are intended to provide wide range of information, landing pages are very specific because the buyers are already through initial intent and have already shown interest in your company or product. Especially for PPC (Pay per click) search ads, you know (and can validate through UTM campaigns) that the visitor perhaps came to your webpage by searching for specific search terms which you had bid for. That being said, you don’t want your traffic to feel ambushed, but you can get away with a lot more pointed messages and selling on a landing page than you can on your homepage. The landing pages typically have far less number of links to minimize distraction and avoid the paradox of choice.

Barry Feldman at the orbitmedia blog summarizes the difference as: 

• homepage is targeted to inspire the visitor to go to another page—a page that satisfies their informational needs.
• The primary objective of the landing page is to be the page that satisfies their informational needs.

2. Call to action The call to action should be clear and simple.  It should be very easy for visitors to navigate to. It should also be very easy for visitors to interact with. Some examples of calls to actions are: subscribe, download, contact us, purchase, and sign up.

3. Design The design of the landing page should be unique and different from the home page. The design should be visually appealing, but simple. For e.g. “HubSpot” landing page has a very simple design with a lot of white space. The company uses a lot of pictures to attract visitors and make them feel at home.

What Makes a Good Home Page?

What makes a good landing page?

IT\’S THE CENTRAL HUB OF YOUR WEBSITE OCCUPYING THE ROOT DOMAIN. It is where your logo link points, and site visitors will be able to find navigation to other areas of your site from there. GIVE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF WHAT YOUR BUSINESS DOES A visitor to your homepage should not only be able to identify the company\’s main functions, but also feel inspired and compelled by it to explore more details. LINK TO ALL OTHER CRUCIAL PERMANENT PAGES OF YOUR WEBSITE Your homepage should allow visitors to quickly access all relevant web pages. This includes all service pages, contact pages, and blog pages. TELL VISITORS ABOUT HOW TO CONNECT WITH You IN DIFFERENT WAYS Make sure you have your phone number visible so people can find it on social media Although your homepage doesn\’t have to allow anyone to perform a particular action, should be able to do so. Visitors may not need to fill out forms, click buttons, or complete forms, but they will want to see your phone number and know where to find you shop. All site visitors should engage with your brand as soon as possible to avoid losing enthusiasm. Any less than that is a waste of time and an opportunity to generate new business.

FEATURE DESIGN ElementS TO RECEIVE TRAFFIC FROM ONE OR MANY SPECIFIC SOURCES A landing page is a page that welcomes traffic from clicks on ads on Google or links in emails. The information on the page should be expanded on the information found in the ad/email. PROMPT VISITORS TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL THROUGH A STRONG CALL-TO-ACTION (CTA) A landing page directs visitors to a central goal such as signing up to a newsletter, asking for a quote, or registering for webinars. REMAIN LOOKED AT A SPECIAL TOPIC OR OFFER THRUOUT THE PAGE Landing pages should not say or do too many things. Anything beyond one topic distracts visitors from the main objective. OMIT AND DOWNPLAY NAVIGATIONS A landing page should not contain a navigation bar, unlike your homepage. This allows visitors to leave the page and lessens any chance of meaningful action. It is not necessary for your website to have permanent links. Your homepage is your site\’s face. However, a landing page can be used as a temporary microsite to complement marketing campaigns.

3. How to create a landing page:

If you have never created a landing page before, it can be very difficult to know how to go about it. However, there are some things you should keep in mind when creating landing pages.

First of all, you will need to identify your target audience. Then you need to think about what you want to get out of the page. Finally, you will need to determine how you plan to promote the page. Here are some other tips to keep in mind when creating landing pages:

• Use a clear call-to-action button: This is one of the most important things to remember when creating a landing page. Make sure that the button is clear and easy to read
• Write a compelling headline: You should make sure that the headline you use on your landing page is compelling. If people don’t click through to the landing page, you will lose them.
• Include a CTA button: When people visit your landing page, they should be able to click a button that lets them sign up for your services or purchase something from your store. 
• Include your company logo: You should include your company logo on all pages of your website. This will help to create brand awareness and help people to remember your business.

Build trust with landing pages When you have a landing page, it’s important to make sure that people understand what they’re getting into before they sign up or give you their information. Make sure that your landing page clearly explains briefly what your company does, most importantly and visibly highlighting how it can benefit them, and why they should trust you. If people are willing to share their email address with you, they’ll probably be happy to hear from you in the future. If you’re building a list of subscribers, this is a good thing because it means you can send them targeted messages in the future.

How to increase conversion of your landing page:

There are a few key things to keep in mind when creating a landing page that converts:

• Keep it simple: The simpler your landing page is, the easier it will be for people to understand what you are offering.
• Build trust: Have you ever clicked on a link expecting one thing, but then landing on a page that was completely different? This can be extremely frustrating for web users and can lead to them leaving the site altogether. When creating your landing page, make sure it is simple and straightforward so that people know exactly what they are getting into. IN addition to build trust, you can demonstrate your education, your credentials etc. 
• Use strong visuals: People are drawn to images, so using strong visuals on your landing page can be a great way to catch their attention.
• Keep the copy short and sweet: The last thing you want on your landing page is a lot of text. Keep the copy short and to the point so that people can quickly read and understand it.
• Make sure the copy is engaging: People are looking for something to get excited about, and if your landing page is boring or uninteresting, they will leave. So make sure your landing page has some kind of compelling copy that will make them want to keep reading.
• Create an irresistible offer: It’s not enough to just have a landing page, you need to create a landing page that converts. Make sure your landing page offers something that is useful to the person that visits it, otherwise they will simply leave.
• Offer a free trial: Offering a free trial on your landing page can be a great way to encourage people to give your product a try. This will help you get more people to sign up for your free trial.
• Keep the design simple: Don’t make your landing page look cluttered and complicated. Keep the design simple and clean so that it doesn’t distract people from reading your copy. So with all of this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best ways to create a landing page that converts.

Neil Patel has a great tutorial on building high converting landing pages here, which we highly recommend.